Spooky season is upon us and you’re probably looking to summon up some Halloween costume inspiration. But how can you create a fancy dress moment that doesn’t look like it belongs to the ghost of Halloween parties past? From the classic cat to the standard spooky ghost, there’s no shortage of costume options, but how do you level up your look to terrifying new heights?
We may be biased, but in our opinion, there’s nothing scarier than a Halloween look that falls short when it comes to the hairstyle. If you want a look that’s drop-dead gorgeous from root to tip, check out our guide to the Halloween hairstyles that will definitely turn heads - and make your costume look extra chic (but still with a side of freak).
And don’t worry, you won't need witchcraft or wizardry to create these looks. They’re all spellbindingly simple and we’ve got the trick and tools to help you achieve them.
Sarah Sanderson Halloween Hairstyle: Wickedly Witchy
Who wasn’t obsessed with Hocus Pocus growing up? When it comes to power siblings, the Sanderson sisters walked (or should that be flew?) so the Kardashians could run. With the release of Hocus Pocus 2 a whole new generation is joining the coven and we predict that Sarah Sanderson - aka our forever Halloween style icon - is going to be the go-to costume for anyone that wants to be on the chic side of spooky this year.
Sarah’s hair notoriously changes from curly to straight throughout the movie, so whatever your hair type you could embody her ethereal (but also kind of evil?) energy this Halloween.
Your Spooky Styling Kit for this Look:
- Ultimate Styler
- A three-barrel curling iron
- Ultimate Teaser
- Hair oil
Halloween How-To:
- Use the Ultimate Styler to ensure hair is totally tangle-free and super smooth before you start styling
- Then take a three-barrelled curling iron and wrap hair around it to create effortless waves.
- Try to make the hair curlier than you want it to be with the finished style as it will hold better
- Once the hair has been curled, take The Ultimate Styler and gently brush through to loosen the curls
- Pro tip: At this point, you might want to add a little hair oil if you know your hair is prone to dry out or get frizzy
- Once you're happy with your waves, take our Ultimate Teaser to add a little bit of windswept ‘I just flew here on my broomstick’ texture and volume
- For a final frightening flourish, you can always add a veil as Sarah does in the movie.
The Black Cat Halloween Hairstyle: Purrfectly Practical
Black cats may be unlucky, but they make for a pretty stylish (and simple) Halloween costume. However, if you’re bored to death of seeing the same ‘black catsuit plus ear headband combo’ we have a little trick up our sleeves.
For a feline fancy dress costume that’s less basic and more mind-blowing, we recommend giving special attention to your hair. In a few quick steps, it’s actually possible to create cute cat ears from your locks - no magic or deal with the devil required!
Your Spooky Styling Kit for this Look:
- Ultimate Teaser
- Bobby Pins
- Hairspray
Halloween How-To:
- Start with freshly styled and detangled hair - we think poker straight hair looks great for this style, but curly hair works too!
- Then take two front sections of your hair and tease the underside with our Ultimate Teaser - you’re looking for lots of texture and volume.
- Then fold the sections towards the back of your head, smoothing the hair on top as you go
- Take your bobby pins and secure the sections in place to create two ‘cat-ear’ shapes.
- Finish the look with hairspray and you’re ready to party!
The Clown Halloween Hairstyle: Ghoulishly Gory
Clowns are definitely one of the creepiest costumes out there, but this Halloween hairstyle somehow makes it kind of cute! Make-up plays a big part in creating an effective clown look but so often the hair is forgotten about (or people go for a colourful, curly wig that is terrifying in more ways than one).
If you want a clown that is going to get you more treats than tricks, we recommend trying out this fun and freaky space bun style.
Your Spooky Styling Kit for this Look:
- Ultimate Styler
- Thin hair ties
- Bobby pins
- A small, thin object, like a pencil
- A hair straightener
- Hairspray
Halloween How-To:
- Start with freshly styled hair and use The Ultimate Styler, to smooth the hair down and remove any knots or tangles.
- Take the top front sections of your hair and split them back into three high ponytails using the thin hair ties
- Once the ponytails are secured it’s time to get creepily creative! Take small strands of your hair (no bigger than 1 inch wide) and wrap it around a long, thin object - a pencil is perfect
- Take a hair straightener and apply heat to the wrapped sections for around 10-20 seconds
- Hold the pencil in place for a couple of seconds to let the hair cool and then unwrap to reveal some clown like curls
- Continue to the technique across all three ponytails
- Once all the hair is curled turn each ponytail into a space bun by wrapping it around itself and securing with bobby pins
Pro tip: Leave a few strands loose for a crazier effect!
Once you’re happy with your finished look, spritz with hairspray so your clown is on lockdown for the whole evening
The Vampire Halloween Hairstyle: Demonically Dark
You don’t need to be Edward Cullen to be a hot vampire come October 31st - you just need to give this high fashion Halloween hairstyle a go.
Vampires are a timeless costume for the spooky season and adding fake blood and red contacts to almost any chic black dress can instantly transform you into a blood-sucking belle of the ball. But if you want to level up your look, the secret is committing to a hairstyle that’s less Monster Mash and more Met Gala. This style could not be easier and the hair wax will keep your hair out of your face for eternity (or at least all evening).
Your Spooky Styling Kit for this Look
- Ultimate Teaser
- Ultimate Styler
- Hairspray or hair wax
Halloween How-To:
- Start by taking our Ultimate Teaser and teasing the hair at the back and crown of the head
- The aim is to create lots of volume, texture and height, so don’t be afraid to go for it!
- Once you’re happy with the height and shape, use The Ultimate Styler to smooth the hair over the top and towards the back of the head
- Smooth the hair around the sides back over the ears so you’re creating a sleek silhouette
- Once you’re satisfied with your look, take hairspray or hair wax and smooth down the edges of the hair - we love hair wax for that almost wet look effect that’s giving I woke up (in my coffin) like this!
The Zombie Halloween Hairstyles: Fiendishly Funky
Now, this look might not be as hard as surviving a zombie apocalypse, but it’s not quite as simple as the others - but it has a huge Halloween impact! The idea is to look dishevelled (you have just come back from the dead, after all) but to also have lots of style drama. This technique uses bobby pins to create some zany zombie zig-zags with amazing staying power. If you want to look drop-dead gorgeous all night, this look is worth the effort.
Your Spooky Styling Kit for this Look
- Ultimate Styler
- Ultimate Teaser
- Bobby pins
- Hair straightener
- Hairspray or hair wax
Halloween How-To:
- Start by removing all knots and tangles with The Ultimate Styler - it’s really important for this look otherwise things could get messy!
- Then take a small section of hair (less than 1 inch wide) and weave it through a widely open bobby pin.
- The hair strand should weave over and under the bobby pin, like a French braid.
- Once the entire strand has been weaved through, apply heat with a straightener for around 10-20 seconds - make sure you don’t burn your hair.
- Continue across all of your hair until every strand is curled - this may take some time but the end effect is definitely worth the effort.
- Once each strand is culled and unravelled you’ll have a head full of zombie zig zags!
- Now it’s time to take our The Ultimate Teaser to tease the hair and create volume and a dramatic distressed look
- Spritz with hairspray and you’re ready to take on the night
So there you have it, a host full of Halloween hair ideas that will take your costume to a whole other level. Whether you’re topping off a carefully curated look or are trying to transform your everyday wardrobe into a last-minute Halloween-worthy outfit, these simple hairstyles will work their magic!
Need more Halloween hairspo, check out our Tik Tok here!
Check out some of our looks from above in our Youtube Short here. Not forgetting our HOCUS POCUS Youtube Short here!
