Right now, beauty is in its nostalgic era with the return of headbands and The Body Shop's Dewberry fragrance. The same vibe is informing the spring hair trends 2026, with an emphasis on soft-focus, fluid silhouettes – whether you're leaning into dark romance waves inspired by your favourite GCSE English novel, or '90s-coded layers.
“These trends are not about extremes, it's about refining shape and movement,” says Philipp Haug, celebrity hairstylist and co-founder of Haug London Haus, who describes the most popular looks for spring as being "rooted in precision, but styled to feel soft, modern and wearable.”
Keep scrolling for the biggest spring hair trends 2026, where minimal effort equals maximum style.
CK1 layers
The release of Ryan Murphy's American Love Story has already seen the tortoiseshell headband become the It girl’s hottest fashion accessory for spring 2026. Now there's a cut to match. “Drawing inspiration from the minimalist girl and effortless cool of 1990s Calvin Klein imagery, the CK1 layering trend marks a sophisticated evolution in face framing," says Philipp.
It's a move away from ‘Jagger layers’, a cutting technique that combines long layers with shorter face-framing pieces for a shaggy effect. CK1 layers are "cleaner, more deliberate and hyper-polished,” he notes.
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A step-by-step guide to looking simple yet stylish.
The ‘bombshell midi’
Undone ‘French girl’ hair was in danger of making us break up with our hairdryers and styling products. With a few exceptions, the glossy bombshell blow-out was slowly being retired in favour of tousled strands that fell any which way. When it did make an appearance, its sleek barrel waves and root volume was reserved for long hair.
That's all set to change this spring, now that “the midi is getting a high-volume makeover,” says Philipp. Not only is the look defined by a shoulder-grazing crop, "we're seeing a shift away from wispy, shaggy textures toward the bombshell mid length – a look that prioritises structure, swing and a polished, expensive finish. The secret to this silhouette lies in the balance between face-framing softness and internal density.”
You may like to consider invisible layers – shorter pieces cut underneath long top layers – to create volume. Then focus on plenty of root lift at the crown, which can be created by applying a root spray or volumising mousse through the roots of towel-dried hair before blow-drying with a round brush.
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Cinder brunette
An almost black shade, which read charcoal in the light, was a go-to shade for autumn. Tonally, things have lightened up a little for spring with the advent of ‘cinder brunette’, but the premise is similar.
“Cinder brunette is a velvet-rich, deep brown, layered with cool charcoal and soft mushroom lowlights," says Marley Xavier, a celebrity colourist at London's Hershesons salon. “It's multi-tonal and quietly structured,” which ultimately means the colour never looks flat. "It's great for clients who want darker hair with depth and edge, but without the maintenance of high-contrast colour,” he adds.
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The modern French twist
Forget claw grips. A retro hairstyle made famous by Audrey Hepburn in the '60s is enjoying a moment in the spotlight. Enter the French twist, which has already been co-signed by Kendall Jenner and Hailey Bieber, as well as online influencers including Sophie SS, as the cool girls' updo for spring 2026.
A Parisian shop has also fanned the flames for this trend. Maison Caillau has become TikTok-famous for its chic hair accessories - among them, the bestselling Fourche à 3 Dents, a three-pronged tortoiseshell fork designed to hold a French twist.
To recreate the look, simply gather your hair into a low ponytail, twist it upwards and tuck the ends inside. Secure the twist with a hair fork or comb. The key is not to make it look too polished; you want the hair to look like you've just thrown it casually into an updo.
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Dark romance waves
While Margot Robbie's Brontë blush is dominating our mood boards for an outdoorsy flush this spring, her dark romance waves on the Wuthering Heights red carpet have been just as alluring. Created by hairstylist Bryce Scarlett, they're characterised by a waist-skimming length and a half-up style with a few loose tendrils around the face. Think Victorian mermaid hair and you get the picture.
Hairstylist Nataliia Bumford from Hershesons recommends using a triple-barrel hair waver to create a similar curl pattern in your hair. “The idea is to create messy but somewhat controlled hair that doesn't look too try-hard," says Nataliia. "Take random sections – some big, some small – and press the waver through mid-lengths and ends, touching a few roots really lightly.”
You could also use a flat iron, she says – simply “move the hair through the plates in a loose S-shape” and “finish by separating the waves with your fingers, skipping some sections for uneven, lived-in texture.”
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Golden dune
As soon as the weather brightens up, so does our hair colour it seems. While butter blonde, with its bleached-out milky tones, was a huge trend in 2025, this spring we're set to embrace more subtle iterations of sun-kissed hair. ‘Golden dune’ is a hair colour trend coined by Marley and refers to a blend of "sandy beige with wheat-gold highlights," he explains.
Key to the look is anchoring the hair colour in a soft neutral root to make the highlights look less stark. “This isn't beachy blonde - it's more considered, with a subtle sun-kissed feel that works year-round," Marley adds. "There's movement without excessive contrast, and brightness without losing depth. It's ideal for natural blondes or mid-level brunettes who want warmth with understated dimension.”
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K-hair
The glass skin trend, popularised by Korean skincare brands, has moved from the face to your scalp. Google search around Korean hair care products is reportedly up 110% – something that's unsurprising when you consider they're powered by ingredients such as cica, hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, collagen and ceramides – all ingredients you're just as likely to find in your serum.
That's because the premise for K-hair is the same – to keep the skin on your scalp soothed and hydrated while simultaneously imparting a glass-like sheen to your strands by caring for the cuticles.
Better still, you don't need to hunt for K-hair products on a niche website. Boots has not only identified K-hair as one of the biggest beauty trends of 2026, but it has launched the category onto the high street with brands such as Kundal, one of Korea's most famous haircare brands, and Daeng Gi Meo Ri, expanding its impressive K-beauty haul.
French girl bangs
There's no hiding behind this next trend. Baby bangs, “a very short fringe that sits mid forehead or even higher," is set to overtake curtain bangs as the season's go-to face framer, says Stefania Mastrogiuseppe, owner of Blue Tit Hammersmith.
It has versatility in spades as “it can be cut blunt for a more dramatic look or choppy and textured for a softer, modern look," she notes. In other words, it's a cool update to a traditional French bob. Not to mention, “it goes really well with pixie cuts that are super trendy at the moment and also with very long blunt hair that is also a statement [think Emily Ratajkowski],” says Stefania.
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Plum noir
In autumn, we started seeing a move towards Goth-glam hair colours. Now it seems that the ‘summerween’ fashion trend (dark and moody Halloween aesthetic meets summer vibes) has spilled over to hair for the warmer months ahead.
A forerunner for this trend is ‘plum noir’, which colour specialist and co-founder of Haug London Haus salon, Siobhan Haug, explains works best when “working with darker bases like dark brown to soft black. This means that outside of natural light, the hair looks almost black, revealing its rich purple tones only when it catches the light. It's a balance of cool violet with the tiniest hint of red," and above all it's super glossy.
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'80s volume shag
The ‘80s shag is officially back. The cut, with its distinctive layers for added volume and face framing tufts, has been relatively subtle in previous seasons but is set to have more attitude than ever before in 2026. “We’re going to see more ’80s shaggy, choppy mullets with a punk rock style, lots of texture and volume on top," says Tom Warr, creative director at Blue Tit London. The trick is to keep the layers short all over “so it’s important to book in regular trims with your stylist to maintain these every 6-8 weeks,” says Tom.
As for styling, he recommends “blow-drying the hair back and up with a round brush, and using Oway Flux Potion to hold and add volume.”
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Soft shadow blonde
Blonde that falls on the neutral end of the spectrum rather than high-contrast platinum or bright blonde is set to be spring's effortless take on the shade.
Colourist Jason Collier has dubbed the trend “soft shadow blonde” on account of it “blending deeper, natural roots into lighter lengths using a hazy, shadowed transition that looks intentionally undone. Clients want blonde that grows out beautifully, and this look is about depth at the root and softness everywhere else. Ask for a lived-in blonde with a subtle root shadow and brighter pieces through the face.”
Meanwhile, Melissa Timperley, celebrity stylist and founder of Melissa Salons, describes the look as “faded blonde” and the tone as “soft, muted and beautifully blended – think creamy beige with subtle ash undertones. These aren't harsh, stripy highlights – it’s a seamless, lived-in finish that's diffused but multi-dimensional. Soft root shadowing adds depth."
A regular glossing treatment every 6-8 weeks prevents unwanted warmth from creeping in, says Melissa. Using a weekly purple or blue-toned shampoo will also prevent brassiness. “Always use a heat protector,” adds Melissa. “Faded blonde looks best when the tone stays clean and excessive heat can dull it.”
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