Hair Trends 2022: KNOW WHAT'S COMING IN STYLE

Hairdressing is back in the public eye. From ramps to virtual fashion shows, hair is ruling the charts. Professional Beauty Hairdressers Journal gets experts to list out top hairstyling trends to inspire you.

As a professional hairdresser, you must keep up with the latest hair trends to provide your clients with the best advice and guidance. Apart from listing down the newest trends in hairstyles and providing them with a visual of what they might look like, modern hairdressers are now making an effort to show their customers just how they would look when wearing these unique styles to help them make an informed choice. In this feature, we showcase the top hair trends for 2022 that many experts are calling the hottest hairstyles seen in decades.

The past two years have been dominated by natural and low maintenance hair colours due to the increase in health situations across the globe, which has driven many people to adopt these methods. This can be attributed to general lockdown restrictions where going to an establishment such as a salon was not allowed. It has also resulted in more creative innovations and types of hair colour than ever before, for instance, there was no use for gray hair previously but now it’s turned into a fashion statement among the trendy crowd.

Let’s go short

Long straight hair may be delicate and one-of-a-kind, but these days it’s not as popular as it once used to be – or at least, not as popular as everyone thought. While long hair does have some advantages like allowing you to style your locks in multiple ways for fancy events or on the red carpet, it can also make you seem oldfashioned and traditional. The best thing about stylish short haircuts is that it reveals more face and shows off the shape of your head in an elegant way, thanks to the clipped sides. Some celebrities like Ariana Grande or Jennifer Aniston have even started a trend by chopping their long locks into edgy pixie cuts with tons of personality.

Fashion-forward ’dos

Recently, short haircuts have become more popular as a trendy alternative to long hair. Besides the fact that it is very practical, it’s pretty and has a lot of versatility. A lot of celebrities like Deepika Padukone, Anushka Sharma, and Yami Gautam, have also served as an inspiration for short haircuts. Natalie Portman, Rihanna and Katy Perry were also known for cutting off their lengths and embracing the funky pixie look.

Michelle Williams, Tyra Banks, and Jennifer Lawrence were also spotted at different events showing off this great style with variations such as asymmetrical bob and textured waves. Fringe haircuts will also continue to be one of the most desired styles of 2022

Seasoned with colour

Hair colouring seems to be growing in a completely new direction. There are many different trends this year with people starting to either go for vibrant neon hues like green and orange, or they are shying away from colour altogether. However, some trends will never go out of style: highlights and lowlights are still popular amongst both clientele and hairstylists alike.

You will see different variations in balayage, especially vis-a-vis the shape and length of the hair, with creativity at an all-time high. The word ‘balayage’ is being used more and more by stylists without actually doing a balayage. Hooded tones and ombre hair colours are starting to show up as well – opening up access to a wider range for women looking for a trendy appeal. Fashionistas strive for natural styles with minimal ‘artifice’ (or fake effects). With these trends gaining traction, face-framing plus contouring have become increasingly trendy with new #Dyeitdirect options are coming out on the market now too! Whether going freehand or using dye tools, it’s no surprise that people love what they see from expert’s balayage and colouring techniques!

Here’s an overview of how experts feel about the next hair colouring and cut trends.

RYAN D’ROZARIO, CREATIVE DIRECTOR AND PARTNER AT SALON MUAH, MUMBAI

Colours to look out for: Platinum hair and mushroom blondes with many shades of gold are in fashion. I have been seeing gold on a rise for about a year now -very ash golds, browns bordering on gold and kinds of tones of golds.

Strawberry blonde is another gold-y hue! Some caramel tones are coming in rather than the extreme white that dominated a while back. I have been using a little bit of these colours on Indian hair. As for Indian girls, they follow the trend of ombre and balayage, which has been going on for a couple of years now, but what they don’t do is follow the next trend, which is to cut off all that balayage. They tend to retain their long hair, but then their hair gets dried out, and that’s the biggest problem here!

Trends are shifting internationally towards bobs and shorter hair so that you can get rid of the bronze and balayage that used to be so popular, but we need to deal with that and try to work around it.

Browns are also present, but they are just highlights, not warm tones. I have also noticed a lot of hazel tones seeing a comeback internationally -they look great with dark brown hair!

Global Trends: Bob is making a big comeback! Followed by Korean bobs, which are chin level, straight up -not so much A-Line. Then is a blunt haircut, which will be ruling!

There are a few names that British hairdressers have brought in -a short layered bob called Bixie. We’re doing many versions of short hairstyles and wolf cuts. These are haircuts I suggest for the younger generation.

Considering long hair, in India, we also keep a finger on the long hair trend, as that’s how most Indian women like it. We are keeping it simple due to the lockdown, many were keeping very classy looks, and we are suggesting the same.

Hair thinning is happening around the world due to several factors, so we are cutting hair very smartly! I’ve been doing panel haircuts. I have been keeping the movement towards the end so that the hair does not look thin and frail, even if we are keeping it slightly longer.

Techniques to master: We will continue to do balayage! Indian women do not cut their hair too often, since they want to retain length after balayage, I prefer the Foilyage technique, which is a foiling technique of Balayage. There is also Abstract panelling, which is when you do fun tones such as pastels, blues or other crazy fashion colours.

Babylights is another trend that has been catching up in India. Perfect for people with grey hair who don’t want to show much colour, but still want movement in their hair!

Colouring trends that are passe: The old classic highlights and the way you used to foil, where we used to see those direct lines coming across right away from the roots or parting area. Grey ash is also fizzing out!

SYLVIA CHEN, CREATIVE HEAD AND OWNER @ BUTTERFLYPOND SALON

Colours to look out for: Fine lights -babylights and lowlights that are weaved finely into the hair with warm tones for brunette hair and same goes for lighter hair clients; warm threads of gold blondes on different levels to create dimension. This year is also about chunky highlights from the 2000s! You can also use hair tipping to create dimension with lighter or darker tones depending on your client’s colour palette.

Global trends (cuts): Trending cuts include the ‘Bixie’, which is a combination of a bob and a pixie haircut. Shag haircut with bangs is still very much a part of haircut trends this year. My clients are all willing to go for the chop -mid-length bobs with a centre parting or fringe are also in high demand this year, even my curly-haired clients (young girls between 18 and 23) opt for fringes.

Global trends (colour): For bronze hair -a hazel brunette is popular! For deeper tones, it’s chocolate cherry. Bronze with a hint of red is also popular for clients with darker or warmer skin tones For fairer skin tones -sandy blonde is trending this year.

Passé trends: Balayage is overused and overdone!

Tips for brides-to-be: Colour is a must! I like to work with foilyage using at least 2-3 shades to create dimension in the hair because different styling for the wedding functions colour just makes the hair come to life! Brides should colour their hair at least 2-3 weeks before their wedding. In case, you need to adjust the colour because it is too little or too much, just wait for a few shampoos... the colour settles down and looks better after that!

Dos and don’ts for hairstylists this year: Don’t over blonde your client’s hair unless that is what he/she wants. Your colour work and haircut should be low maintenance and simple! For 2022 -‘Very Peri’ is the colour of the year -a cool colour tone, blue with hints of purple!

BONY SASIDHARAN, HAIR EXPERT @ SCHWARZKOPF PROFESSIONAL

Colours to look out for: Balayage will continue to dominate the market, you will see variations such as short, medium, and long balayage. A lot of play is going on around the term balayage. Colours will be more popular. Blondes may become brunettes. Face framing and contouring will also be popular techniques where people want to look as natural as possible. This is what is going to work. Some people can do chunky, and anybody can do baby lights. Free-hand painting is also an option.

Global trends: Bobs seem to be quite visible in trends -fringes tend to be prevalent.

Techniques to learn: 2022 will see a blend of those colour trends where there is a lot of balayage and a lot of colour placements going on -vibrant colours will be in fashion so you’ll see a lot of that fusion in fashion in 2022.

Trends that are a passé: This year, we will not see many ash blondes. Instead, we will see people keeping their hair as natural as possible. There are a lot of subtle colours happening over those dominant extremely contrasting colours.

Tips for brides-to-be: It is always best to have a colour consultation a few days before the D-day so that the bride can get comfortable with the colours being used and practice the makeup and accessories to match the specific colour trend. It would be a good idea for them to get it done for a week, so I highly recommend it.

A quick checklist for 2022:

• Clients are always aware of the products available at the salon, so it is important for the stylist to not hesitate to recommend them.

• As for home care routines, colour and products do not change -new products are being introduced in the market. In your pre-lighters, many bonding systems are getting developed, so don’t hesitate to use the pre-lighter when needed.

"Adding a beautiful money piece in the front adds a dash to the overall personality!"

KARAN DEOL, CREATIVE DIRECTOR @ ‘TWEAK SALON’

Colours to look out for: From Silver Ash to Auburn, deep chocolates, grey hair, caramel tones, are in trend throughout. Even pastel shades are quite global.

Global trends: It’s all about adding depth and dimension to the hair so that it appears more natural and sun-kissed.

Platinums, brunettes, and rich chocolates are more in style right now. Adding a beautiful money piece in the front adds the dash to the overall personality!

Techniques to learn: Freehand balayage will always be in style due to its blended effect. Air touch is also an excellent technique for making hair look flawless.

Trends that are a passé: Basic highlights are passé here, however every hair needs a different treatment, so we sometimes mix up the colour techniques.

Tips for brides-to-be: I believe that colour selection for a bride should be considered from the perspective of styling. Since Indian brides usually need to style or curl their hair for their wedding, blended highlights at the crown are essential so that their hair appears more beautiful in pictures.

A quick checklist for 2022:

• Don’t overdo the colour or something very strong or harsh in terms of its appeal.

• The haircut should be tailored to the hair texture, how the hair naturally falls, and how the client usually carries her hair.

• To blend the edges during hair colour, try using your fingers or a blending sponge.

CONCLUSION

Stay up to date with the latest hair colour trends and make sure you not only see the latest trends, but also stay within the confines of your client’s look and personality.

If you are unsure of what haircut or colour will work best for your client, do a pre-consultation with them to discuss their personal preferences and lifestyle needs. If you create a positive relationship and treat every new client as an individual, rather than suggesting trendy styles that may be inappropriate for the client’s lifestyle or business image, they will see you as not just a hairstylist but also as a partner and asset in their quest to look great in their everyday lives!