Spin the Wheel Hair Style: 89 Cuts, Braids and Updos: how it works
This spin the wheel hair style page holds 89 named hairstyles in five groups: short crops and bobs, medium length, long hair, barber cuts and fades, and braids, buns and updos. Tap a group, then spin. The result card names the style and says how it is cut or tied.
Three length chips, plus barber cuts and updos
The hair wheel opens on all 89 styles, so tap a chip first. Three chips filter by length: Short crops and bobs has 11 styles that stop above the chin, Medium length 13 from chin to shoulders, and Long hair 13 that pass the shoulders. The 25 barber cuts are short as well, and most of the 27 updos need enough length to tie. Every spin lands on a style, never on a bare length.
Character sheets, redraws and period pieces
Character sheet: spin once for the everyday style, then once on Braids, buns and updos for the same person dressed up. Redraw challenge: keep the face and change only the hair. Cast of six: switch to Elimination so no two share a style. For a period piece, Titus cut, Fontange, Pouf and Lovelock carry dates in the brief.
Tips
Looking for a boy's haircut? Pick Barber cuts and fades: 25 styles from buzz cut and French crop to two block and mohawk. Anyone can wear them.
Hair can age a character: spin Short crops and bobs, Medium length and Long hair once each for the same person at three ages.
Cornrows, Fulani braids, Bantu knots, the queue and the chonmage belong to real cultures. Read the brief and find photo reference before you draw.
Questions and answers
How were the 89 hairstyles chosen?
The wheel holds named styles only. The names were checked against Wikipedia's list of hairstyles on 18 September 2026, eleven styles missing from that list were checked against other Wikipedia articles the same day, and every brief was written for this page.
Which hairstyles were left off?
Four kinds, on purpose: cuts named after a celebrity or a television character, nicknames that mock a place or a people, color treatments such as frosted tips and highlights, and hairpieces such as extensions. To spin one anyway, open My list and type one style per line.
Can the wheel pick a real haircut for me?
Yes. A hair picker wheel works best with one rule: spin three times in Elimination and choose among the three. The brief tells you what to ask for, but your hair's texture and length decide what is possible, so show a stylist a photo first. Braids, buns and updos is the low-risk group: almost nothing there needs scissors.
Asymmetric cutCut clearly longer on one side than the other. It works on a crop, a bob or longer hair.
Bob cutCut straight around the head above the shoulders, blunt and usually without layers.
Bowl cutOne length all the way round with a straight fringe, as if trimmed along the rim of a bowl.
Curtained hairA long fringe parted in the middle or at the side so it hangs like curtains, over short back and sides.
Eton cropA very short, sleek crop: the back cut close, the front left a little longer for styling.
Finger wavesFlat waves set close to the head using setting lotion and a comb.
Marcel wavesDeep, regular waves pressed into short hair with a heated curling iron.
Pixie cutVery short all over, cropped close at the back and sides, with or without a wispy fringe.
Razor cutChoppy short layers thinned out at the ends, usually with a side-swept fringe.
Shingle bobA short dome-shaped bob with the hair at the nape razored into a V.
Titus cutA short layered crop, usually curly. Popular in the late 1700s and early 1800s.
Medium length 13
AfroAfro-textured hair grown out without straightening and combed with a pick into a full rounded shape. Popular in the United States in the late 1960s and 1970s.
BangsA fringe cut straight across the forehead at or above the eyebrows. It goes with any length.
BouffantSmooth hair teased for height and extra fullness on top of the head.
Feathered hairGrown long enough at the sides to cover the ears, with a center or side part. Popular in the 1970s and early 1980s.
Flipped-up endsSmooth lengths with the ends curled upward and outward. Popular in the 1960s.
LobA long bob: the bob shape let down to the shoulders.
Mop-topMid-length and rounded: a fringe brushing the forehead, ears partly covered, collar length at the back.
MulletShort at the front and sides, long at the back.
PageboyA longer bob to the shoulders or just past them, usually worn with a fringe.
PermHair chemically set to hold curl. New growth comes in with its natural texture.
Shag cutChoppy layers all over, full at the crown and wispy around the edges.
WingsThe ends flip up and straight out at the sides like airplane wings instead of lying over the ears.
Wolf cutA 2020s take on the shag: shorter at the front, longer at the back like a mullet, often with bangs.
Long hair 13
Big hairHair teased or blown out to a large size and held there with hairspray.
BlowoutLong hair dried smooth with a hair dryer, working from root to tip, so it falls full and glossy.
DreadlocksRope-like strands of hair, also called locs. They form naturally in very curly hair or are made by twisting, backcombing or crochet. Closely associated with Rastafari.
Hime cutStraight bangs to the eyebrows, cheek-length side locks, and the rest long and straight. Traced to the Japanese imperial court of 794 to 1185; the name means princess cut.
Layered hairLong hair cut in layers, the top layers shorter than those beneath, for length and volume at once.
Liberty spikesLong hair set into thick upright spikes. A punk style named for the crown on the Statue of Liberty.
LovelockOne long lock, often braided, worn forward over the left shoulder. Fashionable among European men from the late 1500s into the 1600s.
OseledetsA long lock growing from the top or front of an otherwise closely shaved head. A traditional Ukrainian style tied to the Zaporozhian Cossacks.
QueueThe top of the scalp shaved and the hair at the back grown long and braided. Worn by Manchu men and required of men in Qing dynasty China.
RattailCut short or buzzed all over except one long thin tail, often braided, at the nape of the neck.
RingletsTightly curled hair that hangs in spirals.
Step cutLong hair cut in measured stages so the ends fall like a flight of steps.
Surfer hairLong, thick and tousled, lightened by sun and salt water. Made popular by surfers from the 1950s on.
Barber cuts and fades 25
Broccoli haircutTapered sides with layered curls piled on top, named for its likeness to a broccoli floret.
Buzz cutClipped very short and even all over with hair clippers.
Caesar cutShort all over, layered to about 2 to 5 cm (1 to 2 inches), with short bangs cut straight across the forehead.
Comb overHair combed from one side of the head across to the other, often to cover a bald spot.
Crew cutShort on top, graded from a small upright front at the hairline down to the crown, with tapered back and sides.
DucktailSides combed back to meet in a center parting down the back of the head, like a duck's tail, with a pompadour in front.
Edgar cutA short cut with a line of bangs across the forehead and tapered sides.
FauxhawkHair pushed up into a central ridge like a mohawk, without shaving the sides.
FlattopA crew cut with the top standing upright and cut as a flat, level plane.
French cropShort back and sides, medium length on the crown, worn with a fringe.
Hi-top fadeSides cut short and the top grown tall. Popular with African-American youth in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
High and tightThe military version of the crew cut.
Induction cutThe cut given to military recruits: clipped as short as a buzz cut gets.
MohawkBoth sides shaved or buzzed, leaving one strip of longer hair down the middle, often spiked up.
PompadourThe front hair is brushed up and back into a tall roll above the forehead. Some versions lift the sides and the back as well.
Psychobilly wedgeShaved sides like a mohawk, but the middle strip is slicked back and shaped into a pompadour.
QuiffThe front brushed up and back, mixing the pompadour and the flattop.
Shape-upA sharp hairline: even across the forehead, a right angle at the temples, blended into the sideburns. It goes with almost any cut. Also called a line-up.
Shaved headThe scalp shaved completely, for a bald look.
Skin fadeBack and sides fade from short all the way down to bare skin.
Slicked-backCombed straight back off the forehead and held in place with styling product.
TonsurePart of the scalp shaved as a sign of religious devotion. Worn by monks in the Middle Ages and by some monks today.
Two blockA full, longer top over neatly cropped or undercut back and sides. Closely tied to South Korean pop culture.
UndercutLong on top, often parted, with the back and sides buzzed very short or shaved.
WavesShort-cropped curly or coily hair brushed flat until the curls form ripples around the head.
Braids, buns and updos 27
Afro puffsHair parted down the middle and tied at each side into two round puffs, like small afros.
Bantu knotsHair parted into square or triangular sections, each wound into a small tight knot on the head. Made from loose afro-textured hair or from locs.
BeehiveHair backcombed and piled high on top of the head in the shape of a beehive, fixed with hairspray.
Box braidsMany separate braids that hang free from square-shaped partings, often with added hair. A protective style worn widely in Africa and across the African diaspora.
BraidHair divided into three strands and plaited into one braid down the back or two at the sides. Also called a plait.
BunHair gathered, twisted and wound into a round knot. It can sit on the crown, behind the head or low at the nape.
ChignonA smooth bun wrapped low at the nape of the neck.
ChonmageA Japanese topknot: hair oiled, tied into a small tail and folded onto the top of the head. Edo-period samurai shaved the crown; sumo wrestlers today do not.
CornrowsHair braided flat against the scalp in narrow raised rows, straight back or in patterns. A style that comes from Sub-Saharan Africa.
Crown braidA long braid wrapped up and around the head like a crown. Historically popular in Europe.
Double bunsTwo buns, one at each side of the head, sometimes with a tail hanging from each. Also called space buns or odango.
Dutch braidA French braid in reverse: the strands cross under instead of over, so the braid stands up from the hair.
Fallera hairdoThe traditional style of the Falles festival in Valencia: a spiral bun at each side of the head and braids coiled at the back.
Fishtail braidWoven from two sections by passing a small piece from each to the other, again and again. It looks like a fish's tail.
FontangeCurled hair piled high under a cap of ruffled lace and ribbons. Worn from the 1680s into the early 1700s.
French braidA three-strand braid worked from the crown of the head down to the nape, gathering hair as it goes.
French twistHair gathered behind the head, twisted into a roll and pinned in place.
Fulani braidsA braiding style of the Fulani people of West Africa, often decorated with beads and cowrie shells.
Hair twistsSections of hair twisted strand around strand into many small ropes. Popular with afro-textured hair, and not the same as locs.
Half updoThe top half, from the temples back, pulled into a bun or ponytail while the rest hangs loose. Any fringe stays free.
Man bunLong hair pulled up into one bun. A modern topknot that spread in the 2010s.
PigtailsHair split into two equal sections and tied at each side of the head, left loose or braided.
PonyhawkA row of ponytails from the front of the head to the back, giving a mohawk outline with nothing shaved.
PonytailAll the hair gathered and tied at the back of the head so the length hangs free like a pony's tail.
PoufHair built up very high over a cushion-like support. It came from 18th-century France and spread across Europe in the 1770s.
Suebian knotLong hair gathered and tied in one knot. A historical style of men of the Germanic Suebi, described by Tacitus in the 1st century AD.
Victory rollsHair rolled into large hollow rolls pinned above the ears or on top of the head, the open curl facing forward. A 1940s style.
How this list was compiled: List chosen and every description written for this site. Names checked against https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_hairstyles (checked 2026-09-18), and each description was written from that list's entry and the opening of the style's own English Wikipedia article. Eleven styles are not rows of the list and were checked against other Wikipedia articles the same day: Box braids, Fulani braids, Hair twists, Afro puffs, Victory rolls, Lovelock (hair), Pouf and Suebian knot against their own articles; Bantu knots against Kinky hair; Dutch braid against French braid; man bun against Bun (hairstyle). The list's Fishtail hair row is named Fishtail braid here, and wolf cut is described inside the list's shag cut row. Dates and origins are given only where those articles state them. Where a row of the list and the style's own article disagree, the article is followed: Fontange (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fontange) and Caesar cut (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caesar_cut), both checked 2026-09-18. Left out: styles named after a living person, a television character or a product line, nicknames that mock a place or a people, color treatments such as frosted tips and highlights, and hairpieces such as extensions and weaves. Licence: own work