The Gothic hairstyle… let’s be honest, folks—it’s simply bananas. Anyone who has ever created a Gothic look for themselves has to have considered it at one point! I mean, it’s right there for everyone to see: your brand new Gothic hairdo staring people in the face, putting the ultimate Gothic exclamation point on your statement.

There are a multitude of styles, lengths, colors and subcultures available for your picking and it’s really about how you want to express yourself and your own personal Goth style. Whether you’re a classic Vampire Goth, Cybergoth or even Steampunk, Google Images serves up hundreds of awesome Gothic hairstyle pegs, and its all at your fingertips.

You’re only limited by your dark imagination! So, check out this introduction to the modern Gothic hairstyle, as I give you some things to consider when putting together your brand new, killer Goth hairstyle.

Gothic Hairstyle Research

Like I said, there are OODLES of awesome Gothic hairstyle images available on Google Images. This is the best way to determine what kind of Goth look would be best for you. Just type out what you’re looking for and you can get great ideas and inspiration pegs like these:

Classic Vamp Goth

OK, you know the drill. This whole look plays on the whole “vampires are super attractive and will look young forever” vibe so let’s hope you’ve got some MAJOR natural good looks to pull this Gothic hairstyle off. Clean and pristine is the way to go! Think Anne Rice or Interview With A Vampire…

Cybergoth

A futuristic Goth look for the new millennium! This one is for all you RPG fans out there… remember Shadowrun? Man oh man, that SNES game stole so many days from my youth. I would literally play it OVER and OVER, like it was going out of style. I started playing the actual character sheet RPG much later but I always imagined Cybergoth to fit that universe PERFECTLY. Think Bladerunner, Total Recall, or Ghost in the Shell and Akira.

Steampunk Goth

The classic Steampunk look feels a bit classy to me. Growing up, I used to read this super-underrated illustrated book, Dinotopia! That is somehow the perfect peg in my mind. So, a Steampunk Gothic hairstyle may actually look a tad… Western? Turn of the century, perhaps? I think Steampunk actually covers the whole Nuclear Fallout vibe as well, so think Fallout, Book of Eli, The Road, Mad Max etc.

Maggot/Deathrock Goth

Slipknot or Marilyn Manson fans were the usual suspects back in my day but I’m dead sure that any other “Shock Rock” icons will have these types of Goths stinking up your local rock show no matter what decade you grew up in. This is where I started my own Goth journey, myself: feeling like shit all the time in high school, I made countless mp3 CDs of heavy metal collections (downloaded through frickin’ Napster, of course) and of course needed a killer Goth haircut to boot. Piercings were almost mandatory!

Well, aren’t you a handsome fellow!

I think it should be quite clear: you are literally limited only by your own imagination!

Unfortunately, A Bad ‘Do Can Keep A Good Goth Down

Now, I’m no hairdresser but I know a great Gothic hairstyle when I see it… and then I know a really HIDEOUS one when I see one too! WTF is this supposed to be?!

Here are more examples of completely FUGLY looking Gothic hairstyles. Jesus!!

Time for Some REAL TALK

OK, to be fair that last one looks like a costume gone wrong… at least, I hope it is!

My point is that the same rules apply in most of these situations, people. Pay attention to the details! Some looks are just not meant for everyone.

For example, if you’re going for a super tidy Interview with a Vampire look, like Tom Cruise or some shit, then maybe you’re pubic curly fro may just not be compatible. You’ll be straightening that thing for DAYS.

Furthermore, if you don’t got any of the good looks to back up the Classic Vamp Goth vibe, just get over it and choose something else.

See what I mean? You’re not seducing ANYONE, pal. The look just doesn’t work!

Pick something within reach and experiment within your means. Stay practical! If your desired look is going to take you several hours a day to achieve the look, it just might not be for you.

Cool Gothic Hairstyle Pegs

Like I mentioned earlier, Google Images serves all sorts of great looking pegs to start out with and I’ve gone through a few hundred examples and found some decent ones for you all.

Here are some of my own favorite Gothic hairstyle finds on Google Images for both Goth men and women:

Please excuse the fan service with the last two…

I think I could see myself in anyone of these numbers… They seem simple enough to pull off with my own hair type and they don’t look TOO difficult to maintain.

Now, here are some sexy Goth beauties I found with killer Gothic hairstyles… YOWZA! You gotta love Goth chicks… they deserve their own EPIC post, to be honest:

Love that last one!

Gothic Hairstyle Pointers

OK, I’m no hairdresser but I do consider myself as someone with great Gothic hairdo taste, and that my dark-hearted friends is close to PRICELESS! Here are some tips that I compiled on things to watch out for as far as your brand spanking new Gothic hairstyle is concerned:

Any desired effect that will permanently damage your hair deserves a visit to your local salon. Let the professionals handle it, so you can worry about looking frickin’ awesome. It’s REAL easy to go overboard and fuck your shit up, especially with DIY products that you don’t know how to use. Other than bleaching and coloring your Goth locks, you can also damage your hair pretty easily over time with continuous curling, blow-drying, straightening, etc. Use protective hair products or balms to make sure you are giving your hair a chance to adjust to your new killer Gothic hairstyle! Color is important! A subtle wine red or deep violet will do wonders for the Classic Vamp look and bright EDM neon green, pink or blue will jump out against your black robes. For darker hair, color highlights also work really well, but try to keep things either subtle or super significant. There is little middle-ground with this stuff, so don’t half ass it! Anything in the middle of either subtle or over-the-top may seem unconvincing. Unless you’ve been blessed with a super kinky soul fro, most hairstyles are pretty much free game. Long hair can be straightened or curled, and short hair can be shaved and spiked. Bangs are almost ALWAYS applicable in the Gothic hairstyle universe, by the way.



I do strongly suggest that you just save a copy of one of the pegs above, or anything that you’d like to get done to you, and have it put together professionally. It may be a bit pricey at a good salon but you wanna blow people’s minds with this hairdo, not make them chuckle. Make sure it gets done right, for Pete’s sake. Pigtails and ponies work great with the whole EDM Cybergoth look… and they’ll look great bouncing up and down whenever someone DROPS THE FATTT BASS… among other things.





Accessorize, accessorize, accessorize!





WARNING: If you’re still living with your folks, I can tell you from personal experience that a crazy ass Gothic hairdo will most probably piss them off. I’d tell you to try to ask for their permission but where’s the fun in that?! A wild Gothic hairstyle is probably the least damaging thing you can do to them to make a statement and blast your independence in their faces… just make sure to be prepared for your impending doom.

CONCLUSION

Considering how things have played out on the whole “my mother-in-law is a harpy” situation, I find myself daydreaming of finding the Goth inside me all over again! That’s actually what brought me to come up with this post in the first place. I think this Gothic Meme says it best. You’re never too old to creep out the neighbors!

Grab yourself a brand new Gothic hairstyle and live Gothic today!

BONUS!

Here are some awesome Gothic hotties with some easy-to-follow tutorial videos I found on YouTube. If you need somewhere visual to start, check any of these out: