The Coolest Haircuts From Around The World

(PHOTO: VIA @GEORGENORTHWOOD)

Every city has its own beat and its own distinct style. And while many metropolitan areas all over the world tend to follow major trends, each locale puts its own spin on them. After all, the cultural climate of each city helps to determine every decision, from how women wear the hems of their pants to how they want their hair cut.

Upon doing research on global hair trends, we noticed common cool factors happening at some of the world’s most forward-thinking hair salons. (Drum roll, please.) What did we discover? That bangs and bobs are top.

This might explain a lot when you’re scouring Instagram for your newest hairstyle inspiration — shorter is chicer everywhere from Tokyo to Paris to Toronto, and bangs? They’re back in a big way. Click through for our favorite renditions, plus tips on how to pull off these cool crops from international salons. Passport not required.

(PHOTO: VIA @KAIZOSHOREDITCH)

Kaizo Salon, London

The Cut: A geometric bob

Best For: Straight hair of most types

This classic bob can be seen on the likes of Taylor Swift (as of late), a sharper version of Anna Wintour, and Edna Mode. Simple as it is, it makes a big statement. If you’re into making that statement, ask your stylist for a one-length, chin-length bob with straight, blunt bangs.

Lorenzo Comparelli, director and co-owner of Kaizo, says that this style can suit just about anyone, with some caveats. “As a rule of thumb, a wider face shape would look better if length is an inch or so below the jawline, while [with] more slender faces [hair] should be cut all the way to the jawline or above — of course, these rules can be changed to create stronger and quirkier looks!” If you’ve got straight, fine, or medium-weight hair, this can be very easy to style with a quick brush-through after using a smoothing serum, but if you’ve got coarser or slightly wavy hair, you’ll become close friends with your blowdryer and flat iron.

PHOTO: VIA @VIRGINIEDARBON.

David Mallett Salon, Paris

The Cut: “Afro-fresh belle du jour”

Best For: Very curly hair

This curly confection is what David Mallett stylist Etienne Sekola describes as the belle du jour for the Afro. The details, he says, are in the soft ends. He cut a fringe into this ‘do to give volume and shape, making it easier to style. Always use a good conditioner suited for your texture, then let it dry naturally or with a diffuser. Finish with salt spray on dry hair, Sekola advises. As is the Parisian way, effortless chic rules supreme.

(PHOTO: THE COVETEUR)

George Northwood Salon, London

The Cut: The “If Margot Tenenbaum joined a rock band” bob

Best For: Fine hair on the straighter side

The all-one-length bob is a classic, and probably most memorable from your kindergarten days (when you probably adorned it with a barrette). But you can definitely rock the look as a grown-up, given a few new details. This look is best for finer hair, but isn’t impossible if you have hair that is on the thick side — you just have to invest a bit more styling time into it. Ask your stylist to chop through the ends to shape the cut, keeping your texture in mind, to create that A-line shape — but keep the ends blunt.

(PHOTO: VIA @AMBAHUDSONSKYE)

Hair Lounge, London

The Cut: A short, curly crop

Best For: Very curly hair, any density

The cool thing about this short cut, shorn by hairstylist Charlotte Mensah, is that you can style it with straws (yes, drinking straws!), by wrapping lotion-dampened sections around the straws in spirals and allowing them to dry and set. The model, Amba Hudson-Skye, says that she re-wets and twists her curls each night to keep them fresh for the next day — this way, she can keep them going for a week before washing with a moisturizing, sulfate-free shampoo. Regular trims every four to six weeks will keep your ends their healthiest and your shape on point.

(PHOTO: VIA @BLYSSSALON)

Blyss Salon, Toronto

The Cut: A lob with short, choppy bangs

Best For: Fine hair

Short bangs are all the rage right now, according to Alyson Peach and Kelly Peters, both hairstylists at Toronto’s Blyss Salon. “So many of our clients want something a bit more edgy, without losing too much length. Our short answer to that is short, choppy bangs!” If the end result looks like a perfectly imperfect hack job, you’re on the right track here.

Ask for a shoulder-grazing long bob with the ends chopped into for texture, with a blunt finish, which will punctuate the style for an effortless, edgy feeling. Of course, you’ll need to pop in every four weeks or so to get the bangs trimmed, although they will look good grown out, too.

(PHOTO: VIA @PELLSHAIR)

Pells Hair, Tokyo

The Cut: A softly layered lob meets mid-length cut

Best For: Most hair types

There’s a reason the lob is so popular: It looks great on pretty much everyone. Taking that length a bit longer, however, is just as flattering. This softly polished look from Tokyo salon Pells incorporates inner layers that free up bulk on thick hair without veering into shag territory.

Yudai Hashimoto calls them “secret layers” — they give the hair that movement without looking overly layered on the surface. It’s a great cut to incorporate movement while maintaining length. If you have super-straight hair, just curl the ends in random directions and brush through, and if you’ve got wavy hair this style should suit you as a great low-maintenance option. Curly hair? These layers will work for you, too, but blow it out smooth for this look.

PHOTO: VIA @SALONXVI.

Salon XVI, Melbourne

The Cut: Blunt fringe with soft, textured layers

Best For: Medium to thick hair

This cut has the best of both worlds: soft, flowing texture with razor-sharp, blunt bangs. You’ll always look put-together with the neat bangs, but also carefree with the rest of the length. It’s not really high-maintenance; it just looks that way.

Benjamin Martin, owner of Salon XVI in Melbourne, Australia, explains this style as soft, graduated layers from the front, with point-cut fringe with rounded edges just outside your eyebrow width. He advises getting the bangs trimmed every three to four weeks, but you can grow out the rest of your hair for five or six weeks longer than that trimming schedule, since it’s a longer style.

For the rest of these around-the-world trends, visit Refinery29.

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By: Sable Yong