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6 Cool Haircut Trends to Try This Spring (Before Everyone Else)

 

• The biggest haircut trends for spring are looking a little retro.
• You can expect to see modern takes on the mullet, layered shags, and more.
• Pro hairstylists are sharing their trend predictions for the upcoming season.

In the spirit of honesty, we'd like to disclose that there is no "right" way to kick off a new season. But in spring, it's certainly not not sprinkling your iCal with al fresco brunches and outdoor picnics (then immediately online-ordering a brand-new wardrobe to wear to all of the above). The itch to change it up tends to rise with the temperature, and you want your hair to match that energy. The only prerequisite to firing up the group chat, then, is to book yourself a haircut.

Here's what you should ask for, boiled down to two words: a throwback. "History tends to repeat itself, as do hairstyles, and this year, we're seeing a lot of textured waves and choppy layers," Brad Mondo, hairstylist and founder of Xmondo Hair, previously told POPSUGAR. "Most of the haircuts we'll see will be straight out of the '70s."

We're talking layered shags and mullet haircuts galore (or its cool new cousin, the "mixie" cut), plus a side of curtain bangs for good measure. Like hemlines, hair will also be getting shorter and shorter (that's because "people like to dust their hair when it gets warmer," he says), making now prime time to lob it all off. If you're looking for the exact haircut trend to get you in the spring spirit — even if the only plan you have on the agenda is sitting on the couch binge-watching "Pam & Tommy" for the foreseeable future — we're breaking down our eight favorites ahead.

Spring Haircut Trend: the "Mixie"

Not to be confused with the equally popular "bixie," the "mixie" haircut combines both the mullet and the pixie for a cool hybrid look. Luckily, this rendition of the faithfully divisive "business in the front, party in the back" haircut is way more low-key — and works with any hair type. "Depending on your texture, it's a pretty low-maintenance haircut because of the loose length around the hairline," Jenny Cho, celebrity hairstylist, previously told POPSUGAR. "You can let it go longer than a short, tighter pixie."

Mondo adds: "Anyone can pull off a mullet because of how versatile they are; however, I do feel they work best on heart and oval facial shapes."

Spring Haircut Trend: Sliced Bob

We've seen nearly every iteration of the bob emerge in recent years, but one you can expect to see more of in the coming months is the "sliced" version of the cut. Unlike the others, this take on the style has loads of texture and movement.

"Slicing is a texturizing technique used to break up solid shapes and remove weight, creating movement and texture," Jenna Spino, a stylist at Maxine Salon in Chicago, previously told POPSUGAR. "When used on a bob haircut, you get a 'sliced bob.' It's a sleek, blunt but textured 'do." Nine Zero One master stylist Lisa Satorn adds: "The slicing technique transforms a blunt one-length bob into a low maintenance, chic, slimmer silhouette."

The hairstyle combines the best of both worlds: "It has more texture than a classic bob but is more blunt than a choppy, layered bob," Spino says. That's because the slicing technique doesn't add traditional layers, which allows you to keep the blunt ends while still benefiting from movement in the style. "It helps give movement yet sleekness at the same time," says Satorn.

Spring Haircut Trend: Octopus Haircut

Just take it from our very own POPSUGAR beauty editor: the octopus haircut has endless appeal. The style is a modern take on the classic shag, combining layers around the head for movement and sweeping, face-framing bangs.

"The cut is a heavily textured look that uses shorter layers on the top of the head, critically maintaining length and volume, while thinner, longer lengths of hair are styled from underneath," Darren Bain, lead stylist at Taylor Taylor London, previously told POPSUGAR.

Spring Haircut Trend: "The Shift"

Never has a spring haircut trend been more aptly named than "the shift." This short hairstyle is categorized by choppy layers of varying lengths on the top of the head. "The 'shift' [has] versatile styling options — from something edgy and raw to extremely polished and sophisticated," Adam Federico, R+Co's director of content, previously told POPSUGAR. "The haircut can be finished to suit the individual's personality and meet them for who they are within that day."

Spring Haircut Trend: Curtain Bangs

Bangs are one of the more divisive hair trends, but curtain bangs — which are '70s-inspired bangs that are split right down the middle and swept to each side — have made a huge comeback in the last year. Even Olivia Rodrigo recently got in on the trend after speaking to her hairstylist about it for months.

"Curtain bangs are by far the most asked about style of the year and I'm absolutely here for it," celebrity hairstylist and Unite ambassador Graham Nation previously told POPSUGAR. "They give so much change without totally overhauling your mane. They open up your face for the world to see and even air dried the curtain fringe looks so cool undone."

Spring Haircut Trend: the Shag

For the last few years, you couldn't scroll through Instagram without spotting someone with a shag haircut, but the style is getting a second wind in the new year — with a twist. "The combination of old-style shag haircuts combined with new-age color is going to be what makes it different," Mondo says. "We're seeing a lot of colorblocking and fashion colors in combination with these colors."