How to Fake 2 Drastic Haircuts for April Fools' Day

Here’s a scary fact: Today is the last day of March. Not only does that mean another month has blown by, but also that tomorrow is April Fools’ Day. I’m not a huge fan of the holiday — I’m terrible at telling if people are joking in real life, so a day full of weird sarcasm is kind of my nightmare. I’ve found a way to cope, though: Instead of fake-quitting my job or Saran-wrapping my toilet bowl, I go for beauty pranks.

Hair pranks, specifically, and you can too. To show you how to finagle two faux drastic haircuts, I tapped hairstylist Bryce Scarlett, who’s pulled off plenty of hair fake-outs — on celebrities, no less. He’s the guy behind Gigi Hadid’s ear-length slicked-back bob at the 2015 American Music Awards (a wig, it turned out), as well as Kate Upton’s short up-do and Lily Aldridge’s faux bangs. If a model fake-changed her hair, Scarlett was probably behind it. Below, he tells Yahoo Beauty how to pull off a bob and a bang so good that you could fool even the most eagle-eyed paparazzo.

Look No. 1: The old-school bob

“I did Kate Upton for Halloween years ago, and she wanted a Marilyn haircut,” Scarlett tells me. To pull it off sans sissors, he curled her hair and pinned the ends under into an up-do/bob hybrid. “The easiest way to fake short hair is to curl hair,” he says. “It’s very easy to take shoulder-length and mid-length hair, and once it’s in a bouncy curl, tuck the end with bobby pins and create a shorter length.”

All you need to pull it off are a one-inch curling iron and bobby pins, Scarlett explains. Set the hair in rounded, soft curls and tuck the ends under with pins at your bottom hairline. Avoid trying this on straight hair, he cautions — “if you bent a straight hair, it would be strange.” Remember, it’s all about the illusion here. If it looks real, you’ve succeeded.

Look No. 2: Full-on fringe

If setting your hair in curls would already give the prank away for those who know you well, we hear you. That’s what bangs are for. Bad news, though: It’s hard to pull off convincing bangs with your own hair, so for the best results, you should opt for a hairpiece. Quality matters, and it’s only convincing if you buy one that looks real — plan on spending about $100 for a believable piece.

Don’t know what to look for in fake bangs? “It’s all about not being too heavy,” Scarlett says. “The bangs shouldn’t have a ton of hair. If it’s a really thick bang, it’s going to look artificial. You need a natural amount of hair.” Then all you have to do is clip the hairpiece in and blend it in, so the divide between the natural hair and fake hair isn’t as obvious.

Here’s the best part: April Fools’ Day is basically the ideal focus group. Consider this a way to get your friends’ honest reactions to risky hairstyles. If you’ve always wanted a bob or bangs but haven’t pulled the trigger, pay close attention to how they react before you yell, “April fools!” “OhmygodIcan’tbelieveyoufinallydidit!”? Book an appointment at the salon. A tepid “wow” and eye raise? You’re lucky it’s fake.

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