Get ready to revamp your look! Discover the 25 most viral hair trends of the year, including revolutionary cuts, stunning color palettes (from caramel to teal), and romantic styling ideas for every occasion, from prom to date night.
Trend 1: The Romantic Braided Updo
The Romantic Braided Updo is the ultimate expression of softness and elegance. Perfect for Valentine’s Day or any romantic formal event, this style combines soft texture, intricate braiding (often a crown or halo braid), and gentle twists gathered at the nape of the neck. Finishing the look with delicate floral accents elevates it from beautiful to absolutely breathtaking, ensuring a look that is both timeless and viral.
Trend 2: Fresh Spring Hair Colors: Mint & Pink Pops
Spring ushers in a desire for lighter, playful looks. This trend is characterized by integrating unexpected pastel or vivid colors, like mint green or bubblegum pink, through subtle highlights or face-framing fringe pieces. These ‘fresh pops’ of color offer a bold yet temporary aesthetic update, proving that statement color doesn’t have to cover your entire head to make an impact. For a more classic refresh, gorgeous golden blondes and rich auburn tones also make a powerful appearance.
Trend 3: Classy Prom Updos: The Elegant Twisted Bun
For formal occasions like prom, the ‘Classy Twisted Updo’ remains a superior choice. This look involves meticulously twisting sections of hair and pinning them into an elegant, complex bun at the nape. The beauty of this style lies in its controlled volume and the illusion of effortless intricacy. Accessorize minimally with small, sparkling clips to let the structure of the twist truly shine.
Trend 4: Stunning Prom Half-Up/Half-Down Looks
Prom night styling is elevated by ‘Stunning Hair Ideas’ that merge high glamor with modern soft waves. This trend showcases polished half-up, half-down styles featuring subtle braids or twists that pull the hair away from the face, while the length cascades in glossy, defined curls. The use of pearl-encrusted or crystal accessories takes these looks straight to the red carpet.
Trend 5: Bold Peekaboo Highlights: Hidden Color Power
Peekaboo highlights are making a major comeback, offering a playful way to experiment with high-saturation color without full commitment. ‘Bold Peekaboo Looks’ involve dying the underside layers of hair a vibrant shade (like neon pink, turquoise, or electric blue) which remains hidden until the hair moves or is styled up. This trend is perfect for those who work in conservative environments but want a secret splash of rebellion.
Trend 6: The Voluminous Hollywood Blowout
Inspired by classic salon glamour, the ‘Voluminous Hollywood Blowout’ focuses on maximizing bounce and movement. This style features large, soft curls and incredible body, often achieved using round brushes or hot rollers. It delivers a polished, expensive look that screams confidence and sophistication, working especially well on lobs and medium-length cuts.
Trend 7: Maximizing Volume Cuts: The Feathered Lob
If lack of thickness is your concern, these ‘Maximizing Volume Cuts’ are the answer. This trend relies on strategic layering, particularly face-framing layers and soft feathering through the mid-lengths, to create lift and the illusion of dense hair. The shape usually settles just below the collarbone, maintaining versatility while giving maximum oomph.
Trend 8: Ocean Teal Pop: Mermaid Waves
Embrace fantasy color with the ‘Ocean Teal Pop’ trend. This intense, vivid shade of turquoise/teal mimics deep sea water and is especially impactful when paired with dark roots (a melted root effect) to create contrast and depth. Styled in long, loose waves, this color trend is undeniably mesmerizing and ideal for those wanting a dramatically chic hair transformation.
Trend 9: Effortless Half-Up Twists and Low Buns
Ideal for bridal parties or elegant daytime events, ‘Effortless Half-Up Twists’ feature simple gathering, twisting, and pinning of the top half of the hair into a textured, low-set bun or braid. The style feels soft, romantic, and allows for beautiful hair accessories—often clustered floral or leaf designs—to be pinned in place, maximizing impact with minimal styling effort.
Trend 10: Flowing Hair Down Styles: Soft Waves and Texture
While updos are classic, sometimes you just need soft, glamorous hair down. ‘Flowing Hair Down Styles’ focus on achieving perfect, natural-looking waves with incredible shine. This trend often incorporates a subtly teased crown or simple half-up twists to keep the look sophisticated while allowing the length and movement of the hair to dominate.
Trend 11: Gorgeous Black Hair Vibes: Sleek & Braided Art
This trend celebrates the versatility and inherent beauty of black hair. From complex braided updos adorned with heart charms to ultra-sleek, glossy blunt bobs, and beautifully defined natural curls styled with delicate accessories, ‘Gorgeous Black Hair Vibes’ emphasizes sharp lines, deep shine, and stunning texture work. These looks are strong, modern, and absolutely aspirational.
Trend 12: Throwback 2016 Styles: Space Buns & Decorated Braids
Nostalgia is powerful, and the ‘Throwback 2016 Styles’ are hitting hard. Key looks include playful double space buns, high-volume box braids decorated with metallic cuffs and beads, and the sharp, polished chin-length bob. These styles are fun, youthful, and offer a maximalist approach to styling that feels fresh again.
Trend 13: Warm Caramel Highlights: Dimensional Color
For brunettes, ‘Warm Caramel Highlights’ offer the perfect sun-kissed dimension. This technique involves painting rich, golden caramel ribbons throughout dark hair, concentrating on framing the face and the ends. The warmth brightens the complexion without requiring a full color change, resulting in a look that is dimensional, glossy, and universally flattering.
Trend 14: Sleek Prom Ponytails: Modern & Structured
Forget basic ponytails; ‘Sleek Prom Ponytails’ are structured, high-impact styles. Key variations include the high, pin-straight pony wrapped neatly at the base, and the ultra-trendy ‘bubble ponytail’ secured with decorative ties or accessories down the length. These looks provide a chic alternative to the traditional updo, showcasing length and precision.
Trend 15: 10 Light New Haircuts: Modern Shag and Layered Bobs
Volume and texture define the ‘New Light Haircuts.’ This trend features updated takes on the shag and layered bob, utilizing choppy, disconnected layers and dramatic long curtain bangs. The goal is easy movement and a slightly undone, effortlessly cool aesthetic that suits various hair types and reduces styling time.
Trend 16: Chic Over 70 Cuts: Elegant Silver & Blonde Styles
Elegance knows no age, and these ‘Chic Over 70 Cuts’ prove it. The focus is on sharp, modern shapes that enhance bone structure, such as soft layered bobs that fall just above the shoulder or beautifully textured pixie cuts. Silver and platinum hues are celebrated, providing a sophisticated, radiant finish to these polished styles.
Trend 17: Edgy Rockstar Shags: Texture & Attitude
For those seeking serious edge, the ‘Rockstar Shag’ is the ultimate defiant cut. This style is characterized by extreme layers, tons of texture, and heavy, sweeping bangs that cover the eyes. It’s meant to look messy, wild, and voluminous, channeling a confident, rebellious attitude popularized by musicians of the 70s and 80s.
Trend 18: Defined Curly Hair Routines: Maximizing Bounce
The quest for frizz-free, springy curls continues to go viral. ‘Defined Curly Hair Routines’ emphasize hydration and specific product layering (like the ‘squish to condish’ method) to maximize definition and minimize shrinkage. This trend celebrates natural texture, often enhanced subtly by well-placed highlights to add dimension to the coils.
Trend 19: Sweet Pink Hues: Vibrant Magenta Waves
Pink hair refuses to fade! This season, the shade leans toward ‘Sweet Pink Hues,’ specifically vibrant magenta and hot pink. Applied as a vibrant all-over color or blended into a striking ombré, this trend is youthful, bold, and incredibly eye-catching, perfect for making a dramatic, playful statement.
Trend 20: Dramatic Navy Dye & High-Contrast Black Looks
For a moody, high-fashion aesthetic, ‘Dramatic Navy Dye’ is leading the charge. This deep, intense blue often appears nearly black indoors but reveals rich, oceanic depth in the light. It pairs beautifully with sleek, straight hair for maximum polish, or with deep waves to show off the color shifts, offering a sophisticated alternative to traditional dark hair.
Trend 21: The Butterfly Cut: Layered Voluminous Length
The ‘Butterfly Cut’ is the newest evolution of voluminous layering. This cut uses strategic face-framing layers and long, blended layers throughout the back to create intense volume and movement. When styled, the layers mimic the wings of a butterfly, allowing the hair to look full and bouncy without sacrificing overall length. It’s quickly become a darling of social media transformations.
Trend 22: Liquid Hair: The Ultra-Glossy Finish
This trend prioritizes shine above all else. ‘Liquid Hair’ requires precision straightening and intense hair glossing treatments to achieve a mirror-like finish that looks perpetually wet and impossibly smooth. It is the epitome of high-maintenance glamour, frequently seen on runways and high-fashion spreads.
Trend 23: Copper Balayage: Warm & Fiery Dimension
Copper is dominating the color landscape, moving beyond red to embrace rich, autumnal warmth. ‘Copper Balayage’ subtly blends vibrant copper tones into brown or lighter bases, offering a multidimensional, expensive look that feels warm, fiery, and deeply saturated—perfect for transitioning seasons.
Trend 24: The ’90s Supermodel Blowout
The ’90s Supermodel Blowout is the voluminous big sister to the classic Hollywood style. Achieved with a dramatic flip at the ends and heavy use of large rollers or curling iron barrels, this trend delivers sky-high volume, deep side parts, and bouncy, exaggerated waves that instantly elevate your look to supermodel status.
Trend 25: Baby Braids: Y2K Face-Framing Accents
A simple yet impactful Y2K revival, ‘Baby Braids’ involve tiny, delicate braids placed strategically to frame the face. These small accents add a playful, slightly bohemian texture to otherwise simple waves or straight hair. They are quick, cute, and require zero heat, making them an incredibly easy viral trend to adopt.