Sneha Mankani
We’re ditching the usual and taking our hair out to play for the parties to come. It’s time to add some breezy bangs or give your own twist to classic layers. The industry’s finest experts share how to wear the latest styles to every event on your social calendar. Go on, take a walk on the wild side.
Vaxxed Girl Hair
Vaxxed girl hair is the result of finally taking your hair out of lockdown hibernation and giving it a well-deserved blowout, especially since we’re all fully vaccinated a.k.a. ‘vaxxed’. Think larger-than-life, superstar waves like JLo’s — the kind that makes you feel confident, liberated, and, perhaps, your sexiest self. It doesn’t matter what texture or type your hair falls under — vaxxed girl hair is for everyone. To do it yourself, prep your hair with a hydrating shampoo and conditioner, “then add a volumising mousse to the roots,” says Elton Steve Vessoaker, hairstylist and creative artist at Wella Professionals, India. To style, he suggests flipping your hair over and paddle drying it against the hair’s natural growth. “This will cause a lot of root movement and volume, and will smoothen out your hair too.” Flip hair back into place and spritz on a setting spray to keep it bouncy and shiny all day long.
Louis Vuitton Brown
“Imagine the colour that the handles of your Louis Vuitton bag go when they’re well-loved and well worn,” said London-based celebrity hairstylist Tom Smith to describe the trend he termed as the ‘Louis Vuitton Brown’. It’s a luxurious, rich shade of brunette — creamy caramel and amber tones, all glossed out! Turns out, the palette is perfect for Indians. “The colour is warm and cool, it’s versatile but also specific in terms of the level of lightness or visibility, which makes it suitable for all Indian skin tones,” says hairstylist Placid Braganza, founder of Placid Salon, Mumbai. “The right placement of the shade can enhance the skin tone and accentuate the eye colour.” Placid recommends trying a money piece placement or balayage technique. “Depending on the texture and length of the hair, the colour can be placed to enhance layers or bring texture to curls.”
‘90s Layers
It’s the iconic ‘Rachel’, but modern — a bit choppier, a bit more undone — and edgy enough to match your vintage rockstar tee like Billie Eilish, or understated like Kaia Gerber. Just like watching reruns of Friends (1994) can never get old, neither can layers from the 1990s. Layers frame the face, add movement to the hair, and take away the bulk. But layering right can be tricky. According to Placid, hair density matters, “this cut works best on normal thickness to thick hair textures.” He recommends using a hair cream to eliminate frizz, or styling with a thick barrel tong to create textured waves. If you want to chop the locks to shoulder length, collar bone, or just below shoulders, ask for the Rachel 2.0.
The Twee
Fringe is back, baby! Albeit, with a hint of girl-next-door layers — thick eye-framing bangs complemented with long, subtly layered hair. We’re talking happy hair like Jessica Day’s in New Girl (2011)— mischievous and uninhibited; and like Lexi Howard’s in Euphoria — sentimental and simple; or like Taylor Swift’s — somewhere in the middle. “Uneven bangs of different lengths allow one to play with the texture and create a customised,” says Barbara Ross, hairstylist at Levo Spalon, Gurugram. As for the wearer, you can be whoever you want to with the ‘twee’ so long you look after your hair well.
Flipped Ends
You know a trend is timeless when it resurrects every decade. From Jackie O in the 1960s and music artist Doja Cat at the Grammys this year to everyone from Jennifer Lopez and Kim Kardashian — flipped ends have a certain edge you simply can’t ignore. While it may seem like a task for the masters, Barbara has a few ideas to help achieve a cool flip at home. She suggests ironing through from roots to ends and just when reaching the end, flip the hair strongly upwards. Alternatively, use rollers all over and while opening them up, hold all the hair together and blast the ends with a dryer in an upward direction and spray. The same technique applies if you want to give flipped ends to your ponytail.