2023 Hair Trends: The Best Cuts, Colors and Styles to Try This Year
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Ciara Instagram ; Laura Polko Instagram ; Sydney Sweeney Instagram
New year, new hair trends.
Between countless celebrity hair transformations and resurrecting nostalgic looks like the "Rachel," 2022 proved to be quite the year for hairstyles — and 2023 is shaping up to be just as exciting.
The mix of retro inspiration from bygone eras and fresh, modern elements creates a fascinating landscape of trends, including more experimental and androgynous styles.
"We are moving away from the Y2K look into more of a grunge, gothy vibe," Laura Polko, celebrity hairstylist to stars like Gigi Hadid and Hailee Steinfeld, tells PEOPLE. "I think that we will see that especially in the first part of the year. In the summer, it is going to be a lighter time of the year, so we will see brighter colors, but I am definitely thinking the grunge, gothy vibe is starting to trickle in."
Ahead, Polko shares the rest of her top predictions for 2023 hair trends — from cuts to colors to styles.
2023 Haircut Trends
Mid-Length Choppy Layers
Lucy Hale Instagram
Mid-length hair can often feel uninspiring, lacking the drama of either a super-short or extra-long style. However, according to Polko, 2023 will be the year of redemption for medium lengths. She points specifically to Lucy Hale's choppy look from December 2022, in which her rich brunette locks are styled into a voluminous cut with flipped-out ends and lots of layers.
"People get so frustrated with midlength," she says. "When you're in that place, you don't know what to do and [you feel like] it's too soon for layers, but I think a lot of people saw [Hale's haircut] and were like, 'Oh my god, I could do this,' or 'I want to do this.' "
Shorter Curtain Bangs
Laura Polko Instagram
There's no doubt that curtain bangs are having a moment right now. The wispy, low-maintenance trend will continue through 2023 and beyond, but Polko says that shorter curtain bangs are on the horizon.
"I think a shorter curtain bang, where it splits in the middle but breaks off around like the corner of the eye, is going to happen a lot more. Personally, I keep thinking about wanting to do that."
Experimental Short Cuts
Laura Polko Instagram
In recent memory, bob trends have run the gamut from to French bobs to blunt bobs to bixies (aka a bob and a pixie). According to Polko, there's more where that came from in 2023, allowing for a ton of creativity and freedom regarding short haircuts.
"There'll definitely be more short [styles] than before, but it's very personal to what's going to be necessarily cool," she says. "It's very dealer's choice … it's specific to where you live, what you do for work, each person's personality."
"I think you'll see all kinds of different cool, shorter haircuts that might be newer trends that we haven't really seen before," she adds.
2023 Hair Color Trends
Natural Highlights
Jennifer Lopez Instagram
There's a time and a place for bold color, but in 2023, natural-looking highlights are on the menu. Think: Jennifer Aniston's softly blended blonde or Hailey Bieber's dimensional brunette.
"I think it's less of that all over single-process with a bunch of foils on it," Polko says. "When you paint on a couple of pieces intentionally in the same spots as they're growing out, then you end up with healthier hair. It just creates a lot less of that breakage that sticks out."
"If you already have some [highlighted] pieces — I have a couple ombre chunks that look like they were done by the sun — what I like to do is color over it with a little Style Edit Root Concealer Touch Up Spray, either bring it up with the blonde or cover the whole piece with the brown. I think people are more adept to kind of do an in-between color and nothing super committal."
Warm Tones
Halle Bailey Instagram
The sudden prevalence of warm-toned hair colors (see Bella Hadid's recent orange-y blonde or Zendaya's honey brown) proves that trends can truly change on a dime. Cool undertones were the name of the game for years — even for brunettes — but lately, Polko has noticed a shift.
"A big trend is leaning towards warmth in any sort of hair color because there was so long where everyone was like, 'My blondes not blonde enough, it's not icy enough,' " the stylist says. "And now I think people are not scared of having golden, more orange, more redhead, honey colors. I think it's less scary because people are seeing it's actually really good for everybody's skin tone.
Subtle Shades of Red
Sydney Sweeney Instagram
2022 saw the dramatic red hair transformations of A-listers like Kendall Jenner and Sydney Sweeney, sparking a wave of copper hair trends. This year, Polko says the color craze will continue, but instead of going full-blown redhead, it'll be more about incorporating subtle hints of red.
"The pendulum kind of always swings," she says. "First, it was 'No red in my dark hair' and then it's swung the other way to full redhead, and I think this year it will land somewhere in the middle."
2023 Hairstyle & Accessory Trends
'90s Supermodel Blowout
Ciara Instagram
Up until recently, it seemed like the bouncy, glamorous blowouts seen on '90s supermodels like Tyra Banks and Cindy Crawford were a thing of the past. As with so many other decade trends, though, '90s hair is back in full force.
"It's like that kind of like touchable, movable, really pretty hair," says Polko. "It used to be like, 'Get it as straight as you can,' and now people are like, 'Let's just make it big and pretty.' "
The '70s Flip
Aweng Chuol Instagram
Farrah Fawcett-inspired hair is off to a hot start in 2023. Voluminous hairstyles have been bubbling up for a while now (especially on TikTok), but Polko says people are finally ready to embrace the various "imperfections" that come along with them.
"It's been a while since we've seen the flip-out, but people are starting to like it," she says. "You know when you blow it out and one side always kicks one way, one kicks under? I think people okay with it, as opposed to being like, 'Why is this like kicking out?' I think people are down to let it all flow."
Slicked-Back Styles
Laura Polko Instagram
Sleek updos are absolutely everywhere right now, and they're only gaining traction. Stars like Bella Hadid, Kim Kardashian and Lori Harvey have made slicked-back hair their trademark, oftentimes keeping a 1-2 inch part in the front and sweeping the rest of the hair back into either a ponytail or a spiky bun.
The beauty of the popular style, says Polko, is that it's easily customizable to best flatter everyone's face shape.
"You can really work with the brushstroke," she explains. "[For example], my face can look long at the bottom, so what I want to do is make sure it goes back at the eye and then up, so it pulls my face up. Whereas some people might want to make the brushstrokes goes down a little more to complement the eye and the face."
For creating the perfect slicked-back look, Polko's secret weapon is a touch-up powder. "One of the ways I make my client's hair look fuller is by filling in their hairline with Style Edit Root Touch Up Powder," she says. "It gives the illusion of a thicker hairline."
Claw Clips
Hailey Bieber Instagram
Yet another Y2K beauty trend to reemerge, claw clips are back in a big way. As Polko points out, they're not only stylish and versatile but more comfortable and less damaging than hair ties.
"I think people have seen how much easier and faster jaw clips can be and also how much it prevents breakage versus a tight hair tie," she says. "That's going to cause a lot of snapping, especially if you're doing a middle part on those fragile parts of your hair. It's easier; you can move around, you can sit down, you can throw it up, it's cute, it's not going to give you a headache."
'80s Workout Headbands
Bella Hadid Instagram
The '90s have officially made its comeback, and now, apparently, it's the '80s' turn. Bella Hadid has recently begun wearing thick, workout-style headbands, and Polko predicts the look is set to spark a major trend — specifically with Hadid's signature money pieces framing the face.
