Top hair trends for 2024, from butterfly bobs to 70s shag cuts

Get ready for the year of curly cuts and rock star-inspired layers

Gisele Bundchen is known for her caramel tresses. Getty Images

New year, new you – and what better way to bounce into 2024 than with a new bouffant to put a spring in your step?

From the caramel tresses of Gisele Bundchen to the rock star locks of Stevie Nicks, next year is going to be super chic according to the UAE’s stylists, and they have their scissors at the ready.

Here are eight of the top hair trends for 2024 to inspire a new look for your most glamorous year yet.

Caramels and honey tones

Cream caramel ombre by Jay Crump. Photo: Paintbox Hair Ladies Salon

Fancy starting 2024 by channelling your inner Bundchen? Strut into the new year with the supermodel’s honey tones and you’ll be way ahead of the fashion pack, according to the owner of Paintbox Hair Ladies Salon, Jay Crump.

“Next year, we’ll be seeing a lot of caramels and honey tones incorporated into blonde and brunette colour blends,” she says.

“Ask your stylist for some dimension with richer lowlights next to the usual colour and ask for their advice on your current shampoo and conditioner also to protect your colour and promote shine.”

For protecting coloured locks, Crump recommends lathering on the heat spray and turning down the irons to protect vulnerable blonde tones.

Curly cuts

Model Alanna Arrington is known for her bouncy soft curls. @alannaarrington / Instagram

Get ready to toss the straighteners to the wind – 2024 will be all about embracing your curls, for a bouncy soft look in the style of model Alanna Arrington.

“This trend is great news for curly girls, no matter what your length, with curly pixie girls softening their cuts with a face-framing layer and curly fringes,” says Crump.

“Book a consultation with a stylist who knows curly hair and fringes. You want the cut to fit so well with your natural curls that all you have to battle is the frizz.

“I recommend using a control cream for curly hair and leaving it to dry naturally.”

The butterfly bob

Zendaya was an early adopter of the butterfly bob. Getty Images

This playful and romantic style features heavy layers with shorter pieces framing the face, resembling butterfly wings.

Early adopters of the trend include actresses Zendaya and Jenna Ortega, with the latter favouring flicked-out styling.

“Women are becoming bolder in hair choices, and we are realising that change is good for the soul as well as for the locks,” says Crump.

“The butterfly bob is a vamped up retro bob with lots of flirty layers that can be cut at different lengths so no need for a big chop.

Styling is essential for this trend and Crump recommends using a hot round brush to turn the hair inward at the ends before giving it a vigorous shake out and a blast of hold spray.

The Stevie

The Stevie hairdo is a nod to rocker Stevie Nicks, involving a softer take on the seventies shag cut. AFP

Nicks will never go out of style, and neither will her hair, if this retro look is anything to go by.

The 2024 do is a softer take on the seventies shag cut classic, with longer layers and less body than the puffed up locks of rockers past.

“Paying homage to 70s style icon Stevie Nicks, this style is all about a lived-in boho vibe as opposed to a polished look,” says Jaja Jones, founder of Al Barsha’s The Den Salon.

“Longer layers coupled with different versions on the fringe will make it adaptable to different hair types and textures. Maya Jama and Dakota Johnson have been early adopters of this trend.”

The kitty cut

A sleeker take on other animal cuts, the kitty cut is less shaggy than the wolf but still offers up subtle, sophisticated layers.

Falling between the shoulders and the collarbone, the length is shorter than the Rachel but longer than the bob, with cascading layers creating a feminine and feline silhouette.

“To give the hair structure and movement, the Kitty Cut features layers that blend into the rest of the hair so that it is a more polished look than shaggy,” says Jones.

“The longest section is a centimetre shorter than the base length at the front, while there are soft longer layers through the back.

“It’s adaptable to all hair types, this is a terrific update to have on a shoulder-grazing bob and you can also add face-framing jaw-length bangs.”

Lunar harmony hair

Layla Hajjaj, founder of Boho Salon, says more people will be aligning haircuts and colour to the phases of the moon in 2024. Photo: Boho Salon

The next trend requires more than faith in your hairdresser, but trust in the universe itself.

According to stylists at Boho Salon in Arjan, Dubai, lunar harmony hair will be a big trend in the new year, meaning we will be aligning our haircuts and colour to the phases of the moon.

The idea is that synching hair trims with lunar cycles lets cosmic timing set the pace of an otherwise mundane task, resulting in longer, stronger and lusher strands.

According to Layla Hajjaj, founder of Boho Salon, the new moon is the perfect time to get the chop.

“It’s an ideal time to initiate changes, making it perfect for a significant haircut or a complete hair colour transformation,” says Hajjaj.

“If you’re craving a drastic change, embracing a bold new look during this phase might help set a positive tone for the upcoming weeks.”

Dishevelled dos

The penultimate style in our list is great news for lazy ladies or those who simply do not have time to prime and preen on busy days.

Dishevelled hairdos celebrate the “just rolled out of bed” look with joyous abandon.

“Really textured, disconnected haircuts will be all the rage in 2024, with out-of-place strands adding to the overall effect,” says stylist Emily Tucker, who splits her time between Havie & Moon in Dubai Hills and Hair Signature Salon in Al Barsha.

“Superheavy fringes with a lot of texture are a perfect addition to this trend, or a ruffled moxie cut, which is a cross between a plie cut and a mullet, looks great when it’s tousled.”

Contour cutting

Contour cutting sees hair painstakingly cut and styled to suit individual bone structure and face shape.

“Haircuts are moving away from just classic one-style-fits-all cuts to more personalised contour cutting,” says Tucker.

“Avoid cutting at home and find a stylist that really knows how to cut your hair,” she says. “A good stylist should have a vision of what will really suit you and bring out your inner beauty.”