How to Do Harley Quinn Hair

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: May 13, 2021 References

Harley Quinn, Daddy's Lil Monster, is a popular character from the Batman comic books and cartoons. One of her newest renditions appears in the new Suicide Squad film, where she sports messy pink and blue pigtails. Her style is cheeky, careless, and fun. Whether you are going to cosplay her, or simply want to style your hair like hers just for fun, there are lots of ways you can get the look.

Part 1

Part 1 of 2:

Using Colored Hairspray

1
Brush your hair, then part it down the center. Use the handle of a rattail comb to make the part nice and neat. Harley Quinn does have messy hair, but you want to keep things neat at this point. You will mess them up later.
2
Add loose waves, if needed. Harley has unkempt, rumpled hair. It will be easier to get this look if your hair is slightly curly or wavy. If you have straight hair, use a large curling iron to add loose waves to it. You can also spray your hair with a dry texturizing spray to help give it more volume. Don't worry about making it perfect or neat.

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3
Pull your hair up into two high pigtails, but exclude a few face-framing strands. Secure each pigtail with a hair tie. The pigtails need sit above your eyebrows and slightly behind your ears.^{[1]
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Research source} Be sure to leave a few strands from your front hairline hanging loose. This is one of the key parts of Harley's look.^{[2]
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- If you have bangs, consider leaving them out completely.^{[3]
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4
Spray your hair with colored hairspray. Use blue for the left pigtail and red or light pink for the right. Apply the hairspray from midway-down and be sure to work in small sections. Don't worry about making the color end in a straight line. A little unevenness would work great for Harley.^{[4]
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- This step can get messy. Wear an old shirt or drape a towel over your shoulders. Wearing plastic gloves might also help.^{[5]
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5
Wrap a thin strand of hair around the base of each pigtail. Take a thin strand of hair from under your left pigtail. Wrap it around the base to hide the hair tie, then secure it with a bobby pin. Repeat the process for the right pigtail.^{[6]
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- Try to finish wrapping the hair strands underneath the pigtails.
- You can also wrap a blue ribbon around your left pigtail, and a red ribbon around the right pigtail. Secure them with bobby pins or strips of double-sided tape.^{[7]
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6
Backcomb the pigtails, if needed. This depends on how messy your hair got during the previous steps and how voluminous it is to begin with. If your hair still looks too sleek, backcomb the pigtails from midway down. If your hair is still too thin, backcomb them all the way up to the base, where the hair ties are.^{[8]
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7
Set the style with hairspray, if necessary. If your hair is naturally curly or wavy, the colored hairspray might be enough to hold the style. If your hair is straight or smooth, consider spraying it with a lightweight hairspray to help hold the style.

Part 2

Part 2 of 2:

Using Hair Chalk

1
Brush your hair and part it down the center. Use the handle of a rattail comb to part your hair right in the middle, from your forehead all the way down to the nape of your neck.^{[9]
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- Harley Quinn does have messy hair, but you will do that at the end. Keep things neat for now.
2
Pull your hair up into high pigtails and secure them with hair ties. The pigtails need to sit right on top of your head, above your eyebrows and behind your ears. Use a comb or brush to smooth the hair down as much as possible. Leave a 1-inch (2.54-centimeter) strand of hair hanging loose on each side of your part.^{[10]
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3
Dampen your hair if it is dark. Hair chalk can be applied to wet or dry hair, but it will be brighter on light hair. If your hair is dark blond, brown, or even darker, the hair chalk won't show up very well if you apply it to dry hair. Mist your hair down with a spray bottle filled with water, then comb it through.^{[11]
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- You only need to dampen your hair about midway down.
4
Rub hair chalk into each pigtail. You will need to use bright blue for the left pigtail and light pink or red for the right pigtail. Start adding the colors about midway down.^{[12]
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Research source} Work with 1-inch (2.54-centimeter) wide sections.^{[13]
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- If you damped your hair earlier, let it dry before moving on to the next step.
- This step can get messy. Consider putting on an old shirt or draping a towel around your shoulders first.
5
Seal the color in with a hair straighten or curling iron. If you don't do this, the chalk will rub off. Be aware that some color may rub off onto the heat tool, however.^{[14]
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Research source} If you are using a hair straightener, twist it while straightening your hair so that you get loose waves instead. If you are using a curling iron, try using a larger one instead to get looser curls.^{[15]
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Research source} This will help set the chalk into your hair and prevent it from rubbing off.
- If you don't have a hair straightener or curling iron, you can mist it with hairspray.^{[16]
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  Research source} It won't work as well as a hair straightener or curling iron, but it will be better than nothing.
6
Wrap strands of hair around the base of each pigtail. Take a strand of hair from the underside of your first pigtail. Wrap it around the base of the pigtail to hide the elastic and weft. Secure the strand of hair with a bobby pin. Repeat this step for the other pigtail. The colored strands will give the illusion of a colored hair tie. Try to finish wrapping the hair strand on the underside of your pigtail.
- You can also use a wide, satin ribbon instead. Secure it with a strip of double-sided tape instead of a bobby pin. Use blue for the left pigtail and red for the right.^{[17]
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7
Backcomb the pigtails. This will give you a messier look. Only backcomb from the middle part of the pigtails and down.^{[18]
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8
Set the style with hairspray. Be sure to focus on the ends of your hair where the hair chalk is. This will help further seal in the color and prevent it from coming off.^{[19]
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Community Q&A

Question

How can I look like Harley Quinn if I have short hair?

Community Answer

Try using the pink and blue hairspray and mess it up a little. I don't think you need the pigtails as long as you have the colors. People will know who you are.
Question

If my hair is naturally thin, is that good for Harley or should I make it thicker?

Community Answer

If it is too thin, tease it and you should be fine. If it is extremely thin to the point where it doesn't look right for the part after you do the hairstyle, make it thicker (clip-in extensions are always a good option).
Question

Where do I get hairspray?

Faith Perez

Community Answer

Colored hairspray can be found online, at retail stores, or makeup/ hair supply stores.

Warnings

Don't let your hair get wet, or the colors will run.

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Colored hairspray can stain clothing and light-colored hair.

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Wash the colored hairspray out before your go to bed, of it will stain everything.

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