Summer sees us drop the extra layers, skip jackets and swap out heavy foundations. As for hair? The urge to go shorter is real. Summer bob haircuts are a stunning direction to head in if you want your hair to feel lighter, breezier and ready for the warmer weather we've been promised (currently eyeballing the weather app).
The bobsession is showing no signs of slowing down and the bob has continued to recruit (and hold onto) high profile fans including Gigi Hadid, Hailey Bieber, Ayo Edibiri, Megan Fox and Zendaya.
As for how to wear it, these are the summer bob haircuts that will be headlining the season…
The Y2K bob
Our love for the nineties hasn't subsided, but we've also been mining more recent archives with Y2K holding our attention for several seasons. Alongside butterfly motifs, handkerchief tops, low-rise jeans and colour tint sunglasses, ironed-straight hair and A-line bobs, are back. This bob shape sees slightly more length at the front than the back – we're not talking a Posh Spice-level pob gradient, but some subtle extra length that allows it to curve under the chin, Ashley Olsen-style.
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The hydro bob
For a sporty, shower-fresh vibes, the hydro bob has already been building its fan base this year with celebrities like Tyla (who wore a hydro bob to the Met Gala) and JLo (who wore a hydro bob to fashion week) getting on board. The trend sees misted strands add a fresh “fashion” twist to bob cuts that crucially, is easy to introduce. The focus is less on the exact bob shape and more on the liquid, wet-look finish. Plus, top hair pro, Tom Smith, says you can achieve it by running a hair mask through your bob which means even healthier strands.
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These are the products you'll need…
The mob bob
The mob wife aesthetic remains huge on TikTok and its staying put for summer. In hair terms, it's all about maximum glamour and big, bouncy hair with sexy swish and volume that takes up space because why not. For summer, the mob bob translates this into a shorter shoulder-length shape that was built for bougie holidays sipping negronis.
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We're ready with the inspo.
The crop bob
A huge trend for summer (we flagged it in our round-up of the biggest summer hair trends) is the crop bob. It takes the length super short to lobe-length to expose bare shoulders and the nape of the neck. It has a preppy and sporty ‘90s feel to it, like Lady Di meets Meredith Blake from The Parent Trap. It’s a little harder back, but luckily we've already rounded up our favourite ways to tie back short hair.
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From tenniscore braids to hourglass layers.
The dad bob
If you're cool enough to rock a pair of chunky dad trainers, the dad bob might be right up your street, too. It taps into the “dad aesthetic” that's been building a fan base with boxier jeans and oversized t-shirts. The corresponding bob cut follows suit with a slightly longer, blockier bob that feels a little more grown-up (and grown-out) than short French bobs and jawbone bobs. It has a '90s weight and swoosh that feels retro, relaxed, cool and easygoing. Length-wise, they should fall somewhere between your chin and collarbone.
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To go with your dad trainers.
The bell-bottom bob
Finally, the ‘70s isn’t done with our hair, and while a heavy ‘70s fringe hits perfectly for winter, the bell-bottom bob is here to give us some flair (or flare) for shorter styles this summer. Tom Smith, flagged the chop as the easy update, which like the hydro bob, centres more around styling than the actual cut. Essentially, it recreates the flared-out ’70s shape of bell-bottom jeans. “The flick-out that a bob does is something that people have tried to fight against in the past,” Tom said. "When you cut a long bob, it can be quite frustrating when it flicks out on the shoulders. It follows the curve of the neck and the shoulder, so a lot of [longer length bobs] will do this anyway. The fact that this is something that's been taken on as a style and being intentionally exaggerated is really fun. It's working on various lengths in various levels of drama,” he adds.
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For more from GLAMOUR's Senior Beauty Editor, Elle Turner, follow her on Instagram @elleturneruk
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