How to unlock Animal Crossing: New Horizons character customisation and more hairstyles

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Discover all the Animal Crossing: New Horizons hairstyles there are, and the full potential of character customisation

Animal Crossing: New Horizons character customisation
(Image credit: Nintendo)

Getting your character looking exactly the way you want is just part of the appeal, which is why Animal Crossing: New Horizons character customisation is so exciting. Here's how to unlock the full suite of clothing, hair, beards and more in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. 

Long gone are the days where you'd have to take a risky trip to the barber and rely on a  series of bamboozling questions to pick a hairstyle, because in New Horizons, there are plenty to unlock to help you express your style. Here's everything you need to know about Animal Crossing: New Horizons character customisation.

How to unlock Animal Crossing: New Horizons character customisation 

(Image credit: Nintendo)

Before you start the game proper, you'll get access to a limited set of hairstyles, skin tones, cheek blush, and a few other options. But then, when you first arrive on the island, until you craft a couple of in-game items, you'll have to stick with the face and clothing you've got. 

To change your outfit and preview all the clothes you have in storage quickly and easily, you'll need some kind of wardrobe. Unless you're particularly lucky with the random drop of Animal Crossing: New Horizons crafting recipes, gifts, balloon presents and message bottles, you'll actually have to wait until at least day five for Tom Nook to give you the recipe for a wooden wardrobe. You'll receive it as part of the furniture customisation workshop, so as soon as he offers it to you, snatch it up.

(Image credit: Nintendo)

It's worth noting that seemingly anything with a door that opens in New Horizons can be used as a makeshift wardrobe. I'm talking mini-fridge, office locker, literally anything with a door that opens. Interact with it, and it'll give you the prompt to 'change', and this will give you full wardrobe UI options.

To change the look of your face, skin colour, or gender though, you'll need a mirror of some kind. I got one earlier than the wardrobe through the initial slate of furniture recipes you're given by Tom Nook. 

How to change your Animal Crossing: New Horizons hairstyle

(Image credit: Nintendo)

Don't fret at the limited amount of Animal Crossing: New Horizons hairstyles when you first start out. From the 'Redeem Nook Miles' section of the Nook Stop in Resident Services there are more Animal Crossing: New Horizons hairstyle options, which gets you 16 more hairstyles in total, and eight new pastel-themed hair colours:

  • Top 8 Pop Hairstyles (2,400 Miles)
  • Top 8 Cool Hairstyles (2,400 Miles)
  • Top 8 Stylish Hair Colors (3,000 Miles)

On top of that you can buy wigs from the daily rotating selection on offer at the Animal Crossing: New Horizons tailor. These just replace your chosen hair and can be worn at will. Heck, it'll even match your natural / chosen hair colour. 

How to get facial hair in Animal Crossing: New Horizons

(Image credit: Nintendo)

If you want to check out the full range of facial hair in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, again you'll have to check back at the tailor. There are regularly all kinds of facial hair on offer, which work in exactly the same way as wigs. Enjoy!

 How to get the magic wand for instant outfit changes 

There's another layer of character customisation that unlocks when you're able to craft your very own Animal Crossing: New Horizons magic wand. This handy new tool lets you store eight outfits within it, which you can then switch into with a simple wave of your wand. To make a magic wand, you'll need the recipe from Celeste, who will visit your island on an evening after you've been living there for a few weeks (or close to a full moon). You'll then need Animal Crossing: New Horizons star fragments, which are only obtained by combing the beach the day after you've wished on a shooting star. These can be found by listening out for a light tinkling sound, and then looking to the sky and hitting A. 

Sam Loveridge
Sam Loveridge
Global Editor-in-Chief, 12DOVE

Sam Loveridge is the Global Editor-in-Chief of GamesRadar, and joined the team in August 2017. Sam came to GamesRadar after working at TrustedReviews, Digital Spy, and Fandom, following the completion of an MA in Journalism. In her time, she's also had appearances on The Guardian, BBC, and more. Her experience has seen her cover console and PC games, along with gaming hardware, for a decade, and for GamesRadar, she's in charge of the site's overall direction, managing the team, and making sure it's the best it can be. Her gaming passions lie with weird simulation games, big open-world RPGs, and beautifully crafted indies. She plays across all platforms, and specializes in titles like Pokemon, Assassin's Creed, The Sims, and more. Basically, she loves all games that aren't sports or fighting titles! In her spare time, Sam likes to live like Stardew Valley by cooking and baking, growing vegetables, and enjoying life in the countryside.

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