Top Off Your Ghoulishly Glam Harley Quinn Costume With This Easy Hair DIY

By Emily Orofino

Updated on 9/18/2016 at 5:00 AM

Courtesy of Rudy’s Barbershop
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POPSUGAR correctly predicted last year that quirky-creepy Harley Quinn (played by Margot Robbie in Suicide Squad) would be an insanely popular Halloween costume for 2016. YouTubers — including the famous NikkieTutorials — are perfecting the comic book villain's ghoulish take on glam for this October.

But while you've probably mastered your faux face tattoos and perfect red lip by now, there's still a major aspect of Harley's look you need to nail down: her punky pigtails! We consulted with Bambi Saunders of Rudy's Barbershop, who whipped up this supereasy hair DIY. All you'll need is hair chalk, elastics, a curling iron, and some ribbon. Bonus: this style works especially well on dirty hair. (We think Harley herself would approve.)

Model: Sophia
Makeup: Dylan Domingos
Photography: Aileen Son

Start with dry hair. It doesn't have to be clean — oils and texture will make this style look even better.

Add in volume and grit by spraying your strands from root to tip with a sea salt spray like Byrd Texturizing Sea Salt Spray ($16).

Blow out your spritzed strands with a hair dryer. This will boost the texturizing effects of the salt spray.

Using the first tooth of a comb, make a clean middle part from your hairline to the nape of your neck.

Take the two sections you've created with the comb, then use hair elastics to secure each side of your hair into high ponytails above the ear. Be sure to leave some face-framing strands out in the front like Harley's!

Now that your hair is up, spray a workable, light-hold hair spray like Bumble and Bumble Does It All ($29) all over. This will give your hair chalk something to stick to.

Grab two shades of hair chalk — pink and blue, of course. Saunders likes Edge Blendable Hair Color ($12) because it produces vibrant colors and adds a bit of texture.

Firmly grasping your left ponytail by its tip, color your hair from the halfway point down with the blue chalk. Blend the line of demarcation with your fingers to create an ombré effect.

Repeat this step on your right side, but swap the blue out for pink.

Once you've finished applying your hair chalk, double-check to make sure that your color is symmetrical on each side.

Grab a curling iron with a one-inch barrel (we swear by the Sarah Potempa Beachwaver Pro [$199]) and curl your pigtails. Try splitting each ponytail in half to make the sections easier to curl, but don't worry about making them look too perfect.

Now for a few finishing touches . . .

Use pink and blue ribbon to wrap each pigtail with its corresponding color. To do this, loop one end into the hair elastic, then wrap the ribbon around it. Each time you wind the fabric around, the ribbon should overlap itself slightly until you've created a one-inch-wide wrap.

Your hair is totally done!

Once you add some Harley Quinn-inspired makeup (making sure that the eye shadow color corresponds to your hair color), you'll be ready to terrorize Gotham City.

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