Say goodbye to messy tangles and dried-out strands. Contrary to popular belief, short hair is versatile, easy to style and pretty effortless to maintain. Whether you’re rocking a pixie cut or donning a sleek bob, short hair is fabulous and here to stay. Plus, there are so many ways to style a short haircut without just letting it all hang loose. Not sure how to style it? Fret not — here are 10 trendy ways to style short hair.
1. THE RIGHT KIND OF HAIRCUT
The easiest and trendiest way to style your short hair? Get the right kind of haircut to frame your lovely face shape. Round shapes have the quintessential shape for a pixie cut because this kind of style elongates the face. A shorter cut is more flattering for round face shapes. Heart shapes look fantastic with a side-swept wispy, layered cut. If your face is oval-shaped, then go for a shoulder-length cut like a blunt bob. With a square-shaped face, you’ll want a shoulder-length cut that will soften the edges. When in doubt, consider a lob, which is a longer bob. Short hairstyles are all about the finer details. If you’re looking for something as cute as a bob but a little more effortless, yet still trendy, then go for the lob.
Undercuts aren’t just for men. They look fabulous on women, too. They don’t have to just be in the back either. Try an undercut on the side to add a fun detail to your side profile. The side-shade undercut should be done by keeping your natural part in mind to prevent any cowlicks from happening. If they do, it’s a perfect excuse to break out your headband collection. The short section does wonders for chin-length hair and enhances any old short haircut. Play with different colors like an under-shaved pixie in lavender.
For effortless style, go for a blunt short bob. The 90s are back and better than ever. Lately, we’ve seen that the blunt bob is just one length and stops right below the ear. Use this style to accentuate your jawline. There are different variations for the blunt short bob, but you can try a less austere look by going softer and messier. You don’t have to save the tousled look just for layered haircuts. Want a sophisticated side-swept look? Ask your stylist for the 1950s ducktail updo.
2. ACCESSORIZE IT
Have fun with your hair by using different accessories. These can be barrettes, headbands or even hair jewelry. Whether your hair is curly, wavy or straight, adding accessories to your hair adds a playful edge to an everyday look. Headbands are also a beautiful accessory to have for formal events like weddings or holiday parties. Besides looking cute, it’s also a practical way to keep flyaway strands out of your face or even to hide unwashed hair.
Whether you’re doing an updo, keeping your hair down or having fun with a ponytail or braid, there are so many fun ways to wear a hairband. Simply pair the hairstyle and your hairband to the occasion. A more formal event may call for an updo with a chic statement headband for style while doing your chores at home calls for a little ponytail while the headband keeps your strands out of the way.
You’re sure to find headbands in a variety of patterns and colors to match your outfit and your personality. If you enjoy wearing your hair down, an embellished headband with bows or flowers works well as a statement. For a minimalist look, go for a thinner headband. If you want a bold statement, go for that wide headband in red. Red headbands are so in right now, with data from Lyst showing that demand for red headbands has increased by 560% since poet Amanda Gorman wore one to the inauguration ceremony.
Pair your hair accessories with wet, tousled strands. It will keep your hairstyle from looking a touch too buttoned-up and feel more playful. If you love volume, use a thickening spray on damp hair. Say goodbye to your flat roots by doing a pompadour updo. Give your pompadour some attitude by adding a headband.
Add a Headband to Your Short Hair Look3. BRAID IT UP
Contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to be a 4th grader to enjoy the look of braids. There are so many ways to do braids as an adult, even with short hair. Just one simple braid will do for the shortest haircut. For women with naturally curly or wavy hair, cornrows are a beautiful and protective style for this natural hair type. There are so many ways to do cornrows alone (bohemian cornrow braids, stitch-in cornrow braids, feed-in-stitch cornrow braids — the list goes on!) that you’re certain to fall in love with this look for short hair. For a softer style, go for romantic curly cornrows in an updo.
The braided side part is also an alternatively chic look. Try the dutch braid to the side. It’s similar to the french braid, but the dutch braid has one key difference. When you do the dutch braid, cross the side sections of the hair underneath instead of over or on top of the middle strand. This creates a more voluminous look since the final braid is displayed on top of the style.
4. WORK FROM HOME CHIC
Loungewear style allows you to look effortlessly work-from-home chic. If you want your hair to look laidback and lived in, use a microfiber towel after you wash your hair to soak up excess water. After using the microfiber towel, run some cream or a leave-in mousse through your hair with your fingers.
Alternatively, if you’re running from the shower to your morning meeting and don’t have time to dry your hair, you don’t need to. The wet look is super trendy right now for short hair. It’s been seen everywhere from designer runways to street style influencers to even A-list stars. The wet look adds instant sophistication to any outfit. Add balm or hair serum to give that sleek style without looking like you just hopped out of the shower.
5. LITTLE BUNS EVERYWHERE
Buns are a versatile updo. Perfect for your next ZOOM call yet special enough for your next date night, knowing how to style your bun for your short haircut is essential. For that extra touch of sophistication, look no further than the chignon. Go for a middle-parted chignon with a sleek and low bun. Break out your hairpins and bobby pins. Have fun with a french twist or bun by styling your curls, and then add a knotted headband. If you have naturally curly hair and are looking for a curly updo for your next big night out, try a glamorous pin-curl. Use foam wrapping lotion and no-crease clips on wet hair. It’s a way of keeping your beautiful curls all dolled up without all the heat.
6. CURLY AND WAVY
If you have straight hair, go on and change it up by curling your hair with Hollywood-glamorous curls. It will look like you came straight from the beach with wavy hair. If you have naturally curly or wavy hair, then let your curls run free. A naturally curly bob is styled in such a way that it can look polished for the office yet flirty for a romantic date. Want a classic vintage hairstyle? Then go for the timeless curly bob that looks like a blunt cut with a loose wave thrown in the mid-length.
If you have a tight natural texture, then keep it simple. Wear it natural and keep a small, effortlessly chic tiny afro. Not to mention, it’s easy to maintain. Switch up your look by adding fun accessories like hair jewels or headbands. You don’t have to own a three-prong iron to get the effect of neatly uniform S-waves. Just use your flatiron and flick your wrist. Alternate the direction of your straightener to create that S-pattern. To add texture, use a texturizing spray.
An inverted curly bob is short and wavy in the back and has longer waves in the front. It’s a glamorous yet effortless short hairstyle. If you’d like beachy waves without all the heat, then use a curling iron with your hair as you normally would. When you release the hair strand, tug on the warm strand and lengthen to loosen up the curl. Throw in statement accessories like bobby pins or patterned scrunchies because the 90s nostalgia is real.
7. GRAB YOUR FLATIRON
To keep the short and straight look from looking too plain, stick the sides behind your ears. After flat ironing your hair with all that heat, don’t forget about adding in some shine. Apply a small amount of hair oil and work through your strands. For a polished finish, simply sweep your hair to one side. Sleek and slicked-back hair with just a bit of hair gel is a great way to have beautiful tousled volume. When your hair is wet, you can blow dry the sides and back of your hair. Direct your blow dryer forward with a round brush for maximum impact. Cream gels help your hair stay in place. If you’d like to fluff up your roots, try a dry shampoo, perfect for shampooing on the go. Run your fingers through your hair and then finish the style with flexible hair spray.
8. TEXTURIZE
Change up your hair’s natural texture by using smoothing serums and a body round brush to create a breezy and thick style with straight hair. If you have curly or wavy hair, then go for the curly shag look. After washing your hair, use a blow dryer with a diffuser nozzle to dry your natural curls. Even with thin hair, texturizing your hair can add volume.
For very short hair, try a pixie cut with layers. If you’ve been debating about whether or not you can rock the pixie haircut, you can. The trick is texturizing it to give the pixie cut that classic punk rock attitude. Have fun with it by trying different colors like platinum blonde or millennial pink. Experiment with the texture by using a flatiron and bending the hair in thicker sections. Then finish off the look with smoothing hair oil for a separated and textured style, or use hair wax to give a chunky textured movement.
For curly hair, go for short and cropped curls. Use shingling and finger-coiling techniques to style your short curls. If you have shorter 3c curls, keep them defined and moisturized by using curl creams and leave-in conditioners. Beachy texturized waves don’t require waist-length hair. All you need is a little salt spray, a curling iron and a heat protectant spray. Soon you’ll be looking like the mermaid you were meant to be.
9. CHANGE PARTS
Don’t be afraid to change up your natural part. If your current part falls near the middle, go for a deep side part. Try a tousled hairstyle with a deep side part: Think loose flatiron waves with a dramatic side part to elongate facial features. Styling your bangs (or getting bangs if you don’t have any!) or changing a part can dramatically change your short haircut. Go both ways with half-wavy, half-straight hair. Do a deep part to one side. Straighten both sides with a flatiron. On the side with fewer strands, tuck the straight strands behind your ear. On the other side, curl the warm, small sections and then pin them up. Allow the hair to cool, and then remove the pins. Brush out the waves with a brush to get soft, glamorous waves.
10. FRINGE BENEFITS
A little fringe goes a long way. A side-swept fringe in combination with a wavy lob is a low-maintenance style to rock every day. A long layered lob looks fantastic with a slightly off-center part. Use a round brush and blowdryer to curl the ends underneath. Overall, adding layers to a short haircut gives depth to any style that is too blunt or all fringe. Mix and match with both short and long layers. Wear it wavy and get that windswept wave effect by using mousse. Your layers can also be textured to add volume. That laidback short layer fringe look can be played up to enhance your cool-girl look.
No matter which of these 10 different trendy ways you’d like to rock your short hair, you’re sure to look great and feel fabulous. When in doubt, a statement accessory is a small way to make a big impact on any of these looks. There are so many headband styles that look great whether you’re doing a dressed-up pompadour or letting your wet and sleek look shine.