This January scrolling through Instagram I started to see a post on repeat: 2026 trends. Some were accounts I follow, but many many accounts are either content aggregates or microinfluencers that are being suggested to me by the algorithm. As media consumers we are deluged with a firehose of imagery and it’s up to us to distill it. Bixies, butterfly cuts, cowboy copper, old money blonde…what does any of it mean? Who is the expert? Who do we believe?
When I first became a hairstylist 22 years ago, there were two specific ways TREND entered the salon conversation. One way was that the hair brands (Wella, Toni & Guy, and Vidal Sassoon for example) would release seasonal collections of color and cut looks in anticipation of trends we would see in the industry. These were an industry distillation forecasted by corporate trend forecasters, the same companies that influenced fashion companies, car design, and paint colors, and many other things we look at from day to day. These seasonal looks would get distilled through New York Fashion Week, which felt important and exciting, and then eventually we would see them show up on celebrities. Then, clients would show us pictures of celebrities and we would translate the look and the desire into something flattering and suitable for our client. Voila!
These days the media cycle moves so quickly that the old reliable taste makers are just a blip in the deluge. As stylists, we’re still driven by what clients are asking for, but the cadence has shifted. Where once there would be a few looks we saw everywhere (who remembers ombre?!) now are several looks that show up in multiple interpretations. For example, balayage reigns supreme in the world of natural looking color, but we see it densely applied with a root shadow or root tap to soften the roots, or with the bold “money piece” effect around the face. A butterfly cut really refers to a flippy finish more than the cut, so we’ve seen it in bangs, in bobs, and in long layers. And curtain bangs could be anything that brushes your eyebrows and sweeps away from the middle.
The best part of the new version of trend is that there are a ton of ideas that we customize for our individual guests. Rather than being a slave to trend, we’re delivering the best looks to represent individuality. What looks the best on you this season? And how can we spice it up? Meet us in the chair to find out!
Here are some looks that are super cool, customizable, and great for all ages and hair textures:
