35 Easy Halloween Hairstyles That Don't Require a Costume (2024)

PSA: Halloween is pretty much already here. I mean, have you seen the Halloween aisle at Target lately? It’s been ransacked since August, so if you're looking for a sign to start planning your October 31 lewk, this is it. But don’t panic—there are still tons of other ways to create an IG-worthy costume this year (including some easy Halloween makeup ideas, like bat makeup and alien makeup). But if you're not exactly a makeup pro and want something easier, I highly suggest starting with a cool Halloween hairstyle instead, then filling in the rest of the look from there.

Seriously, Halloween hairstyles are 10/10 for anyone who's not into the full-on costume vibe, and there's really a look for every hair type and skill level, including cute and spooky ponytails to Wednesday Addams braids. I know you want some inspo, so keep scrolling and peep the 35 best Halloween hairstyles on Instagram to get your ~spooky juices~ flowing.

1. This spooky messy bun for Halloween

All you really need to make a hairstyle Halloween-themed is a few spooky accessories like these fake spiders. To keep your messy bun in place, lightly spritz your roots and ends with texturizing spray to give it some grit before styling.

2. This Harley Quinn hairstyle for Halloween

This Halloween hairstyle doesn’t require any props or accessories, so it's perfect for anyone planning their look the night before Halloween. Take two sections of your hair, spray them with a pink and blue temporary hair dye, then wrap them into these cute lil buns. To finish, mist the ends of your hair to tie it all together.

3. This Ariel hairstyle for Halloween

If you’re looking for an easy, low-maintenance Halloween hairstyle, opt for this Ariel look. Start by spraying your hair with red temporary dye (like L'Oreal Paris Colorista 1-Day Temporary Hair Color Spray or Color Bombz by Beyond the Zone Ruthless Red Temporary Hair Color Spray), then part your hair to the side, and pin a small piece back with these super-cute starfish hair clips.

4. These upside-down braids for Halloween

These upside-down braids are such a cute Halloween hairstyle that can be worn at work, school, whatever. Most of your time recreating this look will be spent upside down as you French braid each side of your hair, then once you’ve wrapped and pinned the ends into two double buns, stick a couple fake spiders on the back of each one to really amp up the look.

5. Low Halloween ponytail with a zipper part

A zipper part is such a simple way to add a spooky ~edge~ to your Halloween hairstyle. Plus, the two braids feeding into a low ponytail give it a really ~sophisticated~ look. Check out their zipper-part hair tutorial to help you complete the whole style.

6. Braided Halloween hairstyle with ribbons

If you want to keep your Halloween look this year cute and simple, try adding some orange and black ribbons. Braid the ribbons into your hair the whole way down, then once you’ve tied them off, pull out pieces of the braids to each side to recreate this cute Halloween hairstyle.

7. This Jasmine Halloween hair idea

Disney Princesses are always a fun way to style your hair on Halloween. This Jasmine Halloween hairstyle can be recreated if you have really long hair (by curling the front sections of your hair back and securing it with pins and tying the rest in a low bubble ponytail hairstyle), or by picking up a Princess Jasmine wig, as pictured here.

8. This Joker Halloween hairstyle

How sleek does this Joker hairstyle look? To get your slicked-back hair to stay in place on Halloween, start by painting or spraying on a temporary green hair dye (leaving the bottom third of your hair alone to get this reverse dip-dye look), and once it’s dry, dampen and comb it all back, then spray with a lot of strong-hold hairspray—seriously, spray until it doesn't move.

9. Devil horn buns for Halloween

NGL, this devil horn Halloween hairstyle looks pretty complicated, but one quick viewing of this YouTube tutorial by creator Andreyha Seraphin actually proves the opposite. Just take a front section of your hair and put it into small pigtails. Then after dampening each pigtail, wrap them around into two buns, keeping the pigtails flat so they create a cone shape rather than a donut-shaped bun. And if you want that ~devilish~ red color, grab a red temporary hair dye to spray your hair.

10. This Vampire hair idea for Halloween

I love this Halloween vampire hairstyle because it requires little effort to get mega results. Use a curling wand or iron to create big curls away from your face. Once they cool, slip on a red ribbon over your curls, keeping them gathered at the bottom and creating a really cute vintage-vamp vibe.

11. This Cruella de Vil hairstyle for Halloween

This Cruella de Vil Halloween hairstyle just requires some black and white temporary hair dye or spray and allll the curls. And if you don’t have natural curls, use a half-inch curling wand to get these tight spirals.

12. A Tinker Bell Halloween hairstyle

This Tinker Bell bun hairstyle is a cute and easy Halloween hair idea (especially if, like me, you live in this bun every day of your life). Pick up some fake leaves or a leaf crown from Amazon to really get the fairy vibe into the mix.

13. A simple barrette Halloween hairstyle

I love any hairstyle that I can do in exactly three seconds. This one literally just requires a black rhinestone barrette (or literally any Halloween-themed clip) to pin back a small section of hair, as well as a bat (I recommend sliding a plastic bat ring into your hair). The best part? This Halloween hairstyle works for long hair and shorter hair.

14. This scary Halloween hairstyle

K, so this one is going to take a little more than a spritz of hairspray and the bobby pins from the bottom of your purse. But honestly, if you have the length (and the horns) for this, you’ll definitely win “Best Halloween Hairstyle” this October 31.

15. Wednesday Addams braids for Halloween

These Wednesday Addams braids are an iconic Halloween hairstyle, and super simple to do. Part your hair down the middle, then braid each side over your ears (make sure they hang over the front of your shoulders to be as “Wednesday” as possible).

16. This braided ponytail for Halloween

Come for the braided ponytail, stay for the lil bats in this rly cute Halloween hairstyle. This is a super easy look—so if you get invited to a last-min Halloween party when you were fully planning on not leaving your couch all night, you can def throw this together for a quick spooky vibe.

17. This low ponytail Halloween hair idea

Low ponytails are straight-up underrated, and this Halloween hairstyle is proof of just how cute they can be. Comb your hair into a sleek low ponytail, then using orange and black clip-in hair extensions, wrap the base of your pony so that the hair tie is covered. Decorate the back of your hair with all the lil bats and gems you can find.

18. A zipper part Halloween hairstyle idea

A zipper part is a sure-fire way to bring a creepy Halloween mood this October 31. I mean, pair this with some creepy ghost makeup and you'll give people nightmares. And even better: You can do this Halloween hairstyle on long and short hair.

19. This Midsommar Halloween hairstyle

Whether Midsommar scared the sh*t out of you or it became one of your favorite movies, there's no denying that the May Queen is a pretty epic Halloween hairstyle. All you'll need is an over-the-top flower crown (helloooo, Amazon) and a few of Florence Pugh's haunting facial expressions. Done and done!

20. This subtle Harley Quinn Halloween hairstyle

Consider this Halloween hairstyle a subtle approach to Harley Quinn’s signature look. Rather than wear pigtails, wrap two (temporarily dyed) braids into knots at the crown of your head.

21. This devil Halloween hairstyle

Considering you wore cat ears the last three Halloweens in a row, I’d say it’s definitely time to mix things up. This devil-horn tutorial is surprisingly easy to recreate (you’ll need a classic black headband, black wire, and bobby pins), but a costume to match is totally optional.

22. This Queen Victoria Halloween hairstyle

Channel royalty by creating a huge braided bun at the nape of your neck, add a crown, and watch everyone bow down because of how amazing your hair looks.

23. This Margot Tenenbaum Halloween hairstyle

Meet my favorite last-minute Halloween costume of all time: Margot Tenenbaum from Wes Anderson’s The Royal Tenenbaums. The key to emulating Gwyneth Paltrow’s angsty character is all in the hair. Comb your (straightened) lob into a blunt middle part, securing a large chunk with a barrette (or two!).

24. This Medusa Halloween hairstyle

Weaving rubber snakes through your hair isn’t exactly the easiest of tasks, so I’d suggest beginning this look by separating your hair into multiple small sections and styling them into messy buns. Then, wrap the fake snakes through your bun loops and you’ll be ready to turn people into stone with one look.

25. This Ice Queen Halloween hairstyle

This *chill* Halloween hairstyle is way easier to re-create than it looks. All you’ll need is white hair spray and some hair glitter to make Ice Queen–worthy frosted roots.

26. This Marie Antoinette Halloween hairstyle

If you have a teasing comb and a lot of hair spray, you can totally achieve the sky-high volume that’s required of a Marie Antoinette–inspired look. Use a curling wand to create a few face-framing ringlets, and finish off with some hair accessories.

27. This Ariana Grande Halloween hairstyle

If wearing a butt-length, Ariana Grande–worthy ponytail to your 9-to-5 job isn’t totally realistic, you at least have permission to try it on Halloween. Unless you’ve got naturally long hair, this Halloween hairstyle will call for a clip-in ponytail.

28. This Wednesday Addams Halloween hairstyle

Using liquid or gel eyeliner, create a widow’s peak—if you don’t already have one—in the middle of your hairline. Then, part your hair down the middle and braid the two sections into pigtails for a look that would make Wednesday Addams proud.

29. This Rosie the Riveter hairstyle for Halloween

Whether you’re dressing up as Rosie the Riveter or maybe a retro pin-up model, wearing an updo with a red bandana is an easy (and cheap!) way to make your costume known.

30. This unicorn Halloween hair idea

Go all out with a silver glitter ponytail—complete with a giant unicorn horn—for a costume that’s ~extra~ in the best possible way. Just keep in mind that glitter isn’t the easiest to wash out of your hair, so work a dollop of coconut oil through damp strands to loosen up the pigment before you shampoo.

31. These cat ears for Halloween

Who needs to buy a pair of cat ears at a Halloween store when you can make them out of your own hair? Recreate this genius look by wrapping strips of hair around two bent flexi rods.

32. This Wonder Woman Halloween hairstyle

With a large round-barrel brush and a layer of humidity-fighting hair spray, blow-dry your hair to get smooth, bouncy waves that are totally fit for a superhero.

33. This lion hairstyle for Halloween

This Halloween hairstyle is all about volume, so make sure you have a texturizing spray on hand (Oribe Dry Texturizing Spray and Verb Sea Texture Spray are two of my fave formulas). After curling your hair, spray the heck out of it with texturizing spray, then flip your head over and scrunch. Keep repeating until your hair is huge and lion-like, back-combing for added volume.

34. This elf Halloween hairstyle

If it's not already obvious, Halloween hairstyles definitely aren’t off the table if you’ve got shorter hair. A choppy pixie cut is the perfect way to show off a pair of pointy elf ears.

35. This Khaleesi-inspired Halloween hairstyle

These dreamy, Khaleesi-inspired braids are so damn pretty, you won’t even need a set of dragons to complete your look. Oh, and if braids aren’t totally in your skill set, this spot-on Game of Thrones wig will work just as well.