Exclusive | Inside Steve Harrington’s ‘Stranger Things’ transformation, Joe Keery’s 1 request

There’s a reason he’s known as Steve “the hair” Harrington. 

Steve Harrington (Joe Keery) was the fan favorite character in the Netflix hit “Stranger Things” — and was one of the only actor’s to not need a wig.

“That is correct. I mean, he has amazing hair, right? So he does not need one,” lead hair designer Sarah Hindsgaul told The Post. 

Viewers have also been going wild for Steve’s backwards baseball hat look in Season 5, with one viral TikTok proclaiming it to be “life changing.” 

Hindsgaul noted, “I think [the hat] was Joe’s idea.”

Steve began the show as an entitled smarmy popular kid, and Nancy’s (Natalia Dyer) boyfriend. He gradually evolved into a more likable person, and unlikely babysitter to the kids, before forming friendships with Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) and Robin (Maya Hawke). 

The series finale saw Steve nearly plummet to his death off a tall tower – but luckily, he was saved by his former rival, Jonathan (Charlie Heaton). He ended the series embracing small town life as the local school coach / sex ed teacher, dating around without settling down yet, and staying in touch with his friends. He was shown visiting Dustin at college, and solidifying his friendship bonds with Nancy, Jonathan, and Robin. 

“When we started the show, his hair was a lot shorter,” Hindsgaul explained. 

“We had him in a very classic early ‘80s groomed, preppy boy hairdo for a couple of scenes.” 

During Season 1, she recalled, “Joe came to me and he was like, ‘I feel like I need something that is more poppy, like something that is in your face, and that can give me the confidence.’ I think he used the word ‘douchey.’”

She said that led them to do this “pompadour…. more kind of ‘50s bad boy kind of look.” 

After they did that, series creators Matt and Ross Duffer told her “We’re not going back,” about Steve’s hair look. 

“It’s not super ‘80s what we have going on here. But, I think having different characters and having the energy come through the right way is just as important as being completely on the nose with period,” she explained.

Steve quickly grew out his hair out after Season 1. “We have different layers of Steve. He starts quite fluffy. We start smaller and then it gets filled up.”

Hindsgaul described Season 3 as “Steve’s heyday” and “his peak.”

“And then from there we kind of go backwards a little bit and it gets more and more texturized and less fluffy to wear.” 

By the time Steve is a young man in the final season, it’s more “grungy,” since the show is in the late ‘80s and approaching the ‘90s. 

“The very last time we see him, we bring him back to the early days…..in that kind of Tom Cruise, small time, preppy, popular boy again.”