Warning: There are minor Stranger Things season four plot points discussed in this piece. If you’re not looking for any kind of spoilers, you’ll probably want to bookmark this for later.

There comes an almost inevitable point in watching season four of Stranger Things where you grab your phone and Google: “Did Millie Bobby Brown shave her head again?” 

In episode five, Brown, who has portrayed Eleven in the series since 2016, reverts back to the hairstyle that started it all in season one. It’s a cropped cut, not too dissimilar from Mia Farrow’s at-home haircut in 1966. As a test subject at the Hawkins National Lab — patient 011 — her hair is buzzed to make her appear uniform to her other “brothers and sisters” (read: other test subjects) in the program. And it looks incredibly real.

Eleven’s gamine cut in 1986 is in fact a wig, which is mindblowing for a few reasons — but more on that shortly. This and the rest of the show’s radical ’80s ‘dos are the work of Sarah Hindsgaul, hair department head on Stranger Things since season one, wig maker Rob Pickens, and their hair team.

Overall, Hindsgaul says she estimates there were over 150 wigs used in the season — three trailers full – providing multiple wigs for each of the central cast, plus their photo and stunt doubles, along with additional wigs for dayplayers. Read on to learn about the inspiration behind each character’s hairstyle and what went into making these looks memorable.

Eleven