Hey! My name is Kleptomaniak, and I'm an animation student who's looking to recreate a flash sequence for practice.

It's right here: http://fantasyblade.deviantart.com/#/d4x5unf

The effect on the hair is something I want to apply to a character of my own, but I honestly can't wrap my head around how it's done.

Is it done using a trick with tweens? Is it done using a specific / combination of tools? Or is it a whole frame by frame sequence?

Can anyone shed some light on this? ( as well as give some tips for recreating it to a newbie? lol )

Any and all answers are greatly appreciated!