The buzz surrounding Netflix's runaway smash hit, Stranger Things, seems to know no bounds. From conspiracy theories to thought pieces, it's hard to navigate the internet right now without dodging spoilers like they're last season's Demogorgon.
One of the biggest topics of conversation this time around? Steve Harrington's larger-than-life hair, which took a turn from big and slick last season to huge and mullet-shaped this season. From what products he actually uses to whether or not there are extensions packed into his 'do, there are a lot of rumors swirling.
We caught up with Stranger Things' hairstylist Sarah Hindsgaul again this year to put them to rest. Turns out, no extensions were needed for actor Joe Keery (go him), the main inspiration actually came from an '80s band, and the whole thing takes over 30 minutes to execute. Oh, and yes, Keery is loving the attention and taking home the products for use off set, too. Check it out, ahead.
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On Finding The Right Products
"We use Kevin Murphy, which he also uses for himself now, he's completely convinced that it's the only product that works. It's a dry wax called Night Rider. We work [it] through the back and on the sides to get more texture. Last year there was no texture, it was just hairspray, but this year we have this gritty, rockstar texture to it.
"We use Kevin Murphy, which he also uses for himself now, he's completely convinced that it's the only product that works. It's a dry wax called Night Rider. We work [it] through the back and on the sides to get more texture. Last year there was no texture, it was just hairspray, but this year we have this gritty, rockstar texture to it.
"He keeps stealing [the wax] from me and I have to keep ordering more! He's like, 'I need this product at home!' We tried 15 products before we found the one that works. An amazing amount of products were tried on that head until we found something smooth enough to get into the hair but textured enough to give it hold."
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Joe said, 'You need to top what we did last year!'
Sarah Hindsgaul, Stranger Things Hairstylist
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On The Styling Process
"It's just Joe's hair, no extensions. It's a huge undertaking. [Laughs] It's hard hair to get it to stay back because his hair is so thick and does what it wants. We kept the front piece there to provide a nice arc between last year and this year. It takes about 30 minutes and he has to not wash it the day before. We blow dry it with a round brush with lots of Rene Furterer mousse in it, then we apply the Kevin Murphy in the back and on the sides, a little Oribe Texture Spray for more grit, then we spray the hell out of him with R+Co Hairspray."
"It's just Joe's hair, no extensions. It's a huge undertaking. [Laughs] It's hard hair to get it to stay back because his hair is so thick and does what it wants. We kept the front piece there to provide a nice arc between last year and this year. It takes about 30 minutes and he has to not wash it the day before. We blow dry it with a round brush with lots of Rene Furterer mousse in it, then we apply the Kevin Murphy in the back and on the sides, a little Oribe Texture Spray for more grit, then we spray the hell out of him with R+Co Hairspray."
On The Inspiration
"Joe loves talking about hair — we could talk about his hair for hours! [Laughs] We started ping-ponging crazy ideas back and forth early on. Joe said, 'You need to top what we did last year!' [Laughs] I said, 'I don't know if we can, I think we had a hole-in-one, so it's going to be tricky!' I started looking at photos and watching A-Ha videos to prep — I am really in love with "Take On Me" — and we decided that it needs to be longer in back, in that direction.
"Joe loves talking about hair — we could talk about his hair for hours! [Laughs] We started ping-ponging crazy ideas back and forth early on. Joe said, 'You need to top what we did last year!' [Laughs] I said, 'I don't know if we can, I think we had a hole-in-one, so it's going to be tricky!' I started looking at photos and watching A-Ha videos to prep — I am really in love with "Take On Me" — and we decided that it needs to be longer in back, in that direction.
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"Last year his character was very groomed , but this year we want it to look like he puts product in it and just goes; it's more about a rockstar look, so he's coming out on the cooler side this year. As his character goes through more emotions, it's less about maintaining that plastic surface he had last year.
"We also looked up images of Brad Pitt and George Clooney, because they both had that badass hair in the early '80s. Brad Pitt's high school photo [was the perfect reference]."
On What's Next
"Joe's parents have been cutting his hair off his whole life. I talked to his mom and she said, 'We all have that hair; we just chop it off so we don't have to deal with it!' She couldn't believe I was even trying to tame this beast, but it's been my favorite beast to tame! [Laughs] Otherwise, it's going to do whatever it wants.
"Joe's parents have been cutting his hair off his whole life. I talked to his mom and she said, 'We all have that hair; we just chop it off so we don't have to deal with it!' She couldn't believe I was even trying to tame this beast, but it's been my favorite beast to tame! [Laughs] Otherwise, it's going to do whatever it wants.
"I love his hair longer, I think it looks amazing, and he does too, so he kept it! He says it's just getting longer and better. Every time I see him at a premiere I say, 'Oh! We're still rocking this!' He took it and ran with it, he thinks that the hair is great and says it won't be going short again."