Research suggests that the average woman changes their hairstyle up to 150 times in their lifetime due to boredom, lifestyle changes, and trend cycles.
Due to the speed that trends appear and disappear again, it can be difficult to keep track of the most popular ones worth trying.
Here are the UK’s most popular hairstyles of 2023 so far (according to Google) and how you can achieve them.
The ‘Butterfly’ haircut
With 60,500 average monthly searches, it’s no surprise the butterfly cut is the most popular style of 2023 so far.
The style exploded on TikTok in January, with over 1.2 billion views (to date) and 90,500 online searches and has remained popular ever since.
This is not a haircut you should attempt at home, as it can lead to disastrous results, so trust a salon professional to do it for you.
Ask for a mix of short and long layers, with face-framing pieces around the perimeter of the face and cascading layers throughout the hair to avoid a shaggier look.
If you have a fringe, inform your stylist how thick or fine you’d like it cut so they can determine how deep the parting should go.
To finish the look, ask for it to be blow-dried with a round brush to inject plenty of volume that highlights the layers.
Ombre hair
The ombre colouring technique has truly stood the test of time and continues to make a resurgence in popularity.
It averaged 18,100 monthly searches in 2023 and experienced a search increase of 23 per cent in July compared to previous months.
One of the most versatile and natural looks, the technique can create a seamless transition from a darker root to lighter ends for all hair colours and types.
To achieve the look, book a consultation appointment and show a salon professional some reference photos to ensure you’re on the same page about what you want.
During this session, you can also explore colour and undertone options to establish what will work best for your hair.
Fluffy Hair
This trend is inspired by the big, voluminous looks of the 70s, and its 1.3 billion TikTok views and 14,800 average monthly searches make it the third most popular hairstyle of this year.
The good news is you don’t have to be a professional – you can achieve this style at home with a good hairdryer, round brush, rollers, and hairspray.
Start with freshly washed hair and apply plenty of heat protectant. Once the hair is just damp, use a nozzled hairdryer and a round brush to begin drying the hair in sections, rolling the brush outwards and downwards for a flick at the ends.
Once you have dried each section of hair, use Velcro rollers to wrap a section of the hair around it, starting at the ends and working towards the scalp and set with some hairspray.
Leave the hair to cool before removing the rollers, and you should be left with fluffy, voluminous tresses.
Fluffy hair works particularly well on hair with plenty of layers to recreate the width and volume, so perhaps consider visiting the salon for a trim and a refresh of your layers.
The ‘scandi hairline’
A newer trend of 2023, the ‘scandi hairline’ refers to a highlighting technique taking TikTok by storm and is the fourth most sought-after trend with an average of 2,400 monthly searches.
Although more recent, it’s had the largest surge in searches compared to any other look, with a 49,400 per cent increase year-on-year and 5,724 per cent over three months.
While it can work on any hair colour, consult your stylist to ensure the colour added creates a subtle contrast between the hairline and your natural hair colour.
Strategic lightening of the hairline can add a soft contrast and brighten the face to create a naturally sun-kissed effect.
This is an effective low-maintenance alternative to money pieces or face-framing highlights that can be much better for maintaining hair health and your bank account.
Cherry cola hair
Completing the top five is ‘cherry cola hair’, which averaged 1,000 searches per month. The style peaked in popularity in April this year with an average of 1,600 searches and experienced a second surge in July, with searches increasing by 80 per cent.
This deep red hair colour features violet and purple undertones instead of the usual orange undertones of other shades of red and was popularised by stars like Rihanna in the 2000s.
Stylists are now adapting it to look more muted and natural as a lower maintenance form of red hair for those who struggle to keep up with care and touch-ups.
When visiting the salon, discuss how you want the colour to look on your hair and any expectations you have regarding maintenance.
Darker hair colours may need two appointments to achieve the desired look, whilst cherry cola red may look more vibrant on lighter hair.
Additionally, discuss which shades of red will suit your skin tone the best, as cooler undertones work better for lighter skin, whilst warmer shades look fabulous on darker skin.
Upcoming trends
Gaining search volume traction are trends such as the ‘cub cut’ (up 3,800 per cent), ‘Barbie hair’ (up 539 per cent this month), ‘box bob’ (up 433 per cent), and ‘Birkin bangs’ (up 129 per cent).
| Hairstyles | Average Monthly Searches | |
| 1 | Butterfly haircut | 60500 (up 4850% YoY) |
| 2 | Ombre hair | 18100 |
| 3 | Fluffy hair | 14800 |
| 4 | Scandi hairline | 2400 (up 49,400% YoY) |
| 5 | Cherry cola hair | 1000 (up 80% past month) |
| 6 | Mousy hair | 1000 (up 64% in the past month) |
| 7 | Cub cut | 880 (up 3,800% YoY) |
| 8 | Barbie hair | 720 (up 539% in the past month) |
| 9 | Box bob | 720 (up 433% YoY) |
| 10 | Birkin bangs | 390 (up 129% YoY) |
By Alice Dawkins, Hair Expert at Milk + Blush