Stay-at-home orders have forced us to put a lot of things into perspective. What mattered before either still matters or feels trivial in comparison to other things. Personally, I’ve done a lot of flip-flopping in recent weeks, but one thing that remains intact is my hair routine. The outward benefits are obvious, but personal grooming qualifies as self-care too; a moment to let everything else fade away while I invest in myself. In other words, I understand why people are freaking out over their gray roots or studying ways to trim their ends at home. And now that the tides are turning, only time will tell what summer haircut trends are going to be everywhere.
According to Jawara, Global Styling Ambassador for Dyson, it’s really going to depend on when our daily routines revert back to some semblance of their former selves. “If it’s the summer, maybe we’re just embracing what we naturally have more. If it’s closer to fall, it’s like, no, I want to do something completely different,” he told me.
Shutterstock.
Big Curls and Laidback Waves
Should the coming weeks have us taking more walks and venturing back into public transportation, it’s likely that a lot of us will be okay with continuing the routines we’ve grown accustomed to while social distancing. According to Jawara, when people are actually left to their own devices, they sometimes realize that they don’t mind what their hair is naturally doing. (To that same point, there are just as many who are pining to get to their barber or a salon.)
“Before the pandemic, I saw like a lot of slick, gel hairstyles starting to come back. But I’m not sure if that’s going to be the case after this is done because that represents restriction and convenience,” he added. “And I think that being in the house all these months, people will want to be free and happy and let loose.”
So if you’re in the camp of people who wants to amplify your stay-at-home texture, now is the time to look into gentle, but effective tools like the iconic Dyson Supersonic Dryer with a wide-tooth comb attachment to break up curls or add volume without causing damage.
Shutterstock.
A Return to Undercuts
On the other hand, Jawara predicts a lot of transformative cuts if stay-at-home orders persist a bit longer until, say, July or August. In other words, the longer we’re unable to get a salon appointment, the more likely we are to do something completely left field with our hair.
“I feel like a lot of people who wanted to go short will go a little shorter; a lot of people who wanted to take off a couple inches, but never really got a chance to do that or was afraid to do it for years, I can see them going for it,” adds Jawara.
One look he sees taking off is the undercut, which is a hairstyle that emphasizes length on the top and front while the back or sides are cut close, completely buzzed off or faded. Think Halsey’s pixie cut circa fall 2018 or literally any of Rihanna’s hairstyles in 2012.
For natural hair specifically, Jawara has already been seeing “a lot of undercuts mixed with mixed twist outs and big diffused hair with undercuts.”
Shutterstock.
Blunt Cuts and Standout Shapes
To that same point, Jawara also predicts an uptick in interesting shapes for all hair lengths and textures. Think structured short cuts like the ones modeled by Lupita Nyong’o on the red carpet or classic styles with a blunt finish, like ear-length bobs or intricate updos with structured braids and twists that require a hot tool like the Dyson Corrale Straightener.
“I’m seeing a lot of hair with straight blunt ends around the perimeter of the hair. I think people want something new, something that’s always going to be easy and looks like it’s always done even when it’s not.,” he said. “This thing has allowed people being able to look at themselves and look at life in a certain way. I think a lot of people are going to embrace a new part of themselves.”
However, none of this means you should throw all caution to the wind. At the end of the day, the overall health of your hair should be prioritized. So if you are going for a dramatic cut and new style that requires hot tools, be sure to protect your hair beforehand. Always say yes to a heat protectant and if you have textured hair, Jawara recommends applying a little leave-in conditioner too and embrace more conditioning, in general, to better protect their strands against heat damage.
Dyson.
“Use this time to condition better,” he added. “I will also say I’ve been trying to put a little bit of serum in the hair before drying it and that’s been coming out really, really good; small amounts though, not a lot.” Invest in quality hot tools as well. For instance, Jawara routinely recommends the Dyson Supersonic as a tool that everybody in the house can use, no matter their hair texture as long as they pair it with the appropriate attachment, like the wide-tooth comb for curly hair.
“It’s probably the best thing I’ve seen in the market for years. It has a lot of versatility and can style any hair from straight to coily to curly or wavy. It’s amazing in that way.”
Our mission at STYLECASTER is to bring style to the people, and we only feature products we think you’ll love as much as we do. Please note that if you purchase something by clicking on a link within this story, we may receive a small commission of the sale and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.
