Give your hairstyle some life and lift with a spiky haircut. You don’t need to get a mohawk to rock some spiky locks. You can add layers, use hair products or insert clips to create a spiky hairstyle that works for you. Remember that maintaining a spiky haircut requires more frequent cuts and often more styling products than longer haircuts. On the plus side, you will use less shampoo with spikes than with long hair.

Soft Spikes

If you want the sophisticated edge of Liza Minnelli’s spiky layers, cut the sides of your hair short and keep the top of your hair longer than the sides to allow for styling. Keep an asymmetrical sweep of bangs across your forehead. Wash your hair and, while it’s still damp, work thick styling gel through the top section. Blow-dry your hair while lifting sections from the roots upward. Comb through the top of your hair backward to give it some volume. Make tips spikier by adding a touch of hair wax.

Sexy Spikes

For the drop-dead gorgeous spikes of actress Halle Berry, begin with an all-over short cut, leaving about an inch of length on top. Give your hair a textured look by smoothing molding cream through each part. Begin by working your fingers through the back and sides of your hair, moving downward, and pinching your hair at the tips. Create uneven spikes at the crown of your head by placing another dollop of molding cream on your fingers and pinching clumps of your hair. Work the sections of hair in different directions for a funky, bedhead effect. Finish the look with a small spritz of hairspray.

Faux Hawk

For those who remember the classic mohawk haircut of the punk era, this glammed-up version has retro appeal while also allowing you to keep more length. This spiky haircut works well in short or medium-length hair, either straight or wavy. If you have curly hair, you should straighten it first. For a short faux hawk, trim the sides and the top, but keep a center peak of length. For a longer faux hawk, pull back the sides tightly with hair clips. For both styles, back-comb the hair along the peak and use hair mud, hair paste, wax or thick styling gel to hold it in place. To keep the sides as flat and sleek as possible, slick some gel or hair gloss through your hair.