Hey baby, hey baby, hey! Today I'm going to show you how to recreate Gwen Stefani's iconic hairstyles at home. Ms. Stefani's style has evolved from its '90s ska roots to vintage pin-up girl, making stops at edgy street style and fantastical fashion along the way. Her hair has followed suit; metamorphosing with each style change to perfectly complement her new look.
Gwen is the queen of the quiff, often flaunting her hair so skyscraper high and rock solid that it would make Jedward's look flimsy in comparison. Although the quiff is one of Ms. Stefani's signature styles, she has rocked many different barnet styles ranging from poker straight, to vintage vixen Hollywood glam curls, to big and beautiful pirate queen hair. However, one thing that is a constant is the peroxide blonde color of her lioness mane.
"So can I have my hair like that?" I hear you cry. Well, you got it like that! With this Gwen Stefani hairstyle experiment, you can see which hairstyles are most easily recreated at home, which are a little trickier, and which you might not want to attempt unless you've got a professional hairstylist at your disposal. So, sit back, relax, and let me blow ya' mind.
Before
This is my normal hair. It is usually straight but the night before last I had a performance with my vintage girl band so the ends of my hair are still a little curly here.
1. The Sleek "Spark The Fire" Style
I imagined this style would work really well because of my naturally straight, blonde hair being a little similar to Gwen's, however I didn't take into account one key factor: length. At the moment my hair is ridiculously long and thus, it looks way OTT in this style.
I imagine if you have shorter hair, this would be a really cool, easy hairstyle to recreate at home. All I did was separate a front section of my hair, create a messy bun in the back, and straighten the front section. If you wanted to go really out there you could dye your layers underneath your top section of hair in the front. I didn't do this because my hair is more or less all one length so I would have just had to dye the entire front area, which would have looked even more ridiculous.
Verdict: An effective, easy, edgy style to try at home if you have mid–length hair.
2. The "Just A Girl" Vintage Inspired Ponytail
As soon as I spotted this style I knew I had to try it. It looked a little tricky but I thought I could utilize my victory roll knowledge to assist me in creating this vintage punk style.
Although not identical to Ms. Stefani's tight, little swirled quiff, I really love this style. I knew it wouldn't look exactly the same because I have so much blooming hair compared to Gwen in her No Doubt days. However I think it has the desired effect; an alternative style quiff to give a vintage look a slightly hard edge.
I achieved this style by first separating a section of hair (starting from the top and middle of my forehead) with a hair tie. I held my head upside down – IMO the only way to get a super high ponytail – and brushed the rest of my hair into a tight ponytail. After securing the ponytail, I used my victory roll building knowledge to create a small swirl. I pinned this to my head while keeping a firm clasp on the quiff, and then I finished by securing the quiff down too.
Verdict: I love this style which I have dubbed "Sandy from Grease goes punk!"
3. The "Hollaback Girl" Hat
By far the easiest style of the bunch, I literally just pinched my partner's hat and put it on! Pair with a tank top, some combat pants, and some high-top sneakers, and you have yourself an easy Ms. Stefani inspired street style look. Get instant '90s vibes by pairing this hair/hat style with some dungaree shorts and a colorful tee.
If you want to go the whole hog, straighten your hair to truly channel Gwen.
Verdict: A super easy style made for days when your hair is just not doing what you tell it to, or you're running late and haven't got time to style it.
4. "The Sweet Escape" Voluminous 'Do
To recreate this style I first had to use my trusty heated rollers to curl my hair and add volume to it. I tend to always use heated rollers when curling my hair because I don't think I have the (wo)manpower to be able to curl it all on my own. I think I would definitely need some assistance with a curling wand to try and tame this beast.
After curling, I separated the front of my hair into three sections; one at the top of my head and one on either side of my face. I gripped these into place around the back of my head and that was it. Easy peasy!
Verdict: I really liked this simple, yet sophisticated look which was surprisingly easy to create. You may need some heated rollers or a helpful friend depending on the length of your hair, otherwise it might not be such an easy style. Unfortunately I don't own a wind machine (it's on my Christmas list), but I did pull my best Gwen side pout.
5. The "Rich Girl" Pirate Queen Hair
Again, everything looks better with a wind machine, but aside from the lack of an impromptu gust, I totally love this hairstyle! Having already curled my hair I literally grabbed a necklace, pinned one end behind my ear, wrapped some hair around it, and secured the other end of the necklace behind my other ear. Utterly simple!
Verdict: This look would be perfect for a festival or a party this summer and once you've got the curling out of the way, it's super easy to complete.
Images: YouTube/NoDoubtVEVO; YouTube/GwenStefaniVEVO (4); Phoebe Waller
