2021 Hair Trends | New Hairstyles, Cuts and Colors to Try In 2021

Here’s one thing the pandemic taught us: Roots are fine, desirable even, and shouldn’t be hidden away. Here, hairstylist Clayton Hawkins parted Kiernan Shipka’s strands deep and on the side—all the better to show off those cool roots.

If you didn’t get your haircut for the better part of a calendar year, chances are you’re sitting on some seriously long strands. One trip to the stylist can clean that up into something with shape and structure—and plenty of grow-out potential.

Today. Tomorrow. Always. Natural curls that have been quenched with oil and diffused into springiness are having a moment for eternity.

I used to call these deep sets Hollywood waves, but I’m rebranding. Tumbling, shiny, and purposeful waves aren’t going anywhere, and I for one am here for it.

The way Mother Nature intended…is very likely a very good idea. Here, bleached-out tips from a hypothetical summer in the sun melt seamlessly into cool brown roots.

You need a change? I need a change! Everyone needs a change! And long, swingy bangs—the kinds that graze your lashes and make you feel instantly ten thousand percent cooler and more polished—are a great option.

The higher the hair, the closer to God. And the less fussy and fraught it looks in the meantime, the better.

While this looks like a million bucks, it’s actually a haircut with two very simple bones: A layer of hair cut a few inches below the chin, and a second one just above the chest. Bent ends give it the movement dynamism we all crave.

Quick jags of color wherever you—or your colorist—see fit can be a welcome injection of fun into otherwise one-note hair tones.

Remember what we said about blunt ends? Yeah. Take it one step farther like Julianna Hough and her longtime stylist Riawna Capri by styling it stick straight and letting those angles sing.

Mariah Carey would never…leave the house without a full face and a set. Here, irregular curves and bends give the appearance of effortlessness while still being supremely on point.

I don’t know who needs to hear this, but…you don’t need to be Ariana Grande to rock a ponytail. Gather it at the highest point of your head, flatiron the length, and get ready to serve.

The 2021 version of Jennifer Aniston’s famed face-hugging crop? This modern take by hairstylist Mark Townsend. Rather than cutting diagonally, Townsend went long and choppy on the ends for plenty of movement and no stiffness.

Photo by David Higgs

Is is an A) braid, B) updo, C) cornrow, or D) a definition-defying masterpiece? If you answered D, congratulations, you get it. Don’t put this, or any hairstyle, in a box.

There’s just something about a little added oomph at the root that can make any cut, color, or style feel just a skosh more polished.

So you just took a shower. Or you just worked out. Or you got a blowout a few days ago, slept on it, and wore a wool hat. Lived-in textures have a humanist vibe that will be everywhere in 2021.