Girls Beauty: Shoshanna's Best Hair Looks

by Alexandra Tunell

Courtesy of HBO
Courtesy of HBO

After three seasons, we're no longer fazed by the nudity and awkward sex on Girls. But Shoshanna's wild hairstyles still have shock value. Giant sock buns, cornrow braids, intricate twists--if there's a trend, past or present, she's owned it. "She does the crazy styles with incredible intention," says actress Zosia Mamet, who plays Shoshanna. "She won't show up at a party and take her hair out if someone doesn't like it."


And where does she get her hair inspiration? From us, surprisingly. "She's looking at fashion magazines like Vogue, Elle, and Allure, and trying to do her hair the way she imagines runway models would," says Sherry Heart, the head of the hair department for Girls. But it doesn't exactly translate. "Shoshanna sees everything through a kaleidoscope, so an image in a magazine is going to be re-created in an entirely different way on her head," says Mamet. (Take, for example, the off-kilter sock bun above.) In honor of this Sunday's season finale, Vanessa Heshima Sims, key hairdresser for seasons one and two, shares the details behind some of our favorite Shosh styles:

Courtesy of HBO
Courtesy of HBO

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"I look at a lot of period films and old photographs and try to put a modern spin on vintage styles. I did pin curls, but I didn't want the hair to take away from the little hat. This party was supposed to be her coming-out as a mature woman, but she's doing it completely wrong and in a way that makes her look old."


Courtesy of HBO
Courtesy of HBO


"I wanted to do a flower, but that would've been too girlie, so I just twisted this up and made it look like a flower with a braid across the front. Then I straightened the back. I love that one, and surprisingly, people always ask about it."

Courtesy of HBO
Courtesy of HBO

See more: Celebrity Hairstyles That Will Make You Look 10 Years Younger

"This was at Jessa's wedding. We filmed this scene over seven days in the summer, so the continuity was a nightmare--I had to keep re-creating the look each day. It was so hot, so I did these really tight braids. I felt bad for her! I actually took the inspiration for this style from the Elie Saab Winter 2013 runway hair."


As for the infamous sock bun: "I just put four hot rollers in her hair, took them out, and wrapped the hair around a donut. You want hair to have a little curl and movement in it, or else there will be too many flyaways."

Photos: Jessica Miglio/HBO, Jojo Whilden/HBO

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