Now I’ve said before and I’ll say it again, I’m not a big follower of trends. I am, however, a big believer in doing what you want, wearing what you want, and experimenting as you like.

With the closure of barbershops in 2020 (and into 2021), we were forced to decide, “do I grow it, or do I shave it?” As such, guys like us were given the opportunity to experiment with style. The hairstyles that we are seeing this year are the development of these lockdown looks.

1. Short & Textured
I know from the video that I did about the death of the Skin Fade, there were so many comments saying, “what do you know… no, never… never giving up.”  That is fine. Go wild. But with this ‘short & textured‘ hair trend, it’s less about solid structure and it’s more about movement.

You can still go with your favourite fade, but it doesn’t need to be so severe. Try working with slightly longer length on the sides, or move the fade placement lower, to allow for a more tapered (and classic) look.

With the hair on top, it’s all about adding shape and definition – for a choppy, textured, messy finish. This will then allow you to style with matte finish products for a really gritty finish.

2. New Longer Length‘New Longer Length’ is for anyone, like me, that experimented with longer hair in 2020.

Now, these long hairstyles are going to be slightly more reminiscent of the nineties – think grunge with a really live-in finish. Again, it’s all about movement and texture. 
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This hairstyle trend is all about just letting go and going with it. Enjoy it! 

3. Natural Curls
One of the biggest video trends that I’ve seen on YouTube is ‘curly hair to straight hair’. Loads of guys seem to be searching for it. But not in 2021!

This year is about embracing those natural curls, from the Afro high-top skin fades (really short on the sides with a high, square top) to accentuating the curls on top with a shorter fade. There are loads of options. 
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This trend really is about that juxtaposition of the short and the long. So keeping it really, really short on the sides and then having all those curls and the waves on top. 

4. The Mullet
Now, if during lockdown you completed Netflix, then I’m sure you watched Tiger King. Joe Exotic really did bring back that mullet… but maybe for all the wrong reasons.
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The mullet did, however, start to work its way back into the mainstream. Check out this mullet look on Troye Sivan.

5. Bald to Buzz
For a lot of men struggling with hair loss and/or receding hairlines, a hairstyle’s primary purpose is to disguise bald patches. But 2020 saw men embracing the bald and going for the buzz cut. 
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2021 is less about the extreme buzz cut but more about experimenting with different types of buzz hairstyles. Even just the slightest change in length on the sides versus the top can make such a difference. 

This style is as loose and carefree as a day spent at the seaside. Here, Peter Thomsen (@pjthomsen) gave his client a light new balayage and soft face-framing layers.

 2. Delicate Curtain Bangs

Sometimes less is more, even when your client has long hair, as demonstrated by Chris Weber Mirlach (@chrisweberhair), who describes the bangs as "effortless."

3. Curtain Bangs with Style

Curtain bangs don't just look good when the hair is down--they can really add to the style when the hair is pulled up into a stylish updo or carefree pony, as shown by Rachel Williams (@rachelwstylist).

4. Bardot Bangs

Curtain bangs can add drama and depth to a sleek style, as shown by Sal Salcedo (@salsalhair), who calls these "Bardot Bangs."

5. Romantic Shag

Curtain fringe can add volume and natural wave to the hair, giving it a romantic, old world feel, as shown by the work of Lo Shabino (@classiclois_hairstylist). 

6. French Fringe

Paige Bureck (@pinkdagger) gave her client some decidedly French feeling with this cute cut. 

7. Fuller Fringe

Done correctly, a shag and curtain bangs can actually give the illusion of thicker, fuller hair, as seen on Holly Seidel's (@hollygirldoeshair) client.

8. Bold Color, Bold Fringe

Sometimes a client wants a complete transformation. And while this style from @mageofhair doesn't require lots of length to be lost, it certainly makes an impact—and one that's only enhanced with a bold color choice. 

9. Long Fringe, Short Hair

Belinda Mills (@bel_pipsqueekinsaigon) shows that short-haired girls can wear curtain bangs, too!

10. Farrah Fawcett Fringe

Mick Lewis (@hairbymickk) created this look that harkens back to the '70s when shags reigned supreme—but with a thoroughly modern twist. 

11. Voluminous Curtain Bangs

Go big or go home! Curtain bangs don't have to be subtle, they can be in-your-face, like this gorgeous cut from Brian Hickman (@brianhickman1)

These fun looks are at Beauty Launch Pad

Truth #4: You Need To Maintain Your Color At Home

You leave the salon loving your blonde color, but a few weeks later it’s feeling brassy and coarse—this isn’t uncommon. Color maintenance is KEY. “Light blonde color on textured hair can be the most DIFFICULT to maintain! Colors like this are not for the faint of heart and require major TLC in and outside of the salon,” shares @haircolorkilla.

That’s why Kara always STRONGLY recommends that her clients use a toning washing system like the Matrix So Silver Shampoo, Conditioner and Mask trio to keep color fresh and yellow-free.

For clients with curly and textured hair, it’s also important to add protein and moisture. Kara recommends products like the Redken Extreme Hair Strengthening line that brings protein to the core of the hair fiber.

Truth #5: Here’s How You’re Going To Get That Lived-In Look

When we talk about “root shading,” here’s what we mean: a demi-permanent color tapped at the roots to blur out any highlight lines for a more lived-in look. Here’s why it works.

“Not only does this give a more natural look but it allows your grow out to look SEAMLESS for 12+ weeks,” @hair_by_mallory_ wrote in a recent IG post. “Where as a non-root shaded look would look grown out in anywhere from 6 to 8 weeks! Some of my clients go anywhere from 3 to 6 months with this technique!”
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Pssst… colorists, do you LOVE this blonde? Same. Mallory pre-toned with Moroccanoil® Blonde Perfecting Purple Shampoo to get these bright, clear blonde results. ​

History has dealt a mixed hand to the redhead. Alternatively admired or derided for the color of their crowning glory, attitudes to those with red hair have always been polarized. Throughout time, redheads have been portrayed as beautiful and brave or else promiscuous, wild, hot-tempered, violent or immoral. Gingernut, carrot top, flame-haired, copper head and rusty just some of the nicknames for red hair. The modern mind also associates the hair color with individual countries such as Scotland and Ireland or cultures such as the Vikings.
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The reason for these attitudes and associations is complicated and lies partly in the origins of red hair and the human reaction to things that are different. For although 40% of people carry the gene for red hair, real redheads are rare, amounting to no more than 1% of the population. It requires two carriers to make a red headed child. So why is red hair so rare and unique? What is its history, and is it fair to assigned heads such a turbulent reputation?

All in the Genes

Red hair has always been a question of genes. Clues suggested that red hair could have evolved in Paleolithic Europe amongst the Neanderthals. Scientists analyzed Neanderthal remains from Croatia and found a gene that resulted in red hair. However, the gene that causes red hair in modern humans is not the same as that in Neanderthals. Nor is the red-haired gene of either race found in any of the peoples who are descended from Paleolithic humans, namely the Finnish and most of Eastern Europe. This fact not only rules out interbreeding as a route for Homo sapiens red hair, but it also rules out early Europe, as it’s the birthplace.

Instead, the origins of red hair have been traced back to the Steppes of Central Asia as much as 100,000 years ago. The haplogroup of modern redheads indicates that their earliest ancestors migrated to the steppes from the Middle East because of the rise of herding during the Neolithic revolution. The Steppes were the perfect grazing lands for the herds of the agriculturists. Unfortunately, however, the lower UV levels of the area limited their bodies’ ability to synthesize vitamin D. Vitamin D deficiencies bring about weak bones, muscle pain and rickets in children. So the migrants had to change.

To survive their environment, people living in northern regions, in general, had begun to evolve to suit their environment and to allow their bodies more access to the limited light. As a consequence, their skin and hair started to become much lighter. In the eastern steppes, however, things occurred slightly differently. A mutation occurred in a gene known as M1CR which caused hair color not merely to lighten but to change entirely- to red. The skin of these new redhead people was well adapted to absorbing the much-needed UV light. It was, however, a little too sensitive to the sun- which is why redheads often sunburn and are more prone to skin cancer.

These pioneers of red hair then began to spread to the Balkans and central and Western Europe in the Bronze Age as they migrated once again, this time in search of metal. The majority of the migrants remained in these regions, although some spread further west to the Atlantic seaboard, and fewer still moved eastwards into Siberia and some as far south as India. However, these latter migrations were scant- which explains the rarity of red hair in these areas.

​The Balkans and Western Europe now became established as the geographical and historical homeland of red-haired culture. It was one that was observed by ancient writers who began to form their conclusions about the red-haired peoples they encountered.