We’re officially leaving behind complicated haircuts & hair colour in 2024
New year, new you, right? Well, kind of.
Although the promise of a new year comes with a host of resolutions, the goal of transforming into a whole new version of yourself may look a little different than years prior in 2024.
Instead, this year, we’re throwing off the shackles of lengthy trips to the salon and opting for uncomplicated haircuts and colours that grow with us. We’re still becoming the best versions of ourselves, but we’re doing it in a way that embraces everything that we already are.
However, that doesn’t mean we’re doing away with hair trends completely.
BEAUTYcrew spoke to Jaye Edwards (Founder of EdwardsAndCo salon group), Anthony Nader (Founder of Raw By Anthony Nader salon), and Michael Kelly (Founder of HER salon) about their expert predictions for the year ahead in hair.
These are the haircuts and colours they forecast will make it big in 2024…
2024 Haircut Trends
Long Bob 'Lob'
“I'm predicting 2024 is all about short hair!,” states Jaye Edwards.
“The long bob is a cut that suits all hair textures and colours, it also makes a great transformation for the new year,” says Edwards. “I love this style in particular because of the additional face framing, this is optional but makes hair more dimensional.”
@_edwardsandco
Butterfly Cut
“The butterfly cut works with all hair types,” explains Edwards. “It is a combination of short and long layers to give off a butterfly wing look whilst creating shape around your face. It is a great way to create an illusion of fuller hair without sacrificing too much length.” The hair trend gained popularity in 2023 and echoes the voluminous blowout synonymous with the supermodels of the ‘90s.
@_edwardsandco
Medium length layers
“This haircut is a healthy and low maintenance look that I'm expecting to see more of for 2024,” says Edwards. “I love medium length layers with face framing starting below the chin. This is a foolproof haircut if you're looking for a change into the new year.”
@_edwardsandco
Birkin Bangs
“I might be a little biased here but ‘70s Birkin Bangs will always be timeless in my hair bible and not just for 2024,” explains Anthony Nader, who says the key to the perfectly undone vibe of the look is subtle layers. “Layers that are slightly uneven and “broken” give this cut a soft and natural appearance,” he went on to say. “This haircut is especially great for those with natural waves because this hair texture gives that effortless free-spirited look with minimal styling.” Nader recommends steering clear of a clean, blunt cut fringe — “keep the look of your new bangs nibbled at… you want your bangs to look already lived in and soft right away.”
@rawanthonynader
The Polished Shag
“Consider this the boujee sister to the shaggy bob that was hot in 2023,” says Nader. “This haircut is perfect for those who have become bored with their basic bob or shag and want to take it up a notch. The longer, straighter layers make it more polished than your average shag, while the bottle shape and flipped ends make it more interesting than a basic bob.” According to Nader, the haircut’s simplicity also makes it easier to style and maintain than a shag or a bob.
@rawanthonynader
The Chob
“The Cut Du Jour for me will be the Chob, a chin length textured bob that skims the jaw line and creates a structured shape that frames the face,’ says Michael Kelly. “A lot of my clients get nervous that they don't have the face for a shorter length bob, but with logical thinking I reassure them that any bob that sits below the jawline will keep your face feeling similar regardless of the length. The only time you start to change your appearance is if you go above the jaw.” Bonus: A shorter bob lengthens the neck.
@michaelkellycolourist
2024 Hair Colour Trends
Root Shadow Blonde
“Root Shadow Blonde is bronde 2.0,” claims Edwards, who describes the looks as a rooty blonde colour that allows your natural hair colour to peek through at the roots. “[It] transitions into brighter highlights to add dimension and a lived in feel to your hair,” he explains. The hair colourist advises asking your hairstylist to create a blonde that complements your natural colour to ensure a natural, seamless finish and enhances the likelihood of longevity of your colour between salon appointments.
@_edwardsandco
Chunky Highlights
“The ‘90s chunky highlights are back and better [than ever],” says Edwards. “They're softer and the perfect summer glaze for your hair, [because] the chunkier highlights bring out more colour in your hair, contrasting against the darker parts, also creating the illusion of thicker, fuller hair — ultimately creating dimension, bounce and warmth to hair.”
@jaye_edwards
Sunkissed Brunette
“This warm bronde is a stunning transformation colour that we're going to see a lot of in 2024,” explains Edwards. “It's a soft and golden, dimensional brunette that can work on all hair types and lengths.”
@jaye_edwards
Lived In Blonde
“Possibly one of the most wearable, low-maintenance trends in the universe: say hello to "lived-in blonde",” says Nader. “Next year, I think we’ll be ditching the platinum blonde vibes of the Barbie film craze in 2023… 2024 will be all about going back to more lived-in shades with darker roots, providing a low-maintenance option for those who want to stretch the time between salon visits. It’s a natural progression of the time-poor who wants to look effortlessly undone while looking super cool at the same time.”
@rawanthonynader
Biscoff Blonde
“As the name implies, Biscoff Blonde is a biscuity, caramel shade of blonde that looks scrumptious,” explains Nader. “It's a great choice for brunettes wanting to lighten their hair, yet looks just as good on blondes who want to add a little warmth to their existing styles.”
@rawanthonynader
Customised colour
“I am encouraging a lot of texture back into my clients’ hair; micro face frames and soft dimension through the surface layer of the hair are really where it's at,” says Kelly. “Face-framing highlights can soften your features and create an open feeling to your face, however chunky or stripy face-frames can do the opposite, being quite distracting.” He recommends asking your colourist to pivot their highlight so that the start of the highlight is minimal, seamless and graduating.
@salonher_
Hair trends we’re saying goodbye to in 2024
If there’s one thing Edwards, Nader and Kelly can all agree on, it’s that bold haircuts and colours will no longer have a place in 2024.
Edwards says that we're going to see a decline in the Scandi hairline trend due to the damage that it can cause, if not done properly. He’s also unsure if red-leaning hair colours like the Cherry Cola hair trend or copper hair will survive the new year, saying clients are moving towards a more natural, future proof look. “A lot of clients want to accentuate the natural colour of their hair, popping in a bit of highlights or a gloss to add some extra shine and sparkle,” he explains.
Nader echoes this sentiment, saying that niche haircuts such as hardcore aggressive mullets and wavy, mermaid hair extensions have got to go. “The severe disconnect and longer length at the back [of a mullet] is too extreme and only works on a very low percentage of people,” explains Nader, who also thinks it’s not a good idea to glue a hundred artificial, stiffly-waved, long-length extensions into the scalp.
Kelly thinks that less and less people will be making tough hair colour transitions like copper in the new year due to the cost and damage it causes to the hair. ‘Clients often have really unrealistic expectations of their colourist even when the colourist has spoken on the journey to return to their usual colour. This places pressure on their colourist to push the limits which often results in porous and dehydrated hair or harsh tones becoming more obvious,” he explains. “I think if you're prepared to invest in embracing the copper trend then ensure you commit to a 12 month period to either have the rich warm tones or 12 months to return to your former colour.”
Love the voluminous layers of the butterfly haircut but prefer a shorter ‘do? Transform your hair this summer with the butterfly bob trend.
Image credit: Getty
Briar Clark got her start in the media industry in 2017, as an intern for Marie Claire and InStyle. Since then, her keen interest in fashion and beauty has landed her gigs as a Digital Content Producer and Beauty Editor with titles like Girlfriend, Refinery29, BEAUTYcrew and beautyheaven. She loves the way seemingly innocuous topics like skin care and style have the ability to put a smile on people’s faces or make them think about themselves a little differently. A big believer in self love and experimentation, Briar has made a point of becoming the Australian beauty industry’s unofficial guinea pig for unusual treatments and daring hair trends. When she’s not testing out the latest beauty launches, Briar is big on broadening her horizons, mostly in the form of food but she’s also partial to travelling to new destinations both near and far (and of course, allocating an extra bag to bring their best beauty offerings home with her).
