As we move away from pandemic hair — DIY haircuts and colour or no haircuts at all — trends have returned this year with a vengeance. Whether you like your locks long and lustrous or short and sassy, take your pick from the return of old classics to new hybrid haircuts with equally blended names like the Mixie (mullet-pixie), Bixie (bob-pixie) or Shullet (shag-mullet). Read on as we explain the differences in styles.

The Shullet
A cross between the shag and mullet, the Shullet is also known as the Wolf cut — a mid-length shag made popular by 1970s rock stars. The blueprint of this haircut is basically loads of volume on top which tapers down towards the bottom and completed with a heavy fringe. It is the perfect style for those with finer hair as it creates a tousled, undone effect that adds body and texture. This style has also spun-off the Smullet — a shullet that is shorter all round and falls just at or above your shoulders to give it more of a lob look.

The Octopus
Growing out your Shullet? Then you’ve got yourself an Octopus — where the hair is more bulbous up top with wispy layers and longer lengths that spread out at the bottom like octopus tentacles. It is almost like the classic Jennifer Aniston cut of the 1990s but more deconstructed.

The Mixie
The mullet meets the pixie in an edgy haircut that is longer in the back, like a mullet, and shorter in the front, like a pixie. To achieve that soft wispy look, hairstylists may use a razor over scissors to create a soft, broken up texture, leaving the external lengths longer. A rather low-maintenance haircut, the Mixie works with most hair styles and should be effortless to style with some easy products like a simple hair cream and minimal blow-drying.

The Bixie
One part bob, one part pixie, this short hair trend is part of the massive 1990s revival. Think of it as the famous Princess Diana haircut with a 2022 update — heavily layered, texturised and cropped. What’s great about this look is that you can style it either straight and slick, or messy and free with the help of some volumising spray and texturiser.

The Power Bob
A sleek classic style that can go from casual to corporate, the blunt bob is making a huge comeback this year. It’s styled poker straight with a glasslike finish and works well with a middle or off-centre parting. To replicate the style, make sure you keep the length at or just below the chin and cut it blunt, no layers. If you don’t have straight hair, be sure to blow-dry or flat-iron it straight to achieve maximum shine.

Bottleneck Bangs
Look younger with bottleneck bangs, a softer type of fringe (rather than a blunt and blocky one) where it starts slim and short in the middle, curving longer around the eyes, and then longest following the line of the cheekbone. This allows the length and angle to be adjusted to hide or accentuate certain features of your face. The type of bangs also softens the face when tying up your hair into a bun or ponytail as you leave a bit out to frame the face.

The Lob
Another evergreen classic, the shoulder-length bob or lob (long-bob) will continue to be a hit this year. Not only is it perfect for our warm weather, it’s easy to manage and there are tons of ways to style the look from a half knot to a spiky chignon or simple side-swept and glam waves.

Sleek and straight
With the resurgence of cropped tops and high-waisted jeans comes matching long locks inspired by the stylings of the noughties (circa 2000 to 2009). Think dead straight, shiny, sleek locks that is minimally layered and centre-parted — a look that can go from casual to formal, and tied up in a ponytail or bun. Although you’ll be visiting the hair salon less frequently, be prepared to spend an enormous amount of time with the flat-iron.

Voluminous blowout
Move over textured beach waves, 1990s-inspired big hair is back and it’s bouncy, fluffy and full of body just like Adele’s coiffed locks, which people are calling ‘fluffy hair’. Great for thicker tresses, this layered style makes hair look anti-gravitational yet smooth, shiny and glamourous. Perfect for dressier occasions when you need a statement do to match your head-turning dress.