Gothic Hairstyles for Long Hair

The goth look

Gothic fashion is romantic, mysterious and dark. The look often includes raven-black hair, red or black lips, smoky eye makeup and a plethora of metal accessories. Gothic girls can have many different hairstyles, although the most popular look is long, luxurious black hair. There are a few different ways you can style long hair that can give you that enigmatic goth look.

Hair Colors

You don't necessarily have to dye your hair black if you want a gothic look. Goths dye their hair numerous different colors to create a weird and wonderful style. Black hair is extremely hard to maintain, especially if you have naturally light brown or blonde hair. When your black hair starts to grow out and you can see your natural roots, use a semi-permanent dye in a bold color such as red, blue or pink to dye the roots. This will give your hair an interesting two-tone look, which is very popular in the goth community. Plus, you can experiment with a number of different colors by using semipermanent dyes that are cheaper and wash out after a few weeks.

Another way to add color to your hair is by bleaching out streaks of hair and dying them a ruby red or an electric purple. If you don't want to damage your hair, clip-on hair extensions can be purchased at stores like Hot Topic in several bold colors.

Straight Hair

Long, stick-straight black hair is very popular in the gothic community. There are two ways to achieve this look; one is by purchasing a ceramic straightening iron. Ceramic straightening irons cause less damage than irons with metal plates, and they have become extremely popular in recent years for daily straightening. The best technique is to iron several thin sections of hair until you achieve your desired look. The thinner the sections, the straighter your hair will be, since the heat will penetrate more than with thick chunks of hair. Another way to get the stick-straight look is by getting your hair chemically relaxed in a salon. Stylists will use chemicals like sodium hydroxide and guanidine hydroxide to permanently straighten your hair until it begins growing out. You can touch up your roots using at-home relaxing kits that you can purchase at beauty supply stores.

Big Hair

Another style you can experiment with is big or bouffant hair. The way to achieve this look is by backcombing, or teasing, your hair at the roots, which allows for lift. You can also purchase root lifting serum at any beauty supply store that will help accentuate this look. Finish off the style with some volumizing hairspray. You can also add hair extensions for a thicker mane.

Bangs

Bangs are a great way to add depth and interest to any hairstyle. If you have long, straight hair, try adding extremely short straight-cut bangs. This not only adds visual interest, but it also keeps hair out of your eyes, making them pop. Another idea is adding short or eyebrow-grazing jagged bangs. While styling, use a hair gel and twist the jagged spikes of your bangs, created a sharp, razored look.

References

• Gothic hairstyles
• Goth style secrets
• HairBoutique.com: Chemical hair straightening FAQs