Hair Trends

18 buzzcut ideas if you're ready to go super short

Buzzing.

20 May 2021

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Daniel Thomas Smith

Our hair is one of the most visual ways to make a statement and a buzzcut is one of the boldest hair moves you can make.

At the end of the day, hair is just hair, it grows back. Still, we can get very attached (quite literally). Cutting away that security blanket can feel daunting, but it can also be majorly liberating.

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Since they're as brave as they're bold, buzz cuts have become a symbol of female strength. They're tough but feminine – and, over the past year, the cut has been reclaimed by more women than ever.

According to Google search data, “short hair styles” is the most Googled beauty trend around the world – and the UK searches for this term the most. Searches for "short back and sides" are up 250%, while "pixie cut" is up by 160%.

The reason? All sorts. Maybe it's a fresh start or emotional refresh. It could be purely practical, or it might simply be because you fancy trying something new.

Actress, Tiffany Haddish, couldn't have put it better when she explained the reasons for (and reception to) shaving her head at home over lockdown.

"Why when a woman decides, 'hey, I'm gonna cut this hair off, because I wanna see my scalp,' people say 'she's got a mental problem'? Nothing is wrong with my brain, you guys, I'm not suffering with no emotional shit. Nothing."

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She explained: "I've literally been talking about this for years – how I wanna see my scalp. I've seen every single part of my body, I know where every mole is, except my scalp." But alongside wanting to connect with her body more, Haddish explained that after completing phase 1 of the cut "it was the first time I've ever jumped in the shower and was not concerned about getting my hair wet... As a black woman, your hair takes two-to-three hours of your day, it is a lot of work, so I'm taking time off," she said. "I'm gonna be using that same energy that I would have been putting into my hair, into my mind." Her final mic drop? "When I've finished cutting all my hair off, I'm still gonna be fine as f*ck."

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So, what do you need to know before you make the cut? It depends. If you're going for a longer-length pixie cut with a bit of buzz-work round the back and sides, you may want to consider the shape and length to suit your features. If you're going all the way, just go for it and enjoy getting familiar with the cute shape of your head. You may need to get a response ready for when people try to pet you, though. We're told strangers are drawn to soft, fuzzy heads like a moth to a flame.

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The last thing to consider is colour. “I've seen a lot of people cutting their hair and going for bright colours," says Ollie, stylist at Blue Tit Streatham. "When it's done right and the condition is upheld it's the perfect canvas to put vivid colours over." But you don't have to stick to one shade. “People are now looking for more creative colour designs than ever before," explains Julia, stylist at Blue Tit East Village. "Three years ago people wanted a scalp bleach and pink all over, now it’s creative sectioning, multicolour and gradients.” Whichever you fancy, there's endless ways to make the style your own and have fun with it.

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