Long hair will be worn straight this year and without layers. Photo: Getty

Nothing says “here and now I start again” like a haircut. A gesture, that of change, which has more to do with psychology than vanity: cutting hair is a symbol of moving forward, of moving forward, of starting a new stage, of not looking back. Legendary is Coco Chanel's phrase about it (that of "a woman who cuts her hair is about to change her life"). The Americans, who know how to label things so well, even have a term to designate this process: the “breakup haircut”, which, although it refers to the decision to use scissors after a breakup, actually speaks of the need for reinvention that we feel all after a difficult time. Whether a haircut can indeed attract a change in our lives, whether it represents that this change has already begun in us, welcome to the scissors in 2022.

Less layers, more straight

Layers have been the dominant trend in 2021 and it is not that they are going to disappear, but they are softened and make room for straighter and more geometric cuts, which could be seen in the Saint Laurent, Proenza Schouler or Alaïa fashion shows, and on the street in recognizable short hair like Linda Tol's extremely blonde. The difference next year is that these cuts are more compact and not exclusively designed for straight hair: digital influencer Erika Boldrin, who wears her hair in big waves, is a good example.

Linda Tol, with the short hair that will be a trend. / @ Claudio Lavenia/Getty Images

Erika Boldrin in Paris last October, debuting her wavy hair in a single layer. / @ Edward Berthelot/Getty Images

Long live hypertexture

True: texture is not a cut in itself but a finish. However, such a relevant trend is expected for 2022 that it will make available all kinds of cutting techniques to extol it. In line with the principle of celebrating diversity and natural beauty, the goal here is to “embrace” what we have (be it curly, thick, unruly, or voluminous hair) and accentuate it even more. An idea that fits very well with the search for well-being above vanity, a message that flies over the entire beauty industry.

The wavy, fluffy and curly texture will have its particular golden moment in the coming year and the key is to cut it with angled sections so that it frames the face. Paloma Elesser, the model of the moment, has made her very long wavy hair an inspiration.

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Danish model Olivia Vonten has made her shaggy locks her hallmark. / @ Getty Images

Emili Sindlev brings the hypertexture trend to her hair (which in fashion translates into padded and voluminous finishes). / @ Christian Vierig/Getty Images.

The new "new mullet"

Double adjective to indicate that this weathered cut, short and long at the same time, which David Bowie praised in 1972 as Ziggy Stardust and which symbolized an entire aesthetic and cultural rebellion in the eighties, he has been claiming his return for a couple of seasons, with different iterations. 2022 seems to see him with kinder eyes and softens his image, relaxing the layers and turning it into a fuller cut. Eduardo Sánchez, one of the gurus of the perfect cut in Madrid, explained it to us this way a few weeks ago: "It starts from the bangs, follows the contour of the face and ends just below the clavicle." In 2022 it won't matter if you have straight or curly hair, because his technique is an extraordinary way to enhance texture. Among the references that update the cut are the hairstyles from the latest fashion shows by brands such as Hermès, Courrèges, Proenza Schouler or Isabel Marant, models such as Mica Argañaraz and Marjan Jonkman, or street style influencers such as María Bernad.

María Bernad in Paris with her smooth mullet cut. / @ Christian Vierig/Getty Images

Justine Soranzo wears it with a version reminiscent of the famous '70s shag cut. /@ Kirstin Sinclair/Getty Images

Long bangs

Long bangs are probably the safest way to go for a makeover. The key is that it reaches eye level, that it is not too well combed and that it allows for natural movement, be it in a curtain (lightened in the center and thicker towards the temples) or in a cascade (here is the other great novelty of the year, the bangs for curly or wavy hair goes from challenge to desire).

Jeanette Friis Madsen has made her long bangs a well-known bob in street style. / @ Kirstin Sinclair/Getty Images

Model Mica Arganaraz wears it just above her eyebrows. / @ Edward Berthelot/Getty Images

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