15 Faux Hawk Hairstyles Perfect for Any Occasion

woman wearing silver faux hawk — Amy Sussman / Getty Images

The traditional mohawk, which has roots in traditional Indigenous culture, is characterized by a central strip of spiked-up hair surrounded by completely shaved sides. A faux hawk, on the other hand, is a slightly more subtle version of the style. "A faux hawk is a fun take on a mohawk look," celebrity stylist and Pureology ambassador Tatiana Ramos says. "It gives you the look of a mohawk without having to cut all your hair off [on the sides]. This version can be created on almost any haircut and hair type." Below, we've rounded up 15 of the best celeb-approved faux hawks. Scroll through to see them all.

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Coily Faux Hawk

Viola Davis wearing a faux hawk — Pool / Getty Images

For this take, Viola Davis let her gorgeous natural texture be the star of the style. The actress' hair is pulled up and pinned on the sides, allowing her coils to billow out in the middle of her head.

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Fluffy Faux Hawk

Sibley Scoles wearing gray faux hawk — Amy Sussman / Getty Images

Though a faux hawk offers plenty of edge on its own, dying it silver and etching a design into the side takes it to another level of cool. This look adds an element of rock-n-roll style to Sibley Scoles' red carpet glam.

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Tousled Faux Hawk

Kristen stewart wearing blonde faux hawk — Dominique Charriau / Getty Images

Kristen Stewart is a faux hawk icon. She's worn the hairdo numerous times, finding new ways to style the look every time. Her piece-y, undone style plays around with color and dimensionality for an unexpected take.

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Two-Tone Faux Hawk

Anika Noni Rose wearing blonde and black faux hawk — Frederick M. Brown / Getty Images

Adding color is one surefire way to amp up any hairstyle. You can make your faux hawk feel even edgier by dyeing the top a contrasting shade. Here, actress Anika Noni Rose opted for a cool linen blonde hue.

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Curled Faux Hawk

Rihanna wearing curly faux hawk — Getty Images

Rihanna has always been a hair chameleon, and this look is one of her boldest to date. The singer fully committed to the edginess of the style, going for shaved sides. However, she gave it a softer feel with her loose golden curls.

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Slicked-Back Faux Hawk

Miley Cyrus wearing blonde faux hawk — Frederick M. Brown / Getty Images

Miley Cyrus' touseled, two-toned faux hawk is truly a statement hairstyle. Curling back the pieces at the crown creates extra height, and combining the style with red lips and spidery lashes adds some serious va va voom.

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Lightly Curled Faux Hawk

singer pink wearing faux hawk — Gregg DeGuire / Getty Images

This windswept, textural faux hawk shows that you can mimic the effortless look of beach waves on super-short hair. What’s more, the single, face-framing tendril adds a bit of romantic softness to the look.

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Sideswept Faux Hawk

This "fallen" faux hawk puts Ruby Rose's choppy layers on full display in the coolest way. For this one-sided look, sweep the hair to the side to create the illusion of a bang.

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Super Short Faux Hawk

zoe kravitz wearing spiky faux hawk — J. Merritt / Getty Images

You can fake a faux hawk on even the shortest strands, and this look from Zoe Kravitz is proof. Use a pomade like Ouai's Matte Pomade or Oyin Handmade's Burnt Sugar Pomade to slick pieces of your hair upward.

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Voluminous Faux Hawk

Jennifer Lopez faux hawk — Ray Tamarra / Getty Images

For the Met Gala in May 2013, Jennifer Lopez embraced the "Punk" theme with this voluminous take on a faux hawk. To try the pompadour style out for yourself, pull the sides of your hair into a ponytail (leave the front parts out) and slick them down with pomade, then use a blow-dryer or curling iron on small sections to create the shape of the pompadour before pinning them down and finishing off with a strong-hold hairspray.

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Sculpted Faux Hawk

Tilda Swinton wearing faux hawk — Dominique Charriau / Getty Images

Tilda Swinton is known for her avant-garde looks, and her sculptural faux hawk might be her best yet. Adding tons of volume to the top of her hair makes her gorgeous copper hue stand out even more.

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Sleek Faux Hawk

Cara Delevingne wearing faux hawk — Gareth Cattermole / Getty Images

At first glance, Cara Delevigne’s faux hawk looks like the real thing. But in reality, the height at the crown of her head serves as an optical illusion accent to the messy bun pinned in the back. We also love that her subtle golden highlights add dimensional flare to the pulled-back style.

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Shaved Sides Faux Hawk

keke palmer wearing faux hawk — Frederick M. Brown / Getty Images

Keke Palmer is another celeb who's constantly switching up her look—and this hairstyle is the closest one on this list to an actual mohawk. This 'do is essentially a faux hawk meets mullet, featuring shaved sides and cascading waves down the middle.

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Braided Faux Hawk

Emily Blunt's braided faux hawk is perfect for those who want to try the style without shaving the sides of their head. The artful updo can be achieved by creating a braided ponytail, pulling it forward, and pinning it to the front of your hairline.

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Victory Roll Faux Hawk

gwen stefani wearing faux hawk — Evan Agostini / Getty Images

Gwen Stefani's gravity-defying faux hawk is what high-hold hairspray was made for. To create the "Victory Roll" that serves as the centerpiece of the retro look, pull the sides of your hair back into a ponytail, then use a hot roller to curl the front section. After it cools, brush out the curl, then wrap your hair around your finger before pulling your finger out and pinning it into place. Finish with a lot of hairspray to voluminize the top and slick down the sides, and you'll be good to go.

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