Stranger Things' third season is the kind of television that requires your full attention to attempt to answer some of the show's biggest questions: Why are the Russians trying to open a gate to the Upside Down? Why are all the rats in Hawkins, IN, eating fertilizer? Will anyone ever play a round of D&D with Will (Noah Schnapp)?
Even with all of that on our mind — not to mention the monster in the room, the Mind Flayer — we still couldn't help but mull over one other detail: Steve Harrington's (Joe Keery) hair. Yes, the iconic coif returned for season 3, but not without a few minor tweaks.
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During season 2, Steve had grown out his '80s-villain style for a feathered mullet, a styling choice that Stranger Things hair department head Sarah Hindsgaul explained was because the character was finally letting his guard down and emotionally developing in a way he hadn't had a chance to in season 1. Now, season 3 offers a fresh new look for Steve — a very subtle one, at that.
"We tweaked it," Hindsgaul confirms. "We have a lot more length in the back this time and more layers." Even with the added inches, the hair is still all Keery's IRL — no wig or extensions necessary. But Steve's length isn't all that changed in the third season of the sci-fi hit: Hindsgaul also gave Keery blonde highlights. After the stylist and her team realized a lot of the scenes would be dark (like, borderline Battle-of-Winterfell dark), she knew a few highlighted pieces would make Steve pop in the background.
That said, Hindsgaul adds that the sun-kissed dye job wasn't solely to allow the audience a better view of Steve, but that it was practical for this season's summer setting. It makes sense that the characters' hair would naturally lighten after spending some time under the Indiana sun in July: Maya Hawke, who plays Steve's Scoops Ahoy coworker and new friend, also got a double dose of highlights before shooting, as did Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven. Hey, Sun-In was all the rage in the '80s — and we wouldn't put it past Steve to get his hands on a bottle to add to his already-extensive routine.
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