Time for a fresh look? Paul reveals the hottest hair trends for spring/summer 2022
After two spring seasons spent in lockdown, 2022 is your time to shine. It's your first spring/summer season in two years to step out in style, and we're here to help you do it your way.
"There are ongoing hair trends and micro trends in hair at the moment, but the most important thing is to choose a style to suit your face, body, and lifestyle," says our founder, Paul.
Our salon team will always work with you to adapt trending hairstyles to suit your unique assets. It's a core part of our holistic approach to hair artistry — we nourish, care, and customise.
As the new season approaches, Paul has noticed new season hair trends emerging among his red-carpet clientele and dedicated salon clients. He reveals which trends everyone will be wearing, complete with expert insight on maintaining and styling the look.
Paul's top spring/summer 2022 hair trends
Glossy and effortless
There's one trend that spans almost all the styles in our spring/summer hair trends '22 edit, and it's effortlessly healthy glossy hair.
"Soft waves, smooth and blunt, undone or straight. Glossy is the new rule," says Paul, "beachy waves are no longer de rigueur as it can look dry."
Not everyone wants a drastic or dramatic cut, especially after spending the best part of two years wearing long hair. Because of this, the trend is to have hair that looks nourished and well-cared for using glossy hair products.
"Like having the right handbag, glossy hair shows you are discerning. It's about being and looking effortlessly amazing," says Paul. "The glossy look is minimal and chic. It falls into three main looks: square blunt; long shag; and short, layered hair with a rounded outline."
Steal the style
"The blowout look needs volume as well as great condition," says Paul. "Getting that volume and bounce without added product to finish is easy with the Shu Uemura Ashita Supreme range. The shampoo and conditioner give hair life and volume — perfect for this style."
Blunt cuts with hidden layers
The blunt cut trend comes in two main styles — jaw length (boyfriend bob) or falling over the collar bone (lob). The addition of hidden layers in the under sections help drying time, give body, and ease of styling.
"There's an added benefit of adaptability, which is a major factor as most people now want to have options on how they wear their hair that day," says Paul.
"The blunt square cut bob is created with hidden layers (cut though sections, not thinned) on the under layers to add versatility and movement," says Paul. "It's worn at either jaw length or just over the collar bone."
Steal the style
To work the SS22 blunt cut trend, you should dry your hair smooth or with natural movement. For smoothness with a mirror-like shine, we love the L'Oréal Professionnel Steampod 3.0 steam styling tool.
Shu Uemura Netsu Design is incredible for minimalistic styling. It's a light hold gel for air drying that stops frizz and acts as a heat protector. "Mix it with Essence Absolue Overnight Serum for great gloss and great condition," Paul says.
On wavy or curly hair types, Paul recommends Kaze Wave layered over Essence Absolue to give pliable, high-shine definition without heading into crispy, 80's territory!
High-shine shag cuts
Are you ready to channel your inner Farrah Fawcett? The high-shine shag is everything you love about the 70's vixen style, with added glossy nourishment.
"When looking at longer hair, we're seeing high-shine shags with soft outline shapes and longer cut through layers that can be air-dried or blow-dried for adaptable and easy care," says Paul.
Layers are a huge trend for 2022 as people sculpt their hair to complement cheekbones and jawlines. Layered hair creates added volume and makes maintenance much easier by reducing drying times.
Steal the style
The best way to work this look is with heated styling. If you're using tongs, always use heat protection, especially if you have balayage.
"I always recommend Shu Uemura Ultimate Reset Extreme Restoration Duo-Serum, which strengthens the hair while giving heat protection. It can also be used as a final gloss booster if the ends look dry and dull."
Paul's top tip: Use Shu Uemura Overnight Serum to control flyaways while adding gloss and soft control.
Natural coppers and toffee blondes
Spring/Summer 2022 sees a departure from classic balayage to highbred highlights with balayage and root shadowing. The season's colours are natural coppers and warm toffee blondes, maintained with a shimmer of ice glaze over the top to stop brassiness.
"We say 'mute the root'. This can also be done on all over tints with a new service of root mute using an acidic colour glaze that blends roots between tints or highlights," says Paul. "Clients are still looking for longevity in their colour, so a root mute and glazes between full-colour services are becoming more popular."
Post-Covid, our team saw a rise in sensitive scalp issues, with more and more clients coming to us with tense, itchy scalps. Months of home colouring without patch-testing meant our teams were witnessing higher rates of inflammatory responses to hair colourants and shampoos.
"This is why we'll always do allergy alert tests before using colour on new or existing clients that have not had colour for the last six months," says Paul.
Steal the style
"One of the most asked questions at the salons is how to get rid of or control gold/brassy tones in highlighted or balayaged hair," says Paul.
"Very often, using a neutralising colour could lead to dulling of the shade, but Shu Uemura Yubi Blonde overcomes this, leaving the colour gleaming. Despite being called "Yubi Blonde", it also works really well on darker colours and helps reduce brassy and warm tones, again without dulling."
Salon visits: where necessity meets luxury
Believe it or not, regular visits to the salon aren't just a self-care luxury or style statement — they're vital for good hair health.
"Whether it's once a month or every three months, I think it's important to get a regular treat and restore and trim," says Paul. "Not to mention having an external unbiased eye viewing on how you look and up-to-date advice on the correct products you need."
Repeated DIY home haircuts, box dyes, and self-prescribed treatments throughout lockdown left many of our clients with damaged hair and sensitised scalps. The evidence is clear — expert care and guidance is a must when it comes to hair health!
Book regular appointments with our experts and enjoy an attentive, holistic service that pairs you with your own unique version of these SS22 trends, as well as a bespoke backwash experience and product recommendations for ongoing care. Because let's be real — no trend will ever be hotter than healthy hair. It's the ultimate canvas, no matter your style.
Book your appointment or contact our team today and find your new spring/summer look.