The Stranger Things Hair Theories That Fans Got Right (& Wrong)

Just like Taylor Swift’s Swifties, Stranger Things fans have become quite the professional Easter egg hunters. With the highly anticipated Vol. 2 and series finale around the corner (on Dec. 25 and Dec. 31, respectively), audiences have taken a magnifying glass to Vol. 1 of Season 5 in search of clues about how everything will end. That includes looking at each character’s hair journey.

Along with props and costumes, hair plays a vital role in telling a story, and Stranger Things’ Emmy-nominated stylist Sarah Hindsgaul tells Elite Daily she wanted to “do everybody justice” for the epic conclusion. “I love our cast, and these characters,” she says. “It feels like a big responsibility to be part of the team that has to figure out where we end the story, and I think people will be really happy.”

We might have some really messy stuff coming up [in Vol. 2].

In Season 5, almost every character’s hair has gone through a transformation because of the lockdown in Hawkins. With the veil broken between the real world and the Upside Down, not everyone has time to go to the salon. Hindsgaul says most of the actors wore wigs this season that range from clean to gritty. “We might have some really messy stuff coming up [in Vol. 2],” she teases.

A lot of fans on TikTok have noticed that Max (Sadie Sink), in particular, has taken on a more unruly mane now that she’s trapped in Vecna’s mind. Many viewers have compared her look to the Mad Hatter from Alice in Wonderland, and even though Hindsgaul says she was going for a “fairytale vibe,” she wasn’t exclusively thinking of the character played by Johnny Depp in the 2010 film. “I am a huge fan of Alice in Wonderland, so it kind of makes sense that fans put that in there, but it was not intentional,” she says.

Another theory the fans got wrong about Max’s locks this season was that they were inspired by Sarah from 1986’s Labyrinth. While the time period would make sense, and Hindsgaul is a huge fan of the Jim Henson movie, she wasn’t trying to make Max look like Jennifer Connelly, either.

Fans did nail a few of their guesses, though. Below, Hindsgaul chats about more of the inspiration for characters like Nancy Wheeler (Natalia Dyer) and newcomer Derek Turnbow (Jake Connelly), as well as Will’s bowl cut, Dustin’s nod to Eddie, and Robin’s wig.

Elite Daily: What were some of your ‘80s inspirations for this season?

Sarah Hindsgaul: Nancy Wheeler was inspired by Sigourney Weaver in Alien. We used to have a lot more Easter eggs, but after 10 years, you have to stay more true to the characters than pulling references. However, when I saw Alien about five years ago, I was like, “That looks like Nancy's hair.”

We had another reference that was used for Derek. Since he’s a new character, you can have a little more fun with him. I'd seen Home Alone and there was a bully brother [Buzz] with a flat top. I was like, “That is perfect for Derek.”

ED: Will Byers' bowl cut has been at the center of many Stranger Things memes over the years. What do you think of those posts?

SH: I have enjoyed them. His bowl cut pushes exactly the right buttons for people that I intended it to. Obviously, it’s a cut that makes everybody cringe a little bit, especially on a person who is coming of age. It's like, “Why are you still having him in this haircut?” It's aggravating, and it makes you feel a certain way for Will. All those feelings of insecurity are really good for an actor, so hopefully it was helpful for Noah [Schnapp].

ED: This season, Will’s bowl cut had what some fans are calling a “glow up.” What did you do differently this time around?

SH: Will’s hair has always been very straight, with no texture in it whatsoever. That's part of what makes it so jarring. This season, I wanted people to recognize Will as soon as they saw him, so we still did the heaviness in the front. I kept his forehead covered, but then we went in and played with texture and a little bit of layering for a change.

After losing Eddie, Dustin is doing everything he can to keep him alive while nobody wants to talk about him.

ED: Fans have noticed that Dustin's hair seems to be a reference to Eddie. Was that intentional?

SH: Yeah, absolutely. After losing Eddie, Dustin is doing everything he can to keep him alive while nobody wants to talk about him. We felt like Dustin could keep him alive as if he was still with him through his hair. Of course, we translated it into his hair texture, so it's like the Gaten [Matarazzo] version of Eddie.

This new look changed the way Gaten holds himself. To go from being so light and sunny to carrying something so heavy is a very difficult thing to do. We wanted to do everything we could to support him in that giant shift that he had to sell on screen.

ED: Another haircut that has been talked about a lot online and getting mixed reviews is Lucas'. What was the inspiration behind his look this season?

SH: What we were going for this year with Lucas is that he's traumatized. He still has his haircut from Season 4, but he doesn’t take care of it very often. It's a grown-out, messy version of his haircut, because he doesn't really care, and he doesn't want to fit in with the cool kids anymore.

People got so mad about his hair. They're like, “How can you do this to him?”

Lucas is really at peace with who he is, but he's also mourning. You don't go and get super sharp every week to go and sit next to Max's hospital bed. That's what's going on with his hair. People got so mad about his hair. They're like, “How can you do this to him?” I'm like, “Well, he's not well, is he?”

ED: There's a rumor online that Lucas' hair is cut by his dad. Is that true?

SH: Caleb McLaughlin's dad did cut his hair when he was a kid, but he has a barber now. When you have kid actors and just five minutes to go through the trailer, their parents would basically chop it in four seconds, we would toss it up a little bit, and then send them on their way. Caleb’s dad was like, “You know what? I'll do that little trim every second week.” Now, he has a real barber that has been with us for the last couple of seasons.

ED: Something that fans were shocked to see revealed on your TikTok was that Robin is wearing a wig and that’s not Maya Hawke's real hair on the show.

SH: That's one thing that people are often surprised about. They're like, “Why are they wearing wigs?” It is not because the actors don't want to cut their hair. All of our actors have proven that they're more than willing to do wild stuff to their own hair, but we shot Season 5 for over a year. We'll shoot one scene, and then we'll have them coming out of the door in the same scene six months later.

The actors also have commitments before and after us. For instance, Max had very short hair when we started shooting Season 5. Maya had hair down to her butt when we were shooting, and I felt like that was just not right for Robin. Wigs also give people something to get into character with in the morning, and then, you go home as yourself at night. Can you imagine if I did that haircut for Joyce Byers on Winona Ryder for 10 years? She would have lost her mind.

People get stuff wrong all the time, but then they sometimes get it 100% right.

ED: Are there any hair-related Easter eggs that fans have missed, or anything that people have gotten wrong about the looks this season?

SH: People get stuff wrong all the time, but then they sometimes get it 100% right. We are doing our take on these characters, and the beautiful thing about a show like this is that you can also take it in whatever way fits you.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.