Sometimes I run, sometimes I hide, and sometimes I recreate Britney Spears' iconic hairstyles at home. Spoiler alert: I am afraid to say I am not going to be shaving my head. Sorry guys, I really like my hair. However, I wanted to have a little experiment to see if some of Britney Spears' most memorable styles were actually achievable at home sans hairstylist. I thought it would be great to take a look at popular hairstyles of decades past and get a little nostalgic too.
It feels as though I have always loved Spears and her (mostly) upbeat pop tunes. Having been just nine years old when she released her now classic song "...Baby One More Time" in late 98 she has transformed from a pop princess to a chart topping queen with a huge catalogue of hits and an even larger following. When you are recognizable only by your first name, that's when you know you've made it big.
In our tween wisdom, my friends and I thought it would be a great idea to enter a talent competition and perform "Sometimes." Everything was on point: We had the moves (my mum is a dance teacher so she taught us some shapes), we had the sequin rompers, and we had the sparkly lipgloss. What we didn't have was the vocal ability, as only a couple of us in the group could actually sing — myself not included, this was way before I started having classical singing lessons. But with only two acts in our age category, we came second by default. Score!
So let's find out what iconic Britney Spears hairstyles look like when you recreate them at home and if they're wearable today. They are in chronological order, too, so we can track Brit Brit's career and the hair trends of the time periods.
Before
This is me before conducting the experiment. It's quite lucky that I have similar hair to Spears': It's long, blonde, and naturally straight, which made it a blast to try out Ms. Spears' hairstyles.
1. The "...Baby One More Time" Pigtails
Here's the doe eyed Britney Spears in her debut song "...Baby One More Time," which '90s adolescents all over the globe couldn't get enough of. Britney was so young, yet so body confident and full of energy that it was hard not to like her.
Here she sports classic, school girl pigtails that complement her costume and the high school setting of the music video. I love how her fluffy scrunchies have a totally Clueless vibe; the movie may have actually directly influenced this styling choice as it was released just three years prior to B's music video.
Here's my hilarious version. I didn't actually realize how long my hair was in comparison to B's '90s shoulder length cut. Thus, I took a photo that was a little more cropped to make it look more like Spears' style. Unfortunately, I didn't have any pink, fluffy scrunchies so I had to settle for these furry pom pom ones instead, which a lovely friend passed on to me.
On closer inspection of these hand me down scrunchies, I noticed there is quite a high possibility that they are made of real rabbit fur. Therefore, I am going to attempt to pass them on to someone who likes that kind of thing or give them to a charity shop because I can't bear to wear dead rabbit skin in my hair — sorry friend, if you are reading; I really appreciate the gesture!
Verdict: This style is most likely not suitable for a 25-five-year-old woman, at least not for me personally. But certainly for school children. Or B. Spears can style her hair however she wants and I will still love her.
2. The Chic Space Babe Style
Oh "Oops!...I Did It Again" I loved everything about you! The space theme, the dance moves, the clever pop culture reference to mega movie Titanic , and the Heart of the Ocean necklace... totally awesome. Ms. Spears was seen sporting a very sleek, modern up do; well it was the year 2000 guys!
I actually really liked this look and think in a way it's kind of timeless. It has a bit of a 1960s vibe going on but due to the lack of the '60s beehive, it somehow throws this look into the future even in 2015. It was a little tricky to recreate as you can see from my bobby pins sticking out and not behaving.
To complete this look, I gave myself a major side parting and then tied a front section from each half of my head together in a hair tie. I then created a ponytail with the rest of my hair. I untied the two front sections and pinned them down behind my ears and because my hair is so long, I was able to use the excess ends to wrap around my ponytail to try and recreate B's seamless up do.
However, mine wasn't quite as perfect as Ms. Spears' and I think she must be wearing some hair extensions or a hair piece because her hair is super voluminous and I don't remember her ever having that much hair in the early noughties.
Verdict: I would totally wear this style now as I think it makes the wearer look classy and adds a touch of sophistication to your look. A great 'do for when you're having a meeting or attending a special event where you want to look professional.
3. The Wet Look
During her video for "I'm A Slave 4 U" Britney rocks the wet look. The video consists of her being possibly trapped in an apartment during a heat wave with a bunch of friends and no water. IMO, the wet hair is meant to symbolize how hot and sweaty she is. How does she look this good? I look like a literal hot mess when I am this level of sweaty.
This is me pulling my Spears pose with a rogue, wet strand of hair in front of my face. You would think this would be an easy look to recreate but having to try and wet your hair (without soaking it) in an attempt to make it look sweaty is actually quite difficult, especially when your hair is as long and thick as mine. However, I recommend filling your sink with some water, putting down a towel and having a little water fight with yourself.
Verdict: This look was definitely the most fun to recreate but I think it has to be reserved for the beach. Plus, it should really be created by frolicking in the ocean or having a water fight with other people, not just by leaning over your bathroom sink and hoping for the best.
4. The Sassy Sky High Ponytail
Spears is seen here wearing a super sassy ponytail in her video for "Boys." I love this catchy tune and the general sassy attitude Ms. Spears brings to the table, but upon re-listening to the track as an adult, I realized it's not very inclusive of people's sexual orientations and is solely aimed at straight women. Which is a shame!
Ms. Spears' ponytail is worn very high on her head in a tousled style and her bangs are left out to add a bit of texture.
Seeing as I cannot have bangs due to a pesky calf lick, I had to style my ponytail without them. The best tip I learned for creating a super high ponytail is to literally hang your head upside down, brush your hair into the ponytail, and then secure while still upside down. When you turn the right way up again, pull your ponytail tight.
Verdict: This style is so-so on me and I think it would be vastly improved with the addition of some bangs like Brit's. Darn you calf lick, why do you torment me so?
5. The Elaborate Air Hostess Hairdo
I absolutely love everything about the "Toxic" music video: I adore the song, the costumes, and the Charlie's Angels style theme. IMO, this video contains a selection of some of the most awesome Spears-y costumes of her entire career, especially the futuristic air hostess outfit.
I was pretty nervous about this one as I am not the most advanced hairstylist nor am I trained in any way. Plus, I didn't have an air hostess hat so I had to improvise...
For me and my average hairstyling skills, this is an absolute triumph! I was so pleased with myself; you can tell from my happy, disbelieving grin above. However, this was the most difficult style to recreate and I didn't get it quite right.
As you can see from Spears' style, her bun is directly above her ponytail and it looks like the ponytail is protruding out of it. Whereas my bun was too high up on my head and I had to compensate by wrapping my hair tie with hair to make it appear more seamless and sleek. But I was so over the moon with the fact that I could create a neat, patisserie-esque bun (without looking) that I don't care that it's not perfect.
I first off sectioned my hair into two ponytails, one above the other. I took the top ponytail and wound it around itself, securing with bobby pins as I went along, to create a bun. After this, I took a section of the bottom ponytail, wrapped it around my bottom hair tie, and secured it underneath with another bobby pin. I then donned my hat on a jaunty angle like Spears.
Verdict: I love this elaborate style yet I think if I were to wear it out of the house, I would ditch the sailor hat.
Images: Phoebe Waller; Giphy (1); BritneySpearsVEVO/YouTube (6)
