There’s a reason that having a good hair day can make or break your mood—hair is one of the defining characteristics of your look and can ultimately determine your entire vibe simply by how it’s styled. While some cuts can help to emphasize the angles of your face and highlight your best features, the wrong cut can make you appear dramatically older than you are, which is never the goal when it comes to styling your locks. For the most flattering cut and style at any length, we spoke with celebrity hairstylist Julien Farel to get the breakdown on the top looks to try in the new year to look and feel your best.
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Ace The Middle Part
Gen Z has long since declared the side part to be out, but they may be right when it comes to a middle part flattering a better variety of faces. Try out a middle part with a shorter cut, ala Kaia Gerber for a low maintenance look that will play to youth and innocence. “Middle part to bob with invisible layers is a perfect option if you are looking for something youthful. There are many ways to style a bob as well; straight, wavy, tousled, sleek, and more,” explains Farel. If you’re looking for a cut with the lowest effort possible to look chic, this may be your best bet.
Plenty Of Volume
Volume is the name of the game for injecting some youth into your look, and with medium or longer hair it can be useful to add some texture at the roots to stop your strands from falling flat and dragging down your complexion. “A voluminous style with medium to long hair will have you looking hot and sexy,” says Farel. “The color of the hair will always play an important and key role in the youthful look, as we age, we go lighter. A light brown highlight can instantly make you look young.” Think Jennifer Aniston, who has never strayed from volume and rocks highlighted strands like nobody’s business.
Highlights & Curtain Bangs
Rather play with color than make a big chop? Farel suggests trying out highlights and a gentle curtain bang to naturally frame your face while adding in some dimension which can enhance your youthful glow with ease. “A beautiful mix of dirty blonde highlights and tones of light brown, with a natural deeper base help to keep the dimension and the contrast, and layered waves and short/longish straight bangs could be the perfect youthful look you’ve been seeking,” he explains. “When considering a new hairstyle, have your natural texture base mixed with some sun kissed highlights. This will give you an instant 'coup de jeunesse.'”
Long & Layered With Blunt Bangs
While the curtain bang style has gained traction over the last year, the look isn’t necessarily for everyone. If you’re hoping for a slightly more dramatic cut, opting for long layers and a blunt bang can have a similar effect in turning back the clock. This is because bangs will easily hide any forehead wrinkles, quickly masking your age. “A simple way to enhance straight, wavy, or fine hair will be cutting some long layers with a thick and straight bang at your brow line,” suggests Farel. “Another option for this look would be a layered bob with some amazing volume below. The haircut and style could be adaptive to many face shapes and many ages.”
