How to Style, Cut, and Dye Scene Hair: Easy Tips & Tricks

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Rock the edgy scene look with this simple guide
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Scene hair is fun, stylish, and cute. For scene hair that looks artsy and out of this world, there's no limit to what you can achieve. Here are some tips for cutting, dyeing, styling and caring for your hair.

Quick Steps for Styling Scene Hair

  1. Apply a heat protectant and straighten your hair, working in sections.
  2. Backcomb your hair with a fine tooth comb to tease it.
  3. Spray your hair with hairspray to set it.
  4. Use a regular comb to smooth down any sections that are sticking up.
  5. Use a flat iron or curling iron to curl the ends of your hair, if desired.
Section 1 of 5:

Styling Your Hair

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  1. What you need will depend on the natural texture and thickness of your hair. [1] However, here are some items that can be used to create scene hairstyles:
    • Blow-dryer: Blow out curly or wavy hair to make it mostly straight before flat ironing.
    • Flat iron: Necessary to achieve the silky-straight look on the bottom of hair, as well as flattened bangs; can also be used to add curl to the ends of hair.
    • Curling iron or wand: Use it to make bottom strands curly or wavy.
    • Rat-tail or fine-toothed comb: Use to tease, backcomb or "rat" hair for volume on top.
    • Hairspray: You'll need this to tease your hair, as well as to set the style.
    • Heat protectant: It's necessary to apply this before blow drying or straightening hair, especially if you do it often.
    • Root lifter or volumizer: If you have thin hair, you can use this to add a bit of volume. Follow the directions on the bottle.
    • Dry shampoo: This can help re-volumize dirty or oily hair if you don't have time to wash it.
  2. Scene hair is centered on sleek, straight locks that can be thinned down or ratted out. Even if you plan on curling the bottom parts of your hair, you probably want to straighten them first, then curl. [2] Here are some things to keep in mind:
    • If you have curly or wavy hair, blow dry it 10 or 15 minutes after you get out of the shower. Use a round brush or paddle brush to separate sections, and spray on a heat protectant before you start.
    • After you've blow dried your hair (or if you have mostly straight hair to begin with), spritz on another layer of heat protectant and smooth it out with a flat iron.
    • Work in sections - if your hair is thick, clip up the top portion and work out the bottom first. (You might have to work in 4 or 5 stages if you have ultra-thick hair. Just start from the bottom and keep moving up in manageable sections.)
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  3. Once your hair is straight, you can focus on teasing the top portions so they'll look volumized and big. [3] Here's how to do it.
    • Put hairspray on the section you want to tease. Don't totally soak your hair with hairspray - one spritz per area should be enough.
    • Grab a section of hair, and backcomb it with a rat-tail or fine-toothed comb. Pull the bottom of the section out and away from your hair, so that it's somewhat horizontal. Then, starting at the end, comb backwards toward the scalp in small sections. Do 3 or 4 combs over one part, then move up. Keep doing this for each piece you want to tease.
    • After you've teased every section you want, set with hairspray.
  4. Because the hair that you teased is probably sticking straight up by now, you'll want to smooth it back down so that you have the volume without looking crazy. Use a regular comb to gently comb each section downward.
  5. If you want to curl up the ends of your layers (using a flat iron or curling iron), do it after you're finished teasing. You can flip up the ends of your layers, or even curl the longer sections at the bottom of your hair. Do whatever you think looks good!
  6. If you want to add bows, bobby pins, headbands or other accessories to your hair, now's the time. A lot of girls like to put a cute bow on the side of their bangs, or use bobby pins to put up random sections of hair.
    • Look around the internet for ideas on how to use accessories. See if you can find any blogs or Tumblers that feature scene hair.
  7. Split the hair in parts and clip them up. Put hairspray right on your scalp and then tease each section. Don't fully brush your hair but brush it swiftly and easy. Add more hairspray and you'll be done.
    • If you want your hair to be bigger, use a crimper on the layers you are teasing, but don't crimp the top layer of your hair. Don't crimp a lot but do remember to tease the back too.
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Section 2 of 5:

Cutting Your Hair

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  1. In general, scene hair is full and teased out on top, and thinner on bottom (or on hair that falls lower than your jawbone). The steps in this section can help you get the basic shape of scene hair.
  2. Scene hair usually features layers, especially to create volume on top. [4] How many layers and where you put them are up to you, but here are some suggestions: [5]
    • Get short layers in the back and longer layers in front.
    • Keep a long distance between layers, such as having the bottom layer of your hair long, and the next layer situated 3 or 4 inches (7.6 or 10.2 cm) up from that.
    • Cut your layers so that they frame your face.
  3. A lot of scene hairstyles for girls and guys have bangs parted far to the side (above the end of one eyebrow) and swooping over the forehead, sometimes even covering the eyebrows. Bangs are usually teased out (see Styling below). [6]
    • Keep your bangs straight. Though some scene styles feature curls on other parts of hair, the bangs are usually kept straight. See more information on this under Styling.
  4. To keep a sharp, angular look on your ends, have them razored or buy a pair of razoring scissors at a beauty supply store. [7]
  5. If you have really thick hair, consider asking a stylist to thin out the bottom layer. This will make it easier to style.
  6. If you have shorter hair but want the long scene strands around your shoulders, consider using hair extensions. You can have them applied professionally, or purchase clip-on extensions at a beauty supply store.
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Section 3 of 5:

Dyeing Your Hair

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  1. You don't have to dye your hair to make it scene, but it's a fun way to express your style. In this section, you'll see some suggestions on where to add dye to your hair; for information on the process itself, see the Related wikiHows at the bottom of the page.
  2. Dyeing the tips of your hair along a straight line is called "dipping" (because some people actually do dip-dyes). This is a low-risk way to add color to your hair, because if you don't like it, you can always cut it off instead of having to wait for it to grow out. Try doing it in a color that's opposite the rest of your hair (blond tips if you have dark hair, or dark tips if you have light hair), or in a bright color such as blue or purple. [8]
  3. Select streaks of your hair to dye a color that contrasts with the rest of your hair. You can do streaks in one color, or in several colors, and make them narrow or wide.
    • If you work or go to school somewhere that doesn't allow you to have dyed hair, streaks might be a good choice. You can place them strategically, so that they won't show up when you put your hair into a ponytail.
  4. A popular scene look is dyeing an entire section of your hair a different color than the rest of it; for example, making your bangs and front layers blond, and keeping the rest of your hair black. For something a little more subtle, you could dye the underside of your hair a bright color, and keep the rest of it a more natural shade. [9]
  5. If you want to go all-out, you can dye your entire head of hair a bright color. Note that most unnatural colors are semi-permanent, so you'll have to re-dye regularly to keep the look up. [10]
    • Black hair is good for any length, on any gender.
    • Try red, blonde or black if you don't want to be too outstanding.
  6. Try wearing a shirt that's the same color as what you're interested in. If it seems to go well with your skin tone and eyes, it will probably look good in your hair. If it makes you look washed-out and tired, try something else.
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Section 4 of 5:

Caring for Your Hair

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  1. Dying, straightening and teasing can all cause harsh damage to your hair. In order to keep your scene hair looking stylish and healthy, make sure you take steps to care for it. [11]
  2. Try to find products that are meant for your type of hair (such as oily hair, thick hair, curly hair, and so on). [12]
    • If you've dyed your hair, buy shampoo that's specifically meant for color-treated locks. It will help your dye job last longer.
    • Also, if you have dyed hair, wash it in water that's as cold as you can stand. Hot water will make your dye fade out faster, as well as making the shade slightly off.
    • If possible, try to find shampoo that doesn't contain sodium lauryl sulfate or sodium laureth sulfate. These compounds are alcohols that dry out your hair.
  3. Schedule a deep conditioning treatment for your hair on the same day every week. Browse around for one that suits your hair type and budget. If you need something simple to start with (and you live in North America), try Aussie 3-Minute Miracle. [13]
  4. Find a product you like, and use it religiously whenever you apply heat to your hair. Your ends will thank you for it.
  5. The only way to get rid of split ends is to cut them off. If you notice your ends starting to fray, book an appointment with your stylist or trim them yourself. Either way, make sure the cut is high enough to remove all of the damaged hair. [14]
  6. You're probably going to use a lot of styling product if you want to have scene hair, and it's important to wash it out. Every other day or every third day should be sufficient. [15]
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Section 5 of 5:

Alternative to Teasing

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  1. Instead of damaging your hair further with teasing, a way that's better for your hair is to use a volumizing powder. You can find them online and in stores that sell hair care products. To apply, start by lifting the section of hair you want to tease.
  3. Rub upwards to help the make the hair full of volume.
  4. This is a more comfortable way to tease hair.
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Community Q&A

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  • Question
    What are the final results for the alternative teasing?
    Annie Mckernan
    Community Answer
    The results are roughly the same, but normal teasing will make it a touch more poofy.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
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  • Question
    How do I style emo hair if I don't like how it turned out?
    Community Answer
    If you don't like the way your emo hairstyle looks, then try a different style. Having emo hair is about being yourself, not about having the same hair as everyone else.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
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  • Question
    My bangs are already long, and I have layers. Should I just flat iron my hair or razor the ends?
    Hailey
    Community Answer
    If you like how it looks flat-ironed, keep it as is, but if it's not as you like it, add more layers and razor the ends.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
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      Tips

      • When choosing a hairstyle from a magazine or website, look for someone who has the same face shape as you and the same kind of hair. If you have a round face with thin hair don't pick the same style as some one with an oval face and thick hair, the style won't look as nice on you. Work with what you have, and you'll always have perfect hair.
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      • Try new styles over holidays like spring break and summer vacation, just in case something goes wrong you won’t have to worry about friend/classmates making fun of you.
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      • At shows, consider wearing kitty ears or bunny ears you'd find at Halloween stores, it really does add something to that gorgeous scene hair.
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      Warnings

      • Make sure the colours you put in your hair are appropriate for school/the workplace, in order to avoid getting into trouble.
        Thanks
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      • If you don't want to dye your hair, do not spray color it. It looks bad and streaky and will rub off on your clothes. Use hair extensions. They give you quick easy color without damaging your hair and it won't look bad.
        Thanks
        Helpful 46 Not Helpful 11
      • Don't over-process. If you decide to lighten from a dark colour to blond, go in phases. Have patience or you will have a giant frizz ball. Also, consult a stylist before using peroxide (bleach) for dying, if not just having them do it. Bleaching at home is hard work, and you could end up with orange hair if it's not done correctly.
        Thanks
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      • If your natural hair color is an amazing shade of red, do not dye it . You can never get it back. If you really want to, dye it with temporary dye. Red can be hard to duplicate with dye and growing out red roots once you've dyed your hair blonde/black can look bad.
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      • Don't dye your hair a new color every weekend or your hair will fall out and you will more than likely end up bald. [16]
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      Things You'll Need

      • Razoring scissors (optional)
      • Hair dye (optional)
      • Blow dryer
      • Flat iron
      • Curling iron or wand
      • Rat-tail or fine-toothed comb
      • Heat protectant
      • Root lifter or volumizer
      • Dry shampoo
      • Regular comb
      • Round brush or paddle brush
      • Hairspray
      • Hair extensions
      • Shampoo
      • Conditioner
      • Deep conditioner

      Related wikiHows

      • Dye Your Hair an Unnatural Color
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      References

      1. ↑ Danielle Chiz. Professional Hair Stylist. Expert Interview. 3 August 2021.
      2. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4BYaji7_kU
      3. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZV3pMsB-ts
      4. ↑ Danielle Chiz. Professional Hair Stylist. Expert Interview. 3 August 2021.
      5. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYaVWZ62kQM
      6. ↑ https://www.hairfinder.com/techniques/scene-hair.htm
      7. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMQcQWle3EI
      8. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MVDAavskm4
      9. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKa5ytzCCFU
      1. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Zsd0h5yW_8
      2. ↑ https://www.lifehack.org/529899/7-ways-fix-damaged-hair-and-get-your-healthy-hair-back
      3. ↑ https://www.webmd.com/beauty/features/hair-washing
      4. ↑ https://www.thehairstyler.com/features/articles/hair-care/hair-care-how-to-deep-conditioning-hair-at-home
      5. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UmlM8i-Oyt8
      6. ↑ Danielle Chiz. Professional Hair Stylist. Expert Interview. 3 August 2021.
      7. ↑ https://www.webmd.com/beauty/hair-dye-faqs
      8. https://www.webmd.com/beauty/features/8-ways-youre-damaging-your-hair

      About This Article

      Article Summary X

      To style scene hair, start by using an iron or blow dryer to create sleek, straight locks. Then, create volume on top of your head by backcombing a section of hair before combing it over in the other direction. To make sure the look stays all day, add a bit of hair spray your scalp and the top of your hair. If you’re able to, you can also cut our hair in choppy layers or add colorful dye to the tips. For more tips for styling scene hair, like how to cut and angular look with a razor, keep reading!

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