The big bounce-back: how big hair came back into style

1. THE LOOK: Big, bold, volumised hair for all textures and lengths.
   
2. WHO’S DOING IT? TikTok has been obsessing over it, while Lana Del Rey, Priscilla, Sydney Sweeney and Barbie imagery are keeping it alive. Memories of 2010s Tumblr girls, 90s supermodels and 80s office perms are fueling even more big hair energy.
3. HOW CAN I GET IT? With lots of hairspray, teasing and hydration.

Bouncy volume, sky-high lift and rollers, rollers, rollers. This was the year many moved away from stick-straight center parts and into big, fluffy hair. Think: TikTok’s ubiquitous heated brushes, Voloom’s viral volume crimping tool and visions of early Lana Del Rey, Barbie and Priscilla Presley dancing through one’s head. This is hair that’s soft, messy and definitively imperfect; coquette bedheads like Brigitte Bardot or disco goddesses like Donna Summer. Big hair in 2023 wasn’t defined by a single hair type or texture, but more of an attitude in how it was styled: wild, free and unbridled.

Perhaps the new wave of big hair is in total connection to personal style. After all, you can say a lot more with hairspray and volume than you can with a curtain of bone straight hair. “Big hair today is a way to stand out and show off your style in this post-pandemic era,” says the stylist Aaron Grenia, co-founder of IGK Hair Care. “People are ditching the simple, low-key styles for something that screams confidence and uniqueness.” Likewise, “people are just tired of looking like everybody else and they’re trying to be their own selves,” says Garren, the legendary stylist and co-founder of R+Co.

It’s also about nostalgia. Of course, we’ve seen Y2K move through the fashion cycle for the past few years, and now it’s come for our hair. It’s a bit early 90s. “It’s like old Versace,” adds Garren, who references Linda Evangelista’s black fabric headband and combed back volume as one of his all-time favorite examples of big hair. Of course, it’s also very 80s and very 60s in its own way. Sydney Sweeney hosted an 80s prom-themed birthday party in September (following on from her big hair at the Met Gala), while Sofia Coppola’s Priscilla has brought the 60s beehive look back into the cultural spotlight. But it’s also inherently tied to the Tumblr era of the 2010s. Who could forget the scene queens and emo kids who so lovingly used their rattail combs to tease and backcomb volume into the roots of their hair? Or the Hollister and Abercrombie & Fitch surfer bedheads?

Sydney sweeney at her 80s prom-themed birthday. pic.twitter.com/4orkL9RU8T

— sam (@pinkmochhi) September 18, 2023

Curls got bigger and better across the board this year; on the runway the style presented in more editorial iterations, like at Collina Strada’s SS24 show in which Evanie Frausto created big hair with multi-layered extensions and fabrics and ribbons woven throughout to create a bolder, thicker texture. Likewise, Kim Shui, Prabal Gurung and Phillip Lim’s SS24 shows emphasised natural textures. “I have recognised an increase in people wanting bigger hair looks,” says Larry Sims, celebrity hairstylist and co-founder of Flawless by Gabrielle Union. “But I’ve also noticed people with curly textured hair wearing their natural curls more, and when allowed to run free, those curls contribute to bigger and more voluminous hair.”

Meanwhile on TikTok, users have been sharing advice on how to achieve big, voluminous looks, whether that’s a tutorial for Cindy Crawford’s 90s big bouncy blowout or a classic 80s look. TikTok user Rachel OCool racked up almost 20 million views asking people who were in their 20s in the 80s how they got “their hair to stay”. She received over 42k comments and many, many video responses from those people sharing their best tips and tricks from back in the day – mainly Aquanet (since banned due to its detrimental impact on the environmental), mousse in the roots, a lot of blow-drying hair while upside-down, hot rollers and teasing with a comb.

@rachelocool Replying to @RR we laughed, we cried, and now my hair is FRIED. THANK U TO EVERYONE WHO HELPED THIS WAS SO FUN #80saesthetic #80shair #1980s #hairtutorial ♬ original sound - Rachel OCool

Very DIY, the big hair trend has a lot to do with experimentation with different tools. “They’re using Velcro rollers, they’re sleeping in the sponge rollers, and there’s a lot of different tricks that can be done to get volume, especially if you're good with a blow dryer,” says Garren. He suggests, “blowing your hair upside down, so you get all the roots to stand up, and then flipping it back, and then taking each section and putting a roller in.” And with so many people cutting their hair shorter–as with the French bob, which had its own revival this year, a bigger look is only natural. “By cutting the hair, you get that weight taken away so you're not dragging down.” 

If you want to get the look, one of the easiest ways to go about it is by doing a 90s style supermodel blowout. Grenia suggests washing your hair with IGK’s Extra Love Volume Shampoo and Conditioner, applying Big Time Volume Mousse to damp hair, focusing on the roots, and blow drying, while lifting sections at the crown for extra volume. Lastly, gather the top section of hair, secure it, and spritz Pick Me Up Maximum Lift Root Boost Spray for added lift. Finish with Please Hold Flexible Hairspray. For curly, coily hair, the bigger va-va-voom look is all about hydration. “To create big hair when dealing with curly hair textures, I want to minimise frizz, so I separate the curls and ensure the hair is thoroughly moisturised,” adds Sims. A great leave-in conditioner is the ultimate must-have.

All said, it’s been a pretty weird year. Big hair, like the maximalist, expressive trend we saw in make-up last year, feels like a kind of calming antidote to the unknown. Especially when it’s all about nostalgia for a simpler time, albeit with more hairspray.