These Haircut Trends Will Dominate 2022: From Boy Bob To Grown-Out Bangs

Get ready, because 2022 is right round the corner, and with a new year comes a whole new set of haircut trends. Sure, we don’t know what the new year has in store for us, but we’re going to dress like we’re winning – and manifest it while we’re at it. Starting with our hair.

As always, we spoke to the best hair pros in the biz to get the inside scoop on which trends will be headlining. The over-riding trend? Change. Rather than one top cut, there’s a bunch gaining popularity, and all offer a fresh alternative to what we’ve got at the moment. “Tons of people are wanting to hit the reset button,” explains top hairstylist, Sal Salcedo. “There’s a need to chop it all off hence [spoiler] buzzcuts and pixies will be big. Or, on the other hand, people are wanting to grow it all out, so we’ll see grown-out bangs that turn into more layered haircuts.” Either way, most of us are willing to take extra risks. “Everyone seems to be more adventurous with their hair these days,” muses Sal. 

Not sure which cut to get next? These will be the biggest haircut trends of 2022…

The boy bob

Bobs remain big news and will continue to dominate through 2022. “The bob is a classic,” explains top hairstylist James Earnshaw, and there’s lots of different ways to wear it. Sal’s calling it, the blunt boy bob will be the one to watch. “It’s a fuller take on the bob where the natural texture can roam free. Anything from chin to collarbone length is game here,” he says. Leading London hairstylist and CEO of Hershesons, Luke Hersheson, agrees. “What’s important is the texture of the bob, it needs to feel a bit undone, nothing too rigid. He recommends air-drying when styling “so it’s got a bit of movement in it.” Also going nowhere is the French bob. But, “for 2022, it will be a little more exaggerated, so expect shorter fringes with more flicks and bounce,” says James.

Natural texture

Another huge trend for 2022? Embracing what we’ve got and accentuating it even more. “People want believable hair—nothing that is fake. That’s why everyone is turning less to heat-styling and letting their natural texture show, ” says veteran hairstylist, Frederic Fekkai. “Natural texture will be a huge focus,” confirms Sal. “This is the time to grow your manes out! 2022 is going to be all about embracing not only natural curls, but also, wavy, fluffy texture. It’s reminiscent of the wild-haired ’80s, bringing curls out with full force – and curly shags will be big, too, ” he adds. But, cuts are important to introduce volume and face-framing shapes says James. Adam Reed, top hair stylist and editorial ambassador for L’Oreal Professionnel, says curly lobs are great for this. Also “bigger shapes, curly fringes, angular bobs are all timeless staples for curls and coils.” 

Grown-out curtain bangs

If you fancy a change, but you don’t want to cut a fringe in (or back in), grown-out bangs will be mega popular, says Luke. “Having that volume at the front will give hair shape. Fringes in general will be on trend, but I love the ’70s slightly winged fringes that are shorter in the middle, then really long towards the sides,” he says. And Adam agrees. The style falls somewhere between a fringe and front layers, giving it versatility. “Shorter, face-framing pieces that are almost like a longer curtain bang are beautiful on all hair textures and incredibly easy to maintain,” he says.

Cascading fringe

As for curly girls, Adam’s a huge fan of cascading fringes, cut around eyelash-length which help to show-off beautiful curl patterns, but also make room for loads of styling options. “It can be worn down, or it can be worn up in top knots with the curls shaping the face,” says Adam.

New-gen shag

No doubt shags are already on your radar, they’ve gone stratospheric since picking up from where they left off in the ‘70s during 2019. But they’ve moved away from being the ‘it-girl’ cut we were all scared of getting, to becoming more accessible (we keep spotting them everywhere). For 2022, we’ll see more variations on the shag, says Sal. “I’m loving the midi shag bobs,” admits hair pro and Babyliss ambassador, Syd Hayes. He recommends “cool razored fringes with a little ‘70s bang, and layers that are razored, sliced and choppy with the length kept throughout the back.” For curly hair, “it’s all about the modern shag,” says Frederic. “The cascade of curls allows hair to be swept to the side when you want to,” he explains. The good news? It’s actually pretty low-maintenance says Adam. “The beauty is in the growth. The looks continues to evolve as the hair grows.” It’s a cut that embraces natural hair texture, he says “and it can be easily styled by air drying and adding depth with texture sprays,” he says. 

Tailored layers

‘90s-Y2K hair is having a moment, and cuts that complement the trends will lead throughout 2022. “Full hair is in,” says James and “long layers that keep weight in the hair are great for big bouncy blow dries and waves. Haircuts will be blunter on the ends again to give a thicker fuller feeling,” he says. Sal agrees. “Long sleek hair it going to be big in 2022, with barely-there layering and styling – think Devon Aoki in the late ’90s, The Rachel and Supermodel blowouts,” he says. “Face framing ’90s layers are a go-to solution with or without a seamless, wispy bang to add a different length and bring focus to a particular are of the face such as the eyes, cheek bones or lips,” he says. “We’ll see a lot more layers being cut into the hair to perfectly personalise every individual,” confirms Adam. “I love perfectly tailored layers for longer looks, like face-framing bangs that start slim and short then curve towards the eyes with the longest layers following the cheekbone. This allows the length and angle to be adjusted depending on your face shape and leaves for easy styling – adding softness to the face and drawing focus to the eyes,” he explains.

The big chop

But, as we mentioned, 2022 will be a game of chop and change (quite literally). While some of us will go long, others want to slice it all off. “We will see more people going short and experimenting with fun colours and patterns,” says Sal who’s predicting badass buzzcuts and pixies. “I’m really excited to see 2022 bring individual style,” agrees Adam. “The ‘big chop’ can mean many things to different people and we’ll see a beautiful array of shorter styles come through. The traditional pixie is always a popular look, but for 2022 it will become longer on the top and tapered at the sides instead of all cut at one low length,” he says. “Just make sure you have a thorough consultation with your stylist beforehand to ensure the look is perfectly tailored to each face shape and hair type,” he says.

For more from GLAMOUR’s Beauty Editor, Elle Turner, follow her on Instagram @elleturneruk