The Hair Trend For 2023 That Is All About Blending Different Styles
Mix and match has been trending for the last few years and seems to be here to stay. Just look at swimsuits, furniture, and athletic wear . . . even Mcdonald's has got on board. It shouldn't be a surprise then that hair has followed suit. Hairstylist Paul Percival is confident that mix and match hairstyles will be taking the salon by storm: he told Glamour, "You might see the shag or wolf cut turned into the octopus cut, or the mullet and shag turned into the shullet."
These especially forgiving looks might even be attempted at home, which can create even more unique hair mashups previously unseen. TikTok users are quick to get behind the trend, not being frightened of experimenting with different haircuts or simply letting their current looks grow out. Case in point is the mixie, which features the shorter layers of a pixie on top while letting the back grow out, similar to a mullet.
Edgy and seriously fun, we can't wait to see the mix and match hairstyles that come out of 2023. Nostalgic cuts were great, but maybe it's time to take the best aspects of all our favorite cuts and fuse them into something fresh and fantastic.
These mashups are shear winners
There are a handful of haircuts that work well as bases for experimentation. Many are throwbacks from decades past, including the shag, mullet, and wolf cut. Marrying hairstyles from two decades has created some fan favorites. For example, a variation of the shag and mullet mashup is the wolf cut, but when you let your layers grow long and thin while trimming around the crown of the head to add volume, you can end up with an octopus cut. Or take the shullet, an even more eccentric take on a shaggy mullet. It is essentially a mullet, but the added fringe and blended shorter sides can help make rocking this bold look feel a little less daring.
A bixie, a bob-pixie, or a mixie — the love child of a pixie and mullet — are two other edgy looks we love. Both hybrids take the best elements from each style to create an edgy but classic look that is anything but boring. Plus, with some smart styling, each cut can grow out into another amazing look, like a messy bob or a lob. Of course, you can always go more low-key with your mixing and matching. A shaggy bowl cut perfectly blends wispy layers and a traditional short bowl cut. It's super customizable and isn't as obvious that you mashed up two different styles, unlike its cousin, the jellyfish haircut, which can feature a bowl cut with some extra long layers in the back.
Blending haircuts in your bathroom
Percival notes that many of these styles are products of at-home experimentation rather than intentional salon styles, "People are almost having a DIY version of a haircut," he told Glamour. Social media is full of people cutting their own hair. TikTok's Butterfly haircut is super popular, with #butterflycut videos reaching thousands, if not millions, of views. Once the tutorial was posted, courtesy of hairstylist Brad Mondo, at-home haircutting really seemed to take off.
Many of these hairstyles share one very similar feature — layers. Layered haircuts can be more forgiving than precise, blunt chops, especially if you DIY the perfect layers at home in front of the bathroom mirror. Nevertheless, some hairstylists still warn that things can go wrong; so it is best to proceed with caution. Referring to the popular TikTok ponytail chop that allegedly turns your hair into a perfect shag, professional hairstylist Erickson Arrunategui told Allure that "This method may work for someone with wavy or curly fine hair, where the mistakes won't show as much, but a lot can go wrong with this 'technique' and it's not so forgiving on all hair types."
Still, experimenting with mixing and matching haircuts is exciting, and churning out jaw-dropping styles that can be too tempting not to try at home. As long as you have your salon on speed dial, it can be fun to become your own hairstyle mixologist serving up looks at your bathroom counter.