Hair Trends Everyone Ditched In 2020

What hair trends did everyone ditch in 2020? While some hairstyles remain in vogue for years or even decades, others come and go with the changing seasons. You probably already know about those classic hairstyles that never seem to go out of fashion — think long wavy layers, a pixie cut, or a even simple bob (via Byrdie). However, when hairstyles cycle in and out of fashion quickly, it can be a little harder to keep up with what trends are actually "in."

As far as hair trends in 2020, it was a year of rapid cycling. Trends were also influenced by the lockdown, which forced a wide variety of people to work or study from home. As you can imagine, the changes to what our idea of "normal" is also led to some significant changes in what styles were considered popular. For a while people even wondered if it was safe to get a haircut.

Want to find out which hair trends were given the boot after 2019? Here are the hair trends everyone ditched in 2020.

Once something you could only see cartoons, "anime hair" became more and more popular over the years, especially in online settings. What originally began as a niche style for fangirls slowly morphed into a more mainstream look, as All Things Hair pointed out. However, it seems that 2020 saw the once up-and-coming trend going solidly out of fashion. If you're not familiar with anime, here are the best anime movies you can watch on Netflix right now.

We spoke to Amy Abramite and Shelly Aguirre, stylists from Maxine Salon in Chicago, who both expressed their distaste for the look. "Anime hair is based on over-exaggerated cartoon hair and is challenging to accomplish in reality," Abramite told The List. Because the look is so difficult to achieve, it's not exactly a sensible look for a year dominated by lockdown and closed salons! Plus, it's not exactly a natural hairdo. "It's chunky and fun looking on a piece of paper, but not in real life — that can look like you got your hair stuck in a blender," Aguirre explained to The List. No wonder people ditched the trend!

When it comes to retro looks, it doesn't get more old school than a pompadour combined with flowing locks at the back of the head. For a while, this hair trend seemed to be making a comeback, as we saw women wearing a half up, half down pompadour style, or an elegant, long pompadour updo. Refinery29 noted in 2018, that celebrities like Jessica Biel, Tessa Thompson, and Amber Heard were all sporting the look.

In 2020, it seemed as though this trend was making a comeback — but this time, as a new short style. "The pompadour is the perfect classic look for [those] who want to pull their hair away from their face but still want to be edgy and fun," celebrity hairstylist Raphael Reboh explained to Byrdie. "However, it is not an easy style to pull off for the faint of heart." 

While the short pompadour may be tough to pull off, there's no doubt about it: in 2020, this look completely replaced the old, longer pompadour everyone ditched. So if you're thinking about getting one, may sure you try this more modern, on-trend version of it.

The undershave has always been a super edgy hair trend. For many, it can be a great alternative to the more dramatic half-shaved look that Natalie Dormer famously sported in The Hunger Games franchise (via The Independent). In 2017, the style was described by Glamour as the ideal spring look for the "unexpected badass."

However, as of 2020, the standard undershave look has fallen out of fashion, according to Amy Abramite of Maxine Salon in Chicago. "The shaved area on an undercut is done with an electric clipper and can look harsh, bald, and stubbly." Yikes, definitely not a great look when we're all having a harder time getting to the salon! 

Instead of opting for a razor-sharp undershave, Abramite recommended a more feminine style. "To soften the look, the undercut portion can be cut with scissors for a longer length, adding a wispy, grown-out feeling to the look for femininity." Wondering which option is best for you? Here a list of the undercut hairstyles you'll be asking for all 2020.

Layers are one of those looks that always seem to be in style, especially for women with long hair. However, the last few years had seen many women ditching the layers for a blunt, straight, all-one-length style. But according to Vincent De Marco, the hair stylist behind Vincent Hair Artistry, the blunt look was getting pretty tired in 2020. "Perfectly blunt chopped haircuts, unless they descend to a slightly longer length in the front and are pressed really, really straight, they're just done," he told The List. "We've been looking at them way too long."

Shelly Aguirre, a stylist from Maxine Salon in Chicago, agrees with De Marco's assessment. "Blunt straight hair can look like a broomstick and have zero movement," she revealed to The List. Instead, she recommended getting a few layers around the face to give more movement to the hair. 

According to Glamour, Aguirre has a point. It seems that 2020 is all about the effortless, flowing invisible layers look, rather than the dated, blunt cut style.

Whether you've watched Friends or not, you're probably familiar with the show's most famous haircut: "The Rachel." The look came into fashion after it was worn by Jennifer Aniston on the sitcom. Even though the actress thought the style was "the ugliest haircut [she'd] ever seen," as she told Allure, the hair trend took off and became a look that millions imitated. To this day, it's still being worn (via The Telegraph).

However, as Amy Abramite and Shelly Aguirre of Maxine Salon explained, the day has finally come: it's time to ditch the iconic hair trend. "There are variations of that cut that are much more current and complimentary," Aguirre shared with The List. "Plus, look at the clothes that were worn back then — very '90s, which was cute — in the '90s!"

Furthermore, the look doesn't exactly allow for versatility. "Even when you don't want 'The Rachel' to flip, no amount of styling technique will stop it from flipping," Abramite revealed to The List. "It's permanently cut into the style." Interestingly enough, the haircut Jennifer Aniston regrets the most isn't what you think.

Back in the '80s, one hair accessory became the ultimate fashion statement: the scrunchie. The look lost popularity in the '90s and early 2000s, but as NPR pointed out, they became trendy once more in 2019. In fact, scrunchies sold eight times faster than other hair accessory products that year. Teen Vogue even named them the "biggest fashion trend" of 2019!

However, in 2020, it may be time to ditch this antiquated hair trend. As Shelly Aguirre from Maxine Salon in Chicago said, while scrunchies can be useful and cute at home, they aren't really a fashionable look in public these days. "The scrunchie should be reserved for when you wash your face or when you go to bed," she explained to The List. 

Aguirre added that a satin scrunchie can actually be super healthy for your hair, but it's not for date night, that's for sure. "It's not cute out and about," she continued. "If you wore it in the '80s the first time, please don't wear it for fashion now!"

2020 became a year of self-styling for many hair enthusiasts. Thanks to the lockdown, the vast majority of salons closed their doors for months on end, so for a while DIY hair became fashionable. The Cut highlighted a few DIY hair success stories, including a series of brightly colored buzz cuts. As Vogue noted in April of 2020, the buzz cut was trending!

While this look may have been popular and practical during a global pandemic, it's unlikely that this hair trend will last beyond 2020, according to Amy Abramite, creative director of Maxine Salon in Chicago. "A self-cut quarantine style is not going to last the long haul," she shared with The List. "It was only meant to get you over the hump until you could visit the salon." 

It sounds like the buzz cut may be making a comeback in 2020, but once all salons fully reopen, people will once again grow out their tresses.