Maria Kovacs, a catwalk and celebrity hairstylist, shares her predictions for 2022’s biggest hair trends and tips on how to style them.
In 2022, everyone’s included. Curly hair is in, but so is straight hair. Plaits will have you on trend, but so will buns and ponytails — just make sure they’re messy. The biggest theme for 2022 is the 1990s, something you’ll be seeing across fashion and beauty alike. But if the thought of frying your hair with straighteners every morning like you did when you were a teenager horrifies you (yes, that’s back), don’t worry, low maintenance options are trending, too.
Cut and colour aside, these are the five ways to style your hair according to 2022’s catwalk trends, with top tips to help you recreate the looks from hairstylist Maria Kovacs.
Hair trend 1: Centre parting with 1990s layers
During London Fashion Week, where spring and summer 2022’s trends were showcased, designer Mark Fast was all about 1990s-style hair. Long hair was parted in the centre with layers cut into the front to frame the face and fall away diagonally. Maria Kovacs says: “Using your favourite round brush, blow-dry the hair straight, section by section, moving up the head. Then take sections and use your flat iron to create a super straight finish.”
If you have textured or coiled hair that you don’t want to straighten, create a similar look with long braids.
Hair trend 2: Big 1990s curls
The 1990s is set to be the biggest theme across fashion, hair and makeup trends in 2022, so it’s no wonder that two of the year’s biggest hairstyle trends take inspiration from it. For this one, it’s all about embracing natural curls or recreating them with a thin curling wand for tight coils. If you’re going natural, then a diffuser hair drying attachment will help.
Hair trend 3: Long plaits renaissance-style
At the Anna Mason SS22 show, the collection was inspired by impressionist paintings with floral prints. Models wore dreamy romantic dresses with renaissance braids and soft wavey tresses (see next trend for the latter). To plait your hair renaissance-style, Maria says: “Separate the hair into two equal sections. Brush the hair flat and gather it into a small ponytail just behind the ear, one side at a time. Tightly braid the hair from behind the ear to the ends of the hair and secure with elastic.”
If your hair is too short for this then French braid or cornrow the hair to the back of the neck.
Hair trend 4: Romantic waves
There are three ways to style this look. Firstly, you can plait your hair (as above) when it’s still damp and then the following day you can take it out to reveal loose waves.
If your hair already has natural movement, Maria suggests taking random sections of hair and twisting them, allowing the curl to loosen. Gently diffuse dry and then work an oil or serum into the hair for texture. This can be done with a middle or side parting.
The third way to do it, for big rolling waves with a centre parting (seen at the L Saha show), is to blow-dry the section smooth with your favourite round brush and roll up into a large curl. Maria concludes: “Secure with a clip and once the section is pinned into place, spray lightly with hairspray.
“Continue the same technique all the way up the head. Allow the hair to cool, gently remove the clips and then gently brush the hair into the desired shape, using your fingers to create soft movement.”
Hair trend 5: The textured ponytail meets a messy bun
Seen at the Sharon Wauchob SS22 showcase of her spring collection, this look is all about purposefully and carefully creating a messy and textured ponytail, but with the hair loose in a centre parting (not pulled tightly back).
Maria explains: “Brush the hair into your hands holding at the nape, then loop the ends of the hair up towards the base of the ponytail, allowing some hair to fall away. Secure the hair with an elastic band. For a soft textured finish, gently separate random hair around the face and nape.”
