As Coco Chanel once said, “A woman who cuts her hair is about to change her life.” And she was absolutely right.
“Short hairstyles are super chic and all the rage for summer,” says Andrew Fitzsimons, the hairstylist responsible for the coifs of Hollywood’s it girls, including Lori Harvey and Camilla Cabello.
While it can be intimidating to cut your hair off, rest assured that your go-to hairstylist can help you find the right look for you, with manageable styling requirements.
“Make sure your hair is cut by a professional hairstylist that doesn’t require a lot of heat styling at home,” says Larry Sims, hairstylist, and co-founder of Flawless by Gabrielle Union. “The less heat on the hair, especially during the summer, the stronger the integrity of the hair.”
Fitzsimons agrees, adding that a cropped look is actually more universally flattering than most think. “Short hair is great for virtually any face shape,” he shares. “It can highlight your facial features and create depth and dimension on thicker hair types.”
Here, we spoke with both Fitzsimons, Sims, as well as other hairstylists in NYC and LA to help get you inspired.
Voluminous Lob
Fitzsimons recently styled Khloe Kardashian’s birthday lob. “There is nothing better than your hair looking flawless while also not bothering you in the heat,” he explains.
Big Chop
“Big chop is a release of the 2020 to 2021 covid energy or just a changeup,” shares Sims. “This is the perfect look for women who want to opt out of heat styling tools in general. It accentuates your natural textures. With the big chops, many people will add some edge like clipper cuts and shavings to add some individual expression.” Sims recommends starting with Flawless by Gabrielle Union Co-Wash Cleansing Conditioner for upkeep.
The Shullet
It’s not a shag cut; it’s not a mullet—it’s a shullet! And it’s one of the hottest styles you can be rocking right now. Anthony Cole, a Long Island based freelance hairstylist, explains, “[It] is pretty popular right now because it allows for the manageability and the angular nature of the short pixie front, but still has the movement and texture of the long back.” His top styling products for shortcuts will highlight your texture and fight humidity. “I like to mix Sebastian Professional Craft Clay and Sebastian Professional Dark Oil when styling short hair for on-the-go looks, as the Craft Clay creates texture and the Dark Oil gives the hair a nice light shine while also protecting from humidity,” he reveals.
Face-Framing Curls
This haircut is for you if you have a round or square face. “You want to have fringe that starts shorter and ends long to create an oval shape to the face,” shares Cole.
A Pop of Punk
This edgy, tapered cut is sure to turn heads. “This haircut has extreme versatility and can be styled to fit any mood,” says hairstylist April Peele of Salon SCK in New York City. “It can be a bit punk or a bit passive, depending on the vibe you want. The back of it is always fun, though,” says Peele. When it comes down to styling, she says there are a number of products you can try. “Any product can be used to emphasize different aspects of this cut. Hairspray, gel, wax, etc., can all achieve very different looks,” she shares.
Curly Bob
French curly bob vibes, but it doesn’t come with the lavender field in the background! Styled by Devin Toth at Salon SCK, he states, “This style is for anyone with carefree curls who wants their hair off their neck this summer.” If you want to know the secret to her curls, Toth reveals he uses Righteous Roots RX.
A Little Wow on One Side
Clint Wilson, co-founder and hairstylist at Salon SCK in New York City, encourages a pop of color in the front of your short style. Wilson added some bright-colored Great Lengths Hair Extensions to create this dramatic front piece. If you’re trying to recreate this look at home, Wilson suggests using “some non-permanent hair chalk.” Splat Hair Chalk is a good temporary hair color solution that works on all hair shades.
The Blues
Jackson Simmonds, Advanced Stylist and Colorist at Julien Farel Restore Salon & Spa in New York City, encourages women of all ages to cut their hair — and play with color. “I find many people think the answer to looking younger is hiding behind their hair, and I strongly disagree. Put it all on display, [and] bring your best face forward. It radiates confidence, and when you radiate confidence, you appear most beautiful! My adopted mother Anita and dear friend Trienah are perfect examples of this — we’ve been on a short hair journey for years, slowly but surely going shorter, shorter, shorter!” To maintain a short cut when you are away from your stylist, Simmonds sends all his clients away with Julien Farel’s Hydrate Restore, “It’s a non-foaming shampoo treatment (color and keratin safe) that cleanses and hydrates in one step!”
Pixie Magic
“A great hair color can feminize a short style,” says Tamika Gibson, founder of The Hair Diagram. “Hair color makes the short hair look even more radiant and can give a more sultry, sexy, or feminine appearance.”
VIDEO: The Best Hot Oil Treatments You Didn’t Know Your Natural Hair Needed
A Tall Order
Don’t be afraid to go high with your hair! A short style can have architecture. This platinum look by Gibson is perfect for a night out and highlighting your natural texture.
Textured Blunt Bob
“Hair can be used to balance a face shape,” reveals Janine Jarman, hairstylist, owner of Hairroin Salon in Los Angeles, CA, and founder of Curl Cult. For her client Bess, she played off of her heart-shaped face. “If you are heart-shaped — wider to narrow — you’ll want to add width and volume to where you are most narrow,” she explains. This textured blunt bob just above chin length is an excellent look for this face shape.
Flipped Out
“If you have an oval face, straight bobs or choppy layers work wonders for your face and your hair,” shares Fitzsimons, who created this shoulder-length flipped lob on Lori Harvey.
Short and Saweetie
This platinum blonde, close, cropped cut on Saweetie serves a feminine edge. And paired against her pink gown, well, Barbie could never. In terms of maintenance, make sure to give your colored hair a good deep condition on washday. LLHOMD Beauty’s Hair Nourishing Mask with Monoi Oil will lock in moisture and the Leave In Cream with Castor Oil will keep your hair hydrated throughout the week, because short, dry hair is a no-no.
Buzzed
Don’t be afraid to go low, à la Danai Gurira on the red carpet. Her buzz cut is taken up a notch with the swirly cut and filled in with metallic paint.
The Faux Chop
Not ready to take off everything? Well, you don’t have to. Fake it until you are ready to do the real thing. Gurira has also twisted the side of her hair to give the allure of a cropped look, while styling her afro to one side, allowing it to cascade across her forehead. To keep hair moisturized, use 4C Only’s Leave-In Conditioner; if you want more defined curls, their Styling Cream will do the job.
The Modern Mullet
Are you mulling over getting a mullet? Don’t be. Let Miley Cyrus’ cut be your hair guide.
An Elevated Twist
Tilda Swinton has short blonde styles on lock and proves buffonts aren’t bestowed to only longer lengths. This long thick curl at the center of her forehead makes her hair the star of this beauty look.
Two-Toned
When you think of Halle Berry, it’s hard not to picture the Oscar award-winning actress with anything but her signature pixie haircut. However, she’s switching it up in 2022, with a shaved side and channeling her former character, Storm, with some gray hairpieces. You can save your natural hair by applying clip-ins to give yourself the desired color.
Classic Pixie
While Berry is off giving us new looks, Zoe Kravitz is holding down the OG pixie cut. Hairstylist Rene Fris shares, “This classic haircut has been around forever. It’s so popular, flattering, and easy to wear because it fits your head shape completely.” Fris recommends using Styling Matte Paste by Rene Fris when creating this look on his clients.
Slicked Back
Want to take your long hair short, sans scissors? Instead of cutting your hair, just roll and tuck it to give the illusion of a short style like the ever-changing Zendaya.
Side Swept
A side part on a short style always looks good. It also creates added volume with a medium-length style.
All About Face
What’s all the buzz about? This short cut on Cara Delevingne, of course. So don’t be afraid to go short and show off your face.
