I don’t know about you, but the last decade has gifted me with a lot of personal growth in the vicinity of all things hair. For one, I’ve stopped shampooing my strands into oblivion every single day. (The sweet spot is every three days, according to celebrity hair icon Philip B., BTW.) Two, I’ve learned the power of a great air-dry and have bid adieu to my former flat iron addiction. I’ve been able to get my hair to actually grow (an insane, unfamiliar phenomenon I attribute to the two former practices), and I’ve also leaned into the art and fun of extensions, whimsical hair accessories, easy, low-maintenance styling tricks, and so on and so forth, all of which I’ve tried to document here at WWW HQ for your benefit as well. So yes, as far as my hair goes, the past decade has been one of my more successful ones. (Again, I want to reiterate that my strands didn’t smell perpetually fried like they did in the ninth grade.)
But also, when thinking about the 2010s collectively, it’s actually been a pretty epic decade for hair and hair trends in general. Unlike previous decades which seemed to be singularly defined by certain quintessential styles or color trends (afros, beehives, zebra highlights, fluffy bangs, mullets—you get the picture), 2010 to 2019 has featured a playful mishmash of all sorts of goodness. We’ve brought certain trends back with vengeance (like high ponytails, ’60s- and ’70s-inspired fringe, and sun-bleached strands that would make the cast of Baywatch proud, but we’ve also incubated some new, very cool hair trends like the “I don’t give an f*ck bedhead waves à la Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, chignons and top knots that have (literally) reached new heights, and, so much more.
So in honor of the up and coming new decade, we decided to pay homage to some of the best hair trends of the 2010s. Of course, we couldn’t include everything, but below we’re citing the special hair moments WWW editors and celebrity hairstylists are raising their glasses to. Ready for some major hair inspo? Keep scrolling.
According to celebrity hairstylist Stéphane Bodin (who’s based in both L.A. and Paris), long, easy, low-maintenance waves demonstrated by such beauties as Elisa Sednaoui or Zoe Saldana was a beautiful and laid-back hair trend that has characterized the last decade. (Another glaring example? The obsession with Mary-Kate and Ashley’s super-chic bends.)
“Think Catherine Zeta-Jones at Mipcom in 2017 or Bérénice Bejo the same year at Cannes—the fake bob is the best way to change your hair without an actual haircut and it’s really easy and quick,” says Bodin. We saw plenty of celebs go the faux route in the last 10 years to experiment with shorter length without the commitment. (We’re also obsessed with Kerry Washington’s take seen below.)
Be it up high like a modern-day Cindy Bruna or low at the nape of the neck à la Uma Thurman (forever chic), Bodin says the style is “simple, classic, sleek, and super glossy”—and probably won’t be going anywhere despite its endurance all throughout the 2010s.
Name one celebrity who didn’t dabble in the ombré color trend. Go ahead, we’ll wait while we admire two reigning queens of the decade-long look, Chrissy Teigen and Jamie Chung.
From Sandra Oh’s signature curls to Ciara’s long and natural tresses, we couldn’t be happier to have seen a major surge of acceptance and celebration in the last 10 years in terms of embracing natural curl and texture. It’s a movement we hope gains even more momentum in the 2020s.
Braids certainly aren’t new, but we’re not sure if we’ve seen such a screenshot-worthy variety of braids as we have over the last decade. From the resurgence of microbraids in the past couple of years (which were also huge back in the ’90s) to three-foot-long side braids studded with rhinestones, the style has known no bounds from 2010 to 2020.
No kidding, everyone and their mother was (and still is!) trying their hand at red hair. From fire engine hues à la Rihanna circa her Loud era to more muted shades of crimson à la Zendaya and Emna Roberts, we consider the trend not only one of the most prominent but also one of the most stunning. We hope the color trend’s legs continue.
Celebrity hairstylist Cervando Maldonado says fringe (especially fringe that’s long and eye-grazing like his client Lily Aldridge’s 2016 moment below) was one of the most notable hair trends we saw during the 2010s. “In 2016, Lily Aldridge came in for a new look,” he shares. “We decided on a long fringe, grazing right underneath her eyes and we also added strategic face-framing to complement her beautiful features. After this cut, I got a lot of attention and people responded well to it by trying to re-create the look. “I love this trend because it’s a French classic with a southern California edge to it. Plus, it’s a great look for people regardless of how fine or thick their hair is. When you go in to see your hairdresser, ask them for a face-framing long bang that is versatile without being too heavy.” That said, while we’re on the topic of bangs, blunt, fairy-esque fringe like Campbell’s above, has also been massively popular.
From Beyoncé to our beloved LC., a warm, honey-perfect shade of blonde has been the gold standard shade of flaxen for the past 10 years. We’re not exactly sure if shows like Laguna Beach and The Hills were the root cause of the Cali-perfected color trend, but we’d bet they played an influential role in the color’s mass popularity.
“Julianne Moore circa 2010 immediately comes to mind,” Maldonado shares. “Another trend that started in 2010 and is seen a lot on the red carpet still today, is beautifully styled hair pushed over to one side of the head, which gives softness and sexiness to the style while still showing off the dress or outfit. “To get the look, blow your hair out and add waves, or keep it straight with movement. Take one side of the hair, tuck the hair behind your ear, and pull it around the shoulder. If you need extra security, you can use pins to keep it in place.”
Maldonado tells us he also loves long, textured hair with soft waves around the face like Sarah Jessica Parker back in 2012. (These days, stars like Solange Knowles also make the trend fresh and cool.) “To create a look like this for Sarah, I start by blowing her hair out straight and semi-full. Then, I used a 1.5-inch barrel curling iron from T3, from back to front. Make your waves looser in back and soft and more prominent around the face.”
High ponytails have been a major trend for years—think Cher, Barbara Eden in I Dream of Genie, Gabrielle Union in Bring It On… We could go on, but we’re pretty sure the high ponytail didn’t truly arrive until Ariana Grande sang her way onto the scene around 2011ish. Ever since, pretty much every celeb has channeled the look in some capacity or another. We had high pony fever in the 2010s and we see the obsession trotting right along with some very hair flip-able flare.
“In the past couple of years, we’ve been seeing hair that’s super sleek and polished, which really complements the features and draws attention to the face,” Maldonado tells us. “A perfect example is Rosie Huntington-Whiteley. I’ve been working with Rosie for 10 years, doing different cuts and styles. I love this look because it’s very chic, and it’s different from what we’ve seen in recent decades. I see this trend working its way into next year. To get this look, use a small amount of lightweight mousse—I love the brand Davines, which is great for volume—and apply it from roots to ends on damp hair. Then, blow-dry section-by-section with a medium-sized Ibiza boar bristle brush, smoothing the ends to a clean finish with your round brush.”
Up next, these are the hair trends that are everywhere this year. This article was originally published at an earlier date and has been updated.
