5 Hairstyles Inspired By Your Favorite Disney Princesses
I was seven years old when I went to see Pocahontas in theaters and I very proudly wore my purple t-shirt with my new favorite princess’s face splashed across the front while I watched and marveled at her bravery throughout the movie. That film began my love for all things Disney princess. I loved the way that girls like Ariel, Pocahontas and Mulan took great steps to sacrifice for what they believed in. That courage inspired me as a young impressionable girl dealing with societal pressures. And, of course, I also loved the infamous Disney princess hair.
This list will show you my five favorite Disney princesses and help you take each of their iconic, classic hairstyles and give them a modern, wearable spin. Whether your plans this spring will take you to the beach, the mountains or the city, you’ll love the unique twists of each hairstyle and the way they can be so glamorous and innovative. And what better way to feel like that than to take inspiration form the princesses themselves?
The Sophisticated Mermaid
Why it works: It’s bouncy and movable just like Ariel’s hair, giving it a feminine and playful quality. At the same time, it mixes in some of the vintage glamour that we all love for a formal event. It’s grown up and flirty all at the same time. And by incorporating the volume in the bangs, this look is quintessentially Ariel. I can almost picture Emma sighing up into her bangs or pulling a dinglehopper out of her purse!
How to recreate: Blowdry the hair with a large round brush to give your hair smoothness and volume. Then take horizontal sections down the head from the part line and curl positively and negatively, meaning you’ll turn the curling iron under at the first turn and then curl the next part of the section out. For each use of the iron, you’ll switch the direction you curl. Make sure to follow the same bends as you move around the head so the curls are uniform. After they have cooled for about ten minutes, comb through with a large comb and spray with hairspray.
Hint: Use a shine spray after finishing for that extra pop of brightness!
The Boho Babe
Why it works: It is simple enough to be boho chic, but formal enough to be paired with the right dress for any occasion. And the way the hair has a great amount of balance perfectly combining volume and an overall straighter texture is very Pocahontas. The finishing touch is the pop of turquoise from the beaded headband completing the entire theme with subtle perfection.
How to recreate: Work with what you have! If your hair is curlier, then smooth it out with your blowdryer just enough so that it has a bit of bend. Since Pocahontas is all about being yourself, I can’t tell you to flat iron it stick straight! But if your hair is straight, then use a large round brush to get volume and finish with a texturing spray to get that free flowing, undone quality on your tresses. And don’t forget to add a hint of turquoise to complete the look!
Hint: Try Oribe’s Dry Texture Spray to add a bit of oomph for this look and grab your turquoise headband from this awesome Etsy shop!
The Modern Geisha
Why it works: It’s a modern take on the geisha look which Mulan sports during parts of the movie. It can be taken to an even more dramatic look by adding a flower as Mulan wears. What I love most about it is the slickness of the hair and how it’s pulled up high and tight, giving it a very couture feel. It’s very smooth and polished for any black tie affair but still playful enough for a prom.
How to recreate: Use a slicking product like Kevin Murphy’s Young.Again Oil to give your hair shine and that sleek look. Brush it in from the hair line back and then gather the hair into a high ponytail. To complete, you can either bust out your best sock bun by rolling your hair over a sock to get big volume or you can tease the ponytail, smooth out the outsides and twist the length into a high bun. Finish with hairspray and add a lilly or cherry blossom for a totally authentic Mulan look!
Hint: Use the toothbrush trick to make sure all the hair at your hair line stays down and in place.
The Arabian Beauty
Why it works: A chic middle part, volume rolled back into the length and an incredibly trendy piece of hair jewelry is so Jasmine and so amazingly cool. The girl that wears this hairstyle to prom or elsewhere will look sophisticated and worldly and will be sure to turn heads all night. Use the length of the hair in an intricate updo or go classic Jasmine with a pumped up couture ponytail. I love that this look feels effortless and bohemian yet so well thought out at the same time.
How to recreate: Place your hair piece on your middle part and clasp in the back so that it stays. Sometimes I have to use a bobby pin to secure in the back, so do that if you have fine hair like me. Then, roll a section back on each side to get big, big volume along the front. From this point you can either tuck those two rolls into a half up style under your hairpiece or you can go with a full on updo. My favorite way to do this would be to pull all of the hair including the two rolls into a low ponytail. And then backcomb the entire ponytail and smooth out the outside for big, smooth volume. Then add ponytail holders two inches apart all the way down the length of the hair. This is totally Jasmine and also happens to be huuuuge on the runways this season!
Hint: Order a replica of the infamous Kim K piece on Amazon here! I had a bride bring this in for a trial recently and I was so inspired that I bought a copy for myself to rock all summer!
The Vintage Glam
Why it works: If you are one of the bold beauties rocking a shorter hairstyle these days, this is the perfect way to do it up in a way that’s classy, fearless and fun. That retro feel will never go out of style so you’ll always look back at photos and see a timeless quality to them. Also, this look can perfectly balance out a more glam, modern dress or take center stage in complementing a simple little black dress.
How to recreate: You’ll need a root booster and a lotion to give you hold. Blowdry both in until your hair is completely dry. Then bust out your hot rollers for some vintage inspiration. Place them back in the crown and towards the face around the hair line because the key to a great retro look is movement around the face. Once your rollers have had time to completely cool, take them out and spray all hair with hairspray. Then, brush through with a smoothing brush to finish!
Hint: Make sure to use a boar brush for smoothing to get extra shine.
