2026's Top Haircut Trends Are Where Clean Cuts Meet Bold Shape
A one-stop roundup of the styles to know—and make your own.
A new year has a way of making a refresh feel non-negotiable, and a haircut is the most satisfying place to start (or, fine, maybe the second—after debuting your first winter manicure). Before booking your next appointment, here’s what to know: 2026 hair trends aren’t chasing extremes. Instead, they settle into a sweet spot between minimal and bold, pairing clean cuts with shapes that still feel modern and easy to live with.
“This year, less is more,” says celebrity hairstylist Ashley Ruiz of Flore Salon. “Think classic, sophisticated, and effortlessly chic.” According to her, intentional shaping is a defining theme for 2026. “For bobs, that means clean, crisp lines,” she says. “For long hair, it’s purposeful layers that flatter the face and elevate the entire cut, especially when enhanced with thoughtful styling.”
Ruiz’s take on 2026’s haircut trends aligns closely with what hairstylist Sheila Guillermo of NYC The Team is seeing as well. She says face-framing cuts with balanced proportions and soft layers are trending—and especially ideal for winter, when heavier coats, scarves, and high necklines can easily overwhelm the hair. The added layering helps maintain shape and movement, even when hair is styled more simply. This season, she adds, there’s also a retro undercurrent, with modern takes on “70s flips, '90s bounce, and classic shapes.”
Ahead, I’ve rounded up seven haircut trends poised to dominate the year, with options ranging from subtle switch-ups to statement-making changes, plus photo inspiration to bring straight to the salon. The edit is informed by expert insight from Ruiz and Guillermo, alongside celebrity hairstylist Justine Marjan and hairstylist and HAUS Salons founder Charles Brackney Love, with trend research spanning runways, online beauty forums, and beyond. Keep scrolling for the full rundown.
The Flippy Bob
"A new year has a way of bringing a fresh appreciation for the classics," says Ruiz. "A bob is a perfect choice, anywhere from chin-length to the clavicle, because it pairs beautifully with winter fashion staples like scarves, coats, and higher necklines."
Selena Gomez is among Ruiz’s recent clients to embrace the flippy bob—and she’s far from the only one. The cut’s staying power came up repeatedly in conversations with other experts interviewed for this story as well.
It’s also worth noting that the bob isn’t one-size-fits-all. Stylists point to multiple iterations gaining traction this season, including the super-textured French bob, which is especially well-suited for wavy hair textures.
Eyelid-Grazing Bangs
Eyelid-grazing bangs are an easy way to experiment with fringe. Marjan describes the look as a way to “tiptoe into a fringe without fully committing.” She adds that “the key is for less hair to be cut so there’s the option for a bang, but it’s also easily concealed into a style if desired.” The goal, she says, is that “the end result should be piecey for a sultry finish.”
Long Layers With Bounce
This long-layered look channels a modern take on the iconic ’90s "Rachel" cut, designed to create movement and bounce without sacrificing density. Guillermo describes it as an updated version of the Friends-born hairstyle, with “heavy layers but not too many that it will remove density in the lengths,” she says.
“Oval faces are usually called the most versatile for layers,” she adds. “Layers that start around the cheekbone or lower help elongate a round face shape, while softer graduated layers around the face help soften the jawlines on a square face.”
Softened Grown-Out Bobs
Though the bob’s reign continues, many people are now in the grow-out phase of previously blunt cuts—and for winter, the approach is softening what’s already there rather than starting over. According to Brackney Love, that often means lightening the interior of the cut so it doesn’t feel overly blunt as it grows past the chin and toward the shoulders. The added softness helps the hair move more naturally, giving grown-out bobs room to flip and bend and making them easier to wear day to day, especially when styled with minimal effort and left to air-dry into their natural texture.
The 'It Girl' Lob
A "lob" haircut—short for long bob—is shaping up to be the season’s most wearable in-between cut, typically hitting right around the collarbone. The "collarbone-grazing blunt cut allows for fullness in blowouts with slight face framing," says Marjan. Guillermo, who also says this haircut is booming for winter, agrees with Marjan that there's "no right face shape for this cut because it can be customized" to your unique features.
Curtain Bangs
Curtain bangs are one of those styles that always seem to come back around, and it's happening for 2026. For the uninitiated, curtain bangs are "longer bangs that usually part in the middle and blend into the rest of the haircut,” says Guillermo, which also makes them one of the easiest ways to ease into fringe.
“Curtain bangs are very adaptable," Guillermo continues. "They can work on almost anyone when cut and styled to your face shape.” Whether you’re leaning into a throwback moment or something more polished, she adds, “curtain bangs are perfect for that retro '70s vibe that is channeling a Farrah Fawcett or for a polished modern glam girl.”
The Texture-Led Cut
According to Brackney Love, winter hair is about leaning into what your hair already does: cowlicks, lift, texture, and all. It’s less about forcing a look and more about letting your hair’s personality come through. That mindset aligns with what Marie Claire has been tracking for 2026, especially the growing focus on cuts that work with natural texture rather than fighting it. The shift is most evident in styles that need less heat and let hair’s natural shape do the work—think natural curls and coils.
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For more than 30 years, Marie Claire has been an internationally recognized destination for news, fashion and beauty trends, investigative packages, and more. When it comes to the products Marie Claire recommends, we take your faith in us seriously. Every product that we feature comes personally recommended by a Marie Claire writer or editor, or by an expert we’ve spoken to firsthand.
Charles Brackney Love is a hairstylist at Saturdays Hair Co. in Austin, Texas, and a cofounder of HAUS Salons in the Twin Cities.
