I was so relieved to receive the Friends box set for my birthday shortly after the legendary show came to its end in 2004. During my Friends-less months in between, I had pondered what I would do without the iconic Friends hairstyles and fashions in my life, the happy go lucky humor, and arguably the most beloved group of chums in sitcom history.
To this day, I still watch and thoroughly enjoy Friends . Occasionally, I like to view it all from the beginning over a series of months and re-remember all the jokes and pranks that occurred on the show. IMO, it's one of the most pleasant and easiest series to watch. It could chill you out if you're feeling stressed, each episode like a bitesize pick-me-up if you're feeling blue. Plus, it's easy watching when you have a hangover. But don't get me started on the epic '90s styles and hairdos — those were perhaps the best part of all.
These guys and gals rocked '90s fashion and hairstyles so hard that they even named a hairstyle after one of the characters (shout out to The Rachel). There were just so many super trendy and seriously kooky 'dos in this awesome show. For all you Friends fans out there, here's how to get Friends-inspired hair at home, so that these legendary locks can live on.
Before
This is my normal, everyday hair. As you can see, it's fairly long and blonde with some long layers. I don't have bangs, so I realized I would have to adapt some of the styles (as some of the Friends ladies sport really cool bangs). I was ready to become a member of Friends!
1. The Phoebe Buffay
I thought I would start off with Phoebe's style, not only because she is a fellow Phoebe, but because our hair types are actually very similar to each other. I would have to say that Phoebe Buffay is in my top three favorite Friends characters because she's so cool, chilled out, and has a truly optimistic outlook on life.
I chose this particular style as Phoebe is often seen wearing Boho type 'dos throughout the series. To begin, I created a small quiff up top by combing back the hair at the top of my head, pinching it together, and pushing it forward and securing it with some bobby pins. Next I put a headband on, making sure it lay behind my mini quiff. Finally, I grabbed two pieces of hair from either side of my face, twisted them, and secured them at the back of my head. As a finishing touch, I pulled down some bits of hair to make it a more relaxed style like Ms. Buffay's.
Verdict: With the strong Boho vibes this style is giving off, I think this would make a great look for late summer. It was quite comfortable and would make a quirky change to an up do at a formal summer occasion.
2. The Monica Geller
I love Monica and her organized ways. She pretends to have it all together but really she's quite the lovable control freak. Ms. Geller often wears her hair in quite simple yet feminine styles such as these girly pigtails. This is probably down to the fact that her career as a chef requires her to have her hair out of the way, but she may still want to look stylish.
To achieve this look, I parted my hair at the back and created two low pigtails. As I don't have bangs and Monica does, I gently pulled my hair out from behind my ears to create a softer look like Monica's relaxed style. Sadly, I did not have a piece of cake to pose with in this picture.
Verdict: This is an easy style to pull off that gives the wearer a youthful vibe. I like this look, but personally I prefer my hair to have a bit more going on than just plain pigtails.
3. The Rachel
The Rachel quickly became one of the most iconic Rachel Green hairstyles ever. Women in the 1990s went mad for this look and everyone's mom, auntie, and big sister were asking their hairdressers for this famous 'do. I would guess that if you wanted to keep this hairstyle looking its best, you would need to go to the salon at least every couple of months.
In a vain attempt to create this memorable look, I heated up my straighteners and prepared myself for what I thought was going to be a huge transformation. After trying and massively failing to curl my layers and create more volume, I had to give up. Since my layers are quite long, they just wouldn't become as big as I wanted them to be. So I had to make do with mussing up my hair and attempting to separate my layers.
Verdict: Unless you are a hair wizard, The Rachel can only be achieved through having your hair hacked. It appears that sadly this is a haircut rather than a hairstyle and can only be achieved by having your hairdresser snip millions of layers into your hair. I think my excitement got in the way of the harsh reality of this look.
4. The Janice
Who remembers Janice — Chandler's on again, off again girlfriend who was endearingly awful? I mean, that laugh: It still haunts my dreams. Janice somehow ended up being a really lovable character, most likely because of her tenacious attitude when it came to her and Chandler's relationship and her incredible ability to forgive and forget. She's kind of a cheerleader for love, and aside from her annoying habits (we've all got 'em!) she was a really nice person.
To achieve Janice's wavy locks, I used my heated rollers as I find these are the best option for my hair type. If you prefer to use a wand, feel free to curl your whole head. Just make sure the curls are loose waves and not too tight. Next I took my rollers out and finger combed my hair. To finish, I placed my locks into a side parting, just like Janice.
Verdict: I like how big and bouncy this look is, but I think it would be even bigger and bouncier like Janice's style if I had bangs.
5. The Estelle Style
Oh Estelle! Joey's sadly deceased agent was an absolute delight and made for some hilarious moments in Friends. To achieve Estelle's look, I put my head upside down and tied a tight ponytail. My hair was already curly from my previous experiment, so I pinned parts of the ponytail down onto my head. This hot mess was the result.
Verdict: It's safe to say I will not be leaving the house wearing this style nor will I ever wear it again, unless I was dressing up as a dude. I do enjoy the androgynous vibes I'm giving off, although they're not very Estelle-like.
Now you know how to recreate your favorite female characters' hairstyles to relive your ultimate Friends moments.
Images: Phoebe Waller; Giphy
