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Halloween 2016 Hair Inspiration

Halloween 2016 Hair Inspiration
If, like us, you love hair (as you're a hairdresser) and you're still looking for some costume ideas and how to pull them off. Or, perhaps you have clients asking for you to transform them this Halloween- this blog is for you. You may have already visited Google's Freightgeist page and seen the top Halloween Costume choices for this 2016 but here is our take on the favourite Halloween Hair Icons this year..

1. Harley Quinn Unsurprisingly, the most searched Halloween Costume of 2016 was this Super-She-Villain. Though 'Suicide Squad' didn't get the best response from audiences, women everywhere could see a little bit of themselves in the bubbley yet psychotic Harley Quinn and her brilliant two-tone, bleached pig-tails. This hair is relatively simple to re-create if you already have blonde hair. You don't really need to take your hair any lighter to be recognizable as Harley Quinn but that's completely up to you. If you do choose to go full platinum then use a good quality bleach and toner such as Matrix Colorgraphics or Affinage Spectrum Pigment, to achieve a good base to work with. Now, as it's unlikely you or your client want to keep the signature blue and pink tips of Harley Quinn - we recommend you use a semi permanent, fondant color such as Revlon's Nutri Creme in Fondant blue and pink. Ensure you clearly split the hair down the centre part using a Pin-Tail Comb (like this one from Denman) so you have the same amount of blue to pink hair at the end.

What you will need:

  • Blue Bleach or Bleach and Toner (optional)
  • A Pin-Tail comb for a precise parting
  • Semi-permanent pink and blue colour such as Revlon Nutri Creme in fondant Blue and Pink

2. Daenerys Targaryen If you're looking for hair heroes and heroines of 2016 - no one got more #hairgoals than Dany of Game of Thrones. The braids we saw from week to week were just incredible. If you're looking to impersonate her this Halloween then we recommend you give her a quick Google and decide what version of Daenerys and which braided style you want to go for. The rough and ready Khaleesi of the Dothraki King or the perfectly curled yet powerful Future Queen of the Iron Throne. To achieve the curls we recommend the BaByliss PRO Spectrum Flat Barrel Wand - Orange Flame for a more natural, mermaid curl and maybe a backcomb brush if you're going for a more textured look. If it's braids you need help with, Youtube has lots of helpful tutorials - here's just one to get you started:

Set your curls and braids with a good hairspray such as L'Oreal's Elnett or Matrix Vavoom Extra-full Freezing Spray 500ml. We want the curls and braids to stay in place all Halloween. And don't forget those eyebrows. Part of what makes Dany so beautiful yet such a powerful looking heroine are her dark and perfectly-shaped brows. Use a tinting kit like the Apraise Eyelash & Eyebrow Tinting Starter Kit for colour and the Hive Of Beauty Brow Waxing Kit for shape if you don't have any of the tools needed.

What you will need:

  • Curling wand of your choice
  • A back comb for texture
  • Hairspray for setting
  • Gorgeous dark and shaped eyebrows

3. Rey (The Force Awakens) Another famous braided hairstyle of 2016 albeit a little more on the unorthodox side, was the three bun masterpiece of Rey, the Jakku scavenger. As this one is a little harder to figure out, we're lucky that hair bloggers around the world have done the hard work for you and made some extremely helpful tutorials like the one below.

The great thing about this hairstyle is that it's instantly recognizable with very little work once you get the hang of the buns. Many girls this Halloween can easily transform themselves into Rey - arguably one of the greatest and most relevant lead characters of our time. A strong yet beautiful woman with great signature hair. To achieve the look all you will need is some hair ties and bobby pins such as these by Hair Tools.

What you will need:

  • A video tutorial
  • Hair ties
  • Bobby Pins

4. Wednesday Adams Now it's time for a classic. Wednesday Adams works for any Halloween and her dark, understated style is weirdly beautiful and probably wouldn't look out of place on a fashion runway. Obviously you can opt for a wig but if you've got the length, then all you need is a dark colour which can be faked with semi-permanent dye from the likes of Wella Color Touch in 2/0 or Goldwell Colorance in 2/A. Black dye, even semi permanent can take a long time to come out of your hair so only go for this look if you're really dedicated to being Wednesday for a bit longer than Halloween or if you already have quite dark hair naturally. After the silky black colour, all you need are those signature plaits with a centre parting and some volume at the roots. (Even better if you've got a natural widow's peak.) Firstly, make sure that centre parting is perfectly precise with a Pin-Tail Comb. Get some nice volume in the roots using a light mousse such as Airy Builder or Volume Rose Mousse from Matrix so that it doesn't weigh your hair down or feel too crispy. Finally, neatly plait the hair into two long braids which start at the bottom of your scalp to the ends so that they sit nicely in front of your shoulders.

What you will need:

  • Long dark hair
  • Mousse for volume
  • Pin Tail Comb

5. David Bowie And finally, it wouldn't be a blog about 2016 Hair Icons without a mention of the great David Bowie. Men and woman everywhere are automatically transformed into something iconic and great when they don that flame orange, slick backed hair - which is so easy to achieve. The brilliant thing about this hair style is you don't need the mullet cut to be recognizable as David Bowie. Just start off with a flame orange base with the assistance of a semi-permanent hair dye like crazy colour in Orange or Coral Red (whichever is your preference). Once you have the colour, it's just about framing your face with a slicked back look. Use a strong hair gel like American Crew's Superglue that will last the night or for a more wet look go with Schwarzkopf Damped Wet-Look Pomade 200ml if you're accompanying your ode to David Bowie with glitter for added reflective sparkle.

What you will need:

  • Semi-Permanent orange hair dye
  • A strong hair gel for a slicked back look