Today's Hottest Hair Cuts and How To Finish Them

“Just a trim.” “Just take off the dead ends.” “Same as usual.” Are you and your hair cut clients needing a boost of inspo to liven things up? We reached out to three MODERN SALON Artist Connective members and an expert from Dyson—the folks responsible for the revolutionary Dyson Supersonic Professional Edition Hair Dryer™--for fresh hair cut and style inspiration to lift you out of those snip and style ruts.

BLUNT, LAYERED LOB

“Lobs are incorporating more layers throughout the cut, but the ends remain blunt and super-defined,” says Saretta Bowerman @hairbysaretta, owner of Blue Water Salon in Naples, FL, who is known for her game-changing hair transformations. To cut this shape, Bowerman snips the perimeter with tiny point cuts, then uses slide-cutting to create the layers while keeping the ends blunt. “If the hair is super thick, I’ll twist small sections and slide cut along the surface of the twist with a razor to remove bulk and create some disconnected layers,” she says.

For the lived-in waves that clients love, Bowerman begins the style with a smooth, straight blowout. “There shouldn’t even be a slight bend, otherwise you get a weird tweak at the end,” she says. “So I’ll blow dry the hair with a flat brush, keeping the ends straight, then go in with a flat iron to create the texture. I’ll start at the top of the head on each section, twist the iron downward once, slide through, twirl the curl with my fingers and then straighten the ends. I might also put an S-wave into every other section to mix up the texture a bit.”

When a finish requires two thermal techniques—blow drying, followed by iron styling—save time by working with a dryer that speeds up the blowout.

“The Dyson Supersonic Professional Edition Hair Dryer uses more velocity than heat to dry the hair,” says Todd Tinnel @toddtinnel, National Education Manager for Dyson. “It pushes the moisture out at a lower temperature, so not only does the hair dry more quickly, it’s exposed to less heat for less time, which reduces heat damage.”

ONE-LENGTH TEXTURED BOBS AND LOBS

“I’ve been seeing more and more people wanting to ditch traditional layers and swap them for a one-length cut with a ton of texture through the ends,” says Jess Dworniczak @jessdeehair, a colorist and stylist out of Southampton, PA known for her straight-shooting advice for fellow stylists. “It’s a very refreshing trend for people with fine hair, because while traditional layering gives them lift at the crown, it takes away width they didn’t want to sacrifice. This cut is extremely popular with both bobs and medium-length styles.” 

When creating short and medium lengths, Dworniczak says point-cutting is the stylist’s friend! “Deep, vertical point-cutting is excellent for taking weight out of the bottom of the hair—it prevents that ‘Lord Farquaad’ shape,” she says. “I tell my guests I’m giving them ‘invisible layers.’ It makes them feel fancy!”

To finish these cuts, Dworniczak likes to use her hand instead of a brush as much as possible. “Too much round brushing can lead to unwanted volume in the nape and around the ears,” she explains. “On medium lengths, I want more width than height. With these modern, layer-less cuts, ditch the old-school root volume. I still add a little lift up top, but we’re no longer channeling Peg Bundy!”  

THE MIDI CUT

“You know that weird stage when girls are growing out a short haircut, where it’s right around collarbone length and kicks out all over? More girls are asking for that midi length!” says Southern California-based colorist Stephanie Hodges @stephstyles, who specializes in cutting, braids and upstyles. To remove weight and add movement and texture to a one-length cut, Hodges uses a “curtain slide” cutting technique on the last two inches of each section. She pinches her thumb and forefinger together, inserts her fingers into the hair, opens her fingers, and then slide cuts the ‘curtain’ of hair that sits behind her fingers.

Hodges’ clients like loose, organic beach waves, which she achieves by blow drying with a small, 1-inch or 1 ¼-inch round brush. “I dry the hair at the root for volume,” she says, “then I wrap sections around the brush, starting 2 inches from the base, wind the hair once around, untwist it without letting go, slide down and repeat. I work all the way down the strand until the last 2 or 1 ½ inches, then I slide the brush straight out to create straight ends. This is how to get today’s looser, more inconsistent waves.”

Any time you’re using a dryer and a round brush to create texture, advises Tinnel, be sure to use the concentrator attachment. “That really goes for any brush work,” he comments, “whether the desired result is smooth and sleek or adding volume or curl. The Dyson Supersonic professional concentrator attachment in particular gives you so much control. You can focus your work precisely on each section without disturbing the rest of the hair.”

 LONG, AIRY LAYERS

“For my clients with long hair, I like to keep the face open, whether they want a heavy layer or one length,” Dworniczak says. “Keeping the length too heavy and long around the face makes the hair look like it has no style. Even something as simple as a good face-frame angle makes such a big difference! 

Beach waves still rule long hair styling, but today’s beach wave is looser, more inconsistent with alternating directions, says Hodges. “Some start at the scalp, some might start three inches out. Clients want that ‘I-just-woke-up-like-this’ look. You can accomplish this with a styling iron or a blow dryer. The trick when using a blow dryer is to prep the hair really well with a good styling product that offers some hold, and work with a smaller brush.”

Visit Dyson for more information on the Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer or call 866-861-2565 for an exclusive stylist price.