Let’s admit it: we always think we’ve seen it all, especially when it comes to fashion. In a way, this can generally be considered true – to an extent. We’re always circling back to something that we did in the past decades, modernising it and reevaluating demonised trends across the centuries.
2022 has been a wild year for our hair: we’ve seen the revenge of red hair taking over the internet and the 90s blowout à la Twin Peaks had us all in a chokehold with the aid of curtain bangs. So what will 2023 be about? A few experts have already gathered their ideas about it, and here’s what the predicted 2023 haircut trends will most likely look like.
1. The Octopus Haircut
Although this trend did technically rise to the surface at the beginning of 2022, it took it a long while to pick up the pace with more popular options such as the wolf cut and the butterfly haircut. It seems like the hair fashion industry is all about the animal kingdom, and the octopus haircut is quickly becoming a popular option among the younger audience.
But what is an octopus haircut exactly? Well, in order to understand this hairstyle a little better you should get familiar with its predecessors, aka the mullet and the jellyfish haircut (ps.: you can read more about it on our dedicated blog: What Is A Jellyfish Haircut?).
The octopus haircut features lots of layers and choppy bangs, keeping it short at the front to nicely frame your face and longer in the back. Is the octopus haircut the same as the jellyfish haircut? No – whilst the latter features two distinct layers, the former is all about mixing different lengths whilst maintaining a long appearance that is all about bounce and movement instead of a thin length coming out of a blunt bob. The octopus haircut is perfect for wavy hair, and can easily be transformed into a voluminous, fluffy blowout with the aid of clip in hair extensions – making it a versatile hairstyle for any occasion.
2. The Jaw-Long Bob
Although long hair is definitely having a moment, those who are tired of Rapunzel-style tresses can still resort to the bob – in particular, the jaw-long bob also known as the j-ob. This is the perfect option to start growing out your boyfriend bob in style, in case you gave your mane the big chop last year following this trendy, gender-rules-breaking hairstyle.
The j-ob is all about celebrating natural hair and can be worn with or without bangs, poker straight, gently tousled, curly or even crimped in fashionable beach waves. Usually, this haircut is paired with a middle part, which is still going strong despite a rise in interest in the good old side parting, claimed back thanks to the raging comeback of Y2K fashion.
If you’re interested in getting this type of hairstyle, just make sure you ask your stylist to not go over your chin when cutting your hair, nor leave it longer. It may require a bit of regular upkeep if you’d like to wear it for an extended period of time, but getting the j-ob done (pun intended) is fairly quick and easy!
3. The Mullet
Those familiar with 80s culture will remember the mullet, beloved glamster rockstar haircut later on abandoned to favour big fluffy hairstyles and finally replaced by the poker straight trend of the early noughties. The truth is, if you look carefully, the mullet never left – it has in fact evolved with fashion as the years have gone by. The classic mullet came back, and people all around the world are taking some version of it and making it theirs: from the noughties mullet to the shorter mullet in pure Miley Cyrus style, or the mohawk version made famous by Rhianna, mullets are here and they’re not going anywhere – at least for a while.
Modern mullets are a little shaggy and layered, perfect to adapt to both sleek hairstyles, wet-looking trendy looks or glamorous waves. Mullets can also be transformed with the aid of nano ring hair extensions, the perfect type of extensions to go from short to long in a flawless, natural-looking way. On top of that, a fluffy mullet with enough volume surrounding the face area can level up to a shaggy, edgy jellyfish haircut with clip hair extensions or even colourful tape ins.
What’s the most popular option? As the Y2K culture and fashion are still going strong, chances are that the most glamorous mullet to be dominating the scene will be the flicky Barbie blonde one inspired by the old hairstyles of Paris Hilton and Brittany Murphy.
4. The Mod
How are we experiencing so many comebacks from the past all at once? If the early 00s are a little bit too much for you, then you may be happy to know that the 60s and 70s shapes are the talk of the town too – especially in high-end fashion, where editorial looks with sharp edges, blunt cuts and creative textures are expertly blended with modern fashion, getting a futuristic spin.
The “mod” haircut was big in the 60s, and it can arguably be considered the godfather of the modern mullet. The hairstyle is now back, and you can arrange it with natural texture or keep it neat and angular for a vertigo-inducing sci-fi look. Eye makeup and monochrome outfits are capable of bringing the mod to life like nothing else: think of the looks rocked by Twiggy back in the days, or get inspired by Italian diva Mina for a romantic, nostalgic look – especially if you’re into edgy looks such as bleached eyebrows. If you haven’t heard about it yet, find out what getting your eyebrows bleached is like, where this trend comes from and which celebrities have already sported this editorial look in our dedicated blog: Everything You Need To Know About Bleached Brows.
Together with SS23 polka dots and statement skirts, the mod hairstyle will feel like travelling in time.
5. The Shag
As we’re not done with the 70s yet, the shag will get its momentum back. You might remember Zendaya’s flawless curly shag or Taylor Swift’s iconic short shaggy haircut; not many, however, know that the original shag is rooted deep in the heart of the hippie era, when long layers and face-framing bangs were all the rage (and looked absolutely fabulous with a headband on)!
As the big retro blowouts are still going strong, the shag is experiencing a modernising revolution, becoming an edgy and cool alternative to the mod or the longer mullet. The beauty of the shag haircut is in its versatility: it can be rocked by pretty much any hair type, and once you feel like you’re done with it you can easily grow it out in a trendy, layered hairstyle that can blend in with hair extensions for when you feel like adding precious inches of drama to your look.
Does a shag haircut need to have bangs? Well, technically, the answer is yes. Do you need to cut your bangs in order to get it? Not necessarily. Whilst you can make the shag whatever you like with the right styling and cutting technique, you can resort to clip in bangs if you’re not fully convinced about cutting your own hair yet.
6. The Butterfly Haircut
This hairstyle isn’t going anywhere, and it’s easy to see why: it features the precious 70s layers, the fancy 90s bangs, all the fluff that you may want to add with root-pumping products and ultra volume hair extensions, and can be achieved in a quick and easy way, both at the salon or – with the right tutorial and a good dose of courage – at home. What’s so special about the butterfly haircut?
Well, besides its fancy name, the butterfly haircut gives you the best of both worlds: face-framing layers that can be styled in multiple ways, and long, flowy tresses on the sides and back of your face. This is the perfect hairstyle for thick, even coarse-haired individuals looking to balance things out with a glamorous ‘do. But don’t worry: if you don’t belong to the above category, getting nano ring hair extensions fitted in will transform your mane into the perfect canvas to achieve a Hollywood-worthy butterfly cut.
Just like a butterfly spreading its beautiful wings, this haircut will give you all the bounce and movement you need to recreate a variety of hairstyles, meaning that you don’t need to sacrifice anything when it comes to looking fashionable and trendy. Deliciously crafted curtain bangs are the double cherry on top of this look, that can be worn poker straight for those Y2K days, or softly curled away from your face for when you feel like channelling your inner Matilda Djerf. What’s not to love?
7. The Mid-Length Haircut
Short hair is not for you, I get it – and long hair is too high-maintenance. Trust me, I get that too. No, I’m not incredibly understanding: I’m just about to suggest a trendy mid-length haircut! Think of blunt lines, natural texture, beach waves or even a nostalgic money-piece hair on a shoulder-length haircut – do I have your attention?
Celebrities such as Sophie Turner, Jessica Alba, Chrissy Teigen and Hailey Bieber all got the memo and rocked mid-length haircuts like they were born to. The key of a mid-length hairstyle is its versatility: you can leave it down, nice and flowy with a gorgeous, trendy hair colour (need to pick a new shade? Find out what’s hot and what’s not in our blog: Predicted Hair Colours For 2023) – or again, tie it up in a fancy bun or a half-up, half-down messy hairdo.
Darkest brown is the perfect shade to rock pin-straight glass hair with a middle part, whilst bronde shades and lightest brown are perfect for textured beach waves and a naturally sunkissed look. Can fine-haired people rock a shorter hairstyle? Of course, they can. If your hair is naturally thin this doesn’t mean that you can’t resort to a few tips and tricks to boost the volume and thickness in your mane – and with clip in hair extensions as short as 12” you can achieve natural, flawless results in a matter of minutes.
8. The Curly Explosion
Textured-haired people, put those straighteners away! Not only for the sake of your hair’s health but also because natural hair is having a big moment. Corkscrew-like, full, long curls are super trendy and paired with gorgeous curly bangs simply add bonus points. If your curls are out of shape or you have wavy hair that simply can’t pick up the pace with the bouncy ringlets that we’re seeing everywhere, it might be time to experiment with a perm!
Assuming that your hair is healthy enough to undergo the procedure safely, read our blog: Everything You Need To Know Before Getting A Perm to find out all the types of curls that you can achieve with the different perming techniques out there!
A full explosion of curls is all about taking up space and wearing your hair like a crown – also, this kind of makeover is noticeable and definitely not for the faint-hearted, so make sure you’re psychologically ready for all the compliments coming up your way once you show up with big, peppy ringlets at your workplace.
9. The Y2K Layers
Do you remember Paris Hilton’s long hair era in the early 00s? I do. As she was switching between a platinum cascade of hair and a structured bixie with the same frequency normal people would change their socks, the queen of the Y2K has mastered the art of wearing long layers to blend her hair extensions in – and whilst the rest of us was left with visible tracks and foundation lips in a desperate attempt to look as cool as her, it’s safe to say that she was unawarely setting a trend.
The Barbie age was subsequently taken over by indie fashion, and I’m happy to say that at least the owl-everything and chequered-shirts era taught us better makeup skills, starting from leaving our eyebrows alone. Now, it looks like we’re ready to safely dig up the beauty weapons of the noughties: this is the time, and long Y2K layered haircuts are back.
Long layers can be styled inwards or outwards, and they work very well with pretty much any hair colour – leaving a lot of flexibility to the wearer when it comes to switching things up in their tresses. They can be arranged in trendy claw-clip updos when it’s hot outside, leaving cute tendrils out for you to style according to your liking: also, they are perfectly suitable for thin-haired people too, as all you need to do is add hair extensions to achieve volume and thickness that you can wear as it is or style in a bouncy, curly blowout. As Paris would say: that’s hot!
10. The Preppy Hairstyle
This isn’t necessarily a specific haircut, but try to fish out of your memories an image of old-school Blair Waldorf and her pearl-encrusted hair accessories: yes, that’s what I’m talking about! Get ready to find your best cable-knit jumper to casually wear on your shoulders, as preppy style is coming back.
Maude Apatow and her flipped-out bob are a modern example to turn to for some preppy Renaissance inspiration, but feel free to look into Alexa Chung’s softly tousled lob and stock up on old-money hair accessories such as golden hair barrettes, bejewelled claw clips and perhaps a good pair of pearl earrings. Feeling like changing your hair colour? Stay on shades that are rich, deep and dimensional in colour such as Expensive Brunette and Dolce Vita Blonde.
If you love long hairstyles, consider midi haircuts with soft waves, retro ponytails with a side part à la Bella Hadid, and long, layered curly blowouts too. The preppy style is all about the right accessories and looking classy and expensive: don’t worry, you can easily achieve this with the right touches here and there, without splashing out. Start from your hair (find out more about this on our dedicated blog: How To Look Expensive With Hair Extensions) and follow the easy tips and tricks to look like you’re living on a trust fund.
11. Conclusion:
Soft and romantic, curly, straight, short, long: there’s a hairstyle for everyone and 2023 looks brighter than ever with these trendy comebacks, new horizons and a roster of colours to try and play around with! Have you already found your 2023 aesthetic? Write down a salon appointment as your first resolution, and step in the new year with a powerful makeover inspired by these incredible, avant-garde trends!
