5 hair trends you'll see everywhere in 2026

2026 is coming in hot, and what better time to adopt a ‘new year, new me’ mentality. Jumping on the incoming hair trends early is one way to transform yourself.

For hairstylist and trend forecaster Tom Smith, 2026 sees the growth of his brand new venture, a salon co-founded with Chris Donohue. “AEVUM is not a salon in the traditional sense,” Tom tells Glamour. “I wanted to create an environment that felt private, futuristic and relaxing to offer our clients a deeper moment of self-care and a more intelligent approach to their hair style.”

As London’s first hair health-focused salon, Tom intimately knows the power of a strong foundation to make the most of any hair transformation, big or small. “Without true hair health, your style won’t look its best – no matter how well your colour or cut has been executed,” he explains. “So many of our clients come to us because their hair has been overprocessed elsewhere during attempts to achieve a desired look, but therefore compromising it. With new factors affecting hair health like stress, long COVID and GLP-1 use, we needed to update the luxury salon model to ensure hair health and hair longevity is at the core.”

With that in mind, as we enter 2026, what is Tom’s number one hair habit that he wants to see left behind? “We can leave going to bed with wet hair in 2025,” he says. “Airdrying the hair can work well when you’re out and about, but gentle blowdrying or rough drying with medium heat hairdryer will actually be kinder to your hair! Just be sure to use a clever heat protector – my current favourite is the very clever hair cortex protecting K18 HeatBounce Conditioning Heat Protectant.

To get you ahead of the game, Tom shares the hair trends that he predicts will define 2026. Keep reading to find out what they are before you book your next appointment.

Naturalism blonde

“After years of icy and overly golden extremes, this believable neutrality is the obvious direction for 2026,” Tom says. “Naturalism Blonde copies the way blonde hair appears in real life, with a softened root and lighter ends that avoid any visible lines.” A versatile hair colour that can suit anyone who wants to look lifted without it being obviously dyed, it has a neutral warmth that looks quietly expensive.

Sculptural curls

“Sculptural Curls move away from airy, fluffy softness towards defined and glossy curl architecture that makes the hair look healthy and juicy,” explains Tom. Already seen on the likes of Beyoncé, Yara Shahidi and Lizzo, it suits every curl type by enhancing the natural pattern but giving the curl a strong silhouette. “As precision and definition returns to beauty and curl technology improves, defined curls become a clear status signal for 2026,” he says.

The adaptive fringe

Finding ways to get more mileage out of your haircut will continue through to 2026 and the adaptive fringe reflects that. “A desire for versatility and giving one haircut multiple identities,” says Tom. “It works brilliantly for those who like to change their look without committing to a major cut.” Shifting from a curtain to a side swept fringe and then a bottleneck, the chameleonic aesthetic of the fringe can change in a moment – from textured to sleek, depending on your mood. “As personal style becomes more fluid, this flexible approach to fringes feels completely right for 2026,” the hairstylist says.

The multi-layered brunette

If the naturalism blonde trend is not your thing, there’s a new incoming style for brown hair too. Enter: the multi-layered brunette. “An elevation of brown hair with fine tonal shifts that sits between warm and cool, without tipping into caramel or ash,” Tom explains. “It’s perfect for anyone tired of flat brunettes or heavy balayage who wants polish without effort or obvious technique or crude stripes.” Keeping the depth at the root, the lengths bring luxurious movement of tone for dimension. “In a year defined by subtle status cues, this is the brunette that feels credible, naturalistic and intentionally refined,” Tom adds.

Sculpted lengths

A seamless silhouette that is set to grow in popularity throughout 2026, sculpted lengths are worked into your haircut to create one continuous shape, instead of a choppy, layered cut. “The structure sits inside the haircut, so it feels modern, balanced and polished from every angle,” Tom explains. The answer to the current trend of longer hair lengths and better extensions, it’s a low-lift style that has a fluid and refined finish that is equal parts effortless and expensive.