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When spirit days roll around, it’s time to start coming up with crazy hair day ideas! We share the 15 best crazy hair day ideas here so you can steal the show with your hilarious style.
From wacky ponytails a la Cindy Lou Who to pigtails on steroids and tangled bedhead looks, you’ll have the craziest hair in class with any of the styles we share below.
What Are Some Good Crazy Hair Day Ideas?
- Forget perfection – it’s all about wild, undone styles
- Tease your roots for maximum volume and messy vibes
- Opt for accessories and colored sprays for crazy looks
Crazy hair day is everyone’s favorite spirit day for a reason. You can literally roll out of bed with your hair looking insanely messy and no one bats an eye!
But that’s not the plan this year. No – you’re going to put a little effort into your crazy hair day ideas and roll into class with the wildest ‘do of them all! Crazy hair day ideas are pretty straightforward.
We’re talking about intentionally messy, wacky, or downright disturbing hairstyles that break away from all the usual style “rules.”
Instead of sleek, voluminous ponytails, we’re looking for ratty-tatty teased-up versions that make it look like you’ve been electrocuted recently. Forget cute, classic pigtails – this day is about lopsided, uneven pigtail braids arranged with coat hanger wire for Pippy Longstocking vibes!
We’re foregoing the usual messy waves, defined curls, and shiny straight hair in favor of tangled, teased, and frizzy masses of mane. Crazy colors, wacky accessories, and style secrets make these crazy hair day ideas stand out.
It’s finally time for that forgotten bin of hair accessories to come out your bathroom closet. If it’s colorful, strange, or unexpected, you can make it part of your crazy hair day look!
That’s the real trick to nailing your crazy hair day look – coming in with something unique and a style that hasn’t already been done to death by everyone else in your school. You can even take things a step further and dress in a costume that matches your wacky hairstyle!
It doesn’t matter if you’re looking for styles that take a minute to pull together or more intricate looks that require a little more of your time.
We have ideas for everyone, all hair types, and all hair lengths below! Keep reading to see our favorite crazy hair day ideas and learn the secrets to styling these looks in no time at all.
15 Unique Crazy Hair Day Ideas
It’s settled – these are the 15 best crazy hair day ideas you can wear this year. From cutesy looks you could almost pull off on a regular day to crazy styles that will crack you up, take a look at the unique styles you can rock for spirit week!
1. Crazy Cupcake Space Buns
danceswithwords/Shutterstock
This look starts with two space buns that get sweetened up with cupcake wrappers, a little felt, and red pompoms for the cherry on top! It’s an easy crazy hair day idea and works for all ages. Try it with a single top knot instead of space buns, too.
2. Flyaway Balloon Braids
Yuganov Konstantin/Shutterstock
This easy style is a show-stopper and the kind of crazy hair day idea that will win you a prize! Use flexible wire to shape your braided pigtails outward and up, then tie helium balloons to the braids to make them appear to be ready for takeoff!
3. Whimsical Wacky Rope Braid
Dan Rentea/Shutterstock
Twists, turns, and lots of color make this one of the best crazy hair day ideas to try! A little temporary color spray makes it easy to try this look out.
Start with a high pony, split in in half, and twist both sides in the same direction. Wrap the twists around each other to finish. Wire through the braid will help you twist it!
4. Silly Twisty Tube Pigtails
Sandy Morelli/Shutterstock
Pop into school with your hair styled in silly pigtails topped with twisted pipe cleaners for maximum effect! This look is simple and starts with tangled, teased hair pulled into pigtails. Use a pencil to shape your pipe cleaners and nestle them into the base of each ponytail.
5. Bedhead Crazy Braids
Roman Samborskyi/Shutterstock
This look is low-effort but high-impact, perfect for crazy hair day ideas! Start by splitting your hair into two equal (or totally lopsided, it’s up to you!) sections.
Tease and mess up each half for volume and wacky vibes, then braid just the ends. Cap them off with different-colored hair ties to finish the look!
6. Messy Color-Sprayed Style
Denis Moskvinov/Shutterstock
A little temporary color spray in the hues of your choice is all you need to win at crazy hair day. Apply it in bursts to get a multi-color effect going!
Just muss up your mane with a little gel to hold it in place. Use your fingers to make the style super messy and fun for spirit day!
7. Whoville-Inspired Top Knot
A cute little girl dressed up in costume as Cindy Lou Who celebrates Dr. Seuss Day in Colorado Springs, CO on March 2, 2019/Gary Reinwald/Shutterstock
Tiny braids, a big top knot, and a few hair ties pull a Cindy Lou Who-inspired look together quickly. A high ponytail with two thin sections left out on each side is the starting point.
Braid those 2 sections and set aside, then use a small strip of cardboard to support your ponytail as you fold it down on itself and secure with 2 hair ties. Pin the braids up into the base and add a ribbon!
Read Next: The Best Easy Updos for 2024
8. Comically Cool Curlers
New Africa/Shutterstock
If you want to give off big “I woke up like this” vibes, curlers and the optional bathrobe are the way to do it. Wrap your hair in big, velcro curlers, pop on some cozy loungewear, and get ready for the comfiest spirit day of your life.
9. Messy Accessorized Multi-Braids
Mariusz S. Jurgielewicz/Shutterstock
If you have a box full of mismatched hair accessories, now is their time to shine! Create a few hanging braids around your head and secure each with a small elastic. Add beads, ribbons, and bows throughout to dress up the look for that crazy vibe!
10. Crazy Colorful Clown Wig
KarepaStock/Shutterstock
A quick shortcut among crazy hair day ideas is the fast and simple wig. Pop one on in the color and style of your choice to adopt the look you want! Here, a super-colorful curly wig with a lime-green feather boa is perfection.
11. Funky Liberty Spikes
Lisa A/Shutterstock
Tall, upright spikes styled with lots of heavy duty gel is a great option for crazy hair day ideas. If your hair is a little too long or thick to spike all over, add some braids or pigtails to secure what you can’t spike up. Color spray is a great way to make this crazy look pop even more!
12. Droopy Loop Buns
Stivog/Shutterstock
If you don’t have a ton of time to style your crazy hair day ideas, try quick loop buns with a few differently-colored hair ties. Make your buns messy and pull a few pieces out to nail the look! Bright eye makeup really makes this style pop.
13. Bendy Braided Pigtails
Patrick Foto/Shutterstock
Use a little wire or a bent coat hanger to structure and bend your pigtail braids into a crazy shape! You can bend them upward like Pippi Longstocking or give them a loop and twist. Fan out the ends and spritz with hairspray to complete this wacky look!
14. Wacky Multi-Tails
Zurijeta/Shutterstock
If pigtails usually refers to two ponytails, we’re going with “multi-tails” for this insanity-inspired look! It’s perfect and it’s one of the easiest crazy hair day ideas to try.
All you need are several small elastics of different colors. Don’t worry about making each section even or precise – the messier, the better!
15. Pippi Pipe Cleaner Braids
Daria Nipot/Shutterstock
Make your pigtails stand up with the help of heavy-duty pipe cleaners or a little wire for the Pippi Longstocking look!
Colorful pipe cleaners make cool accessories for these crazy braids, and hairspray on the teased ends makes the look even more electric.
Things to Consider
Crazy hair day ideas are so much fun to browse and think about. While you’re thinking over the ones you like best, take a look at these helpful hints and things to consider for crazy hair day.
- Choose styles that won’t fall flat. Hairspray, bobby pins, flexible wire, and firm hold gel are all secrets to achieving wacky styles for crazy hair day. Make sure you’re using something to help your style stay in place all day long! Nothing is worse than a cute crazy hair day idea that falls flat by second period.
- It doesn’t have to be time-consuming. If you want to participate in crazy hair day but don’t want to spend an hour messing up your hair, go with something easy! Teasing and tangling your hair is a great look, as are lopsided pigtails, oddly-placed ponytails, undone braids, and super-messy buns.
- Pile on the accessories. Colorful, chunky, and textured hair accessories make crazy hair day so much fun! Pick out a few clips, hair ties, scrunchies, headbands, and barrettes to complete your look. Even scarves, beads, and ornaments (or other unexpected non-hair accessories) can be incorporated into the look.
- Spray on some color. Crazy hairstyle not looking quite silly enough? Spritz on some color with a temporary, semi-permanent color or glitter spray! It only takes a second to apply and washes right out with a single shampoo. Make sure to protect your clothing if you’re spraying after you get dressed!
- Make sure it’s really crazy hair day. Some of us have shown up to school during spirit week with our hair styled with maximum craziness, only to discover it was actually silly sock day (true story). Make sure it’s really crazy hair day before you venture out of the house with these looks!
So, Which Crazy Hair Day Ideas Will You Try?
Few spirit days get people as excited as crazy hair day. It’s a chance to shake things up, be goofy, and wear your mane in completely crazy and unexpected ways. What’s not to love?
Crazy hair day ideas span from the easiest, basic styles like messy buns and braids to complex, show-stopping looks like the flyaway balloon braids, gelled liberty spikes, and cute Cindy Lou Who looks above.
Think about how much time you’ll have to get ready in the morning to help settle on the look you’ll try. If you’ll have 10 minutes or less to wack-ify your mane, go with one of the simpler options so you can be out the door faster but no less spirited.
We like the upturned Pippi braids, droopy loop buns, color-sprayed styles, and wig looks for mornings when you’re short on time.
If you’ll have a little more time to mess up your hair, go with one of the more intricate crazy styles! We love the spikes, multi-tails, curlers, and messy braided looks if there’s a little more time to finish them.
Crazy hair day may be one of the funnest spirit days of the year, and now you’ve got 15 unique and cute crazy hair day ideas to venture out with.
Pick the style you like best and walk the halls with confidence. Your hair may look nuts, but it all makes sense when you see how hilarious everyone else’s styles look!