It should come as no surprise that 2022 would bring some revelatory new hair inventions. After what has been a long few years stuck inside, we've been waiting for creative ways to change it up. With the explosion of beauty TikTok in the last 12 months, we've been privy too many viral looks taking our attention. While some of the classics will always remain, it's the alternative style du jour that has been the leading trend. We've been looking to a bevy of inspiration to make some must needed changes.
If 2021 was the year of the 70s bang, then 2022 is taking this version up a notch. Taking a style that was once steeped deeply in 70's culture and giving it a new edge.
Enter, the 'Octopus Cut', the layer-centric cut for those not quite ready to go back in time with the famous 'shag'. The trend first began showing up on Pinterest towards the end of last year. Inspiration boards went into click overdrive with iterations of the hairstyle showing up left right and centre. Much of this thanks to TikTok who first showcased variations of the style.
@candidapelizzoni
What is the Octopus Cut?
As colourful as the name suggests, it is actually quite a sophisticated style adding layers and dimension to the hair. However, many have considered its likeness to the deep sea marine creature, and its tentacles. Truthfully, one look at anyone sampling the style—we see you, Billie and Kaia—and it's easy to see why this may be the case. The shape of the cut features a rounded head, followed by flicked out layers, that taper down the length. Octopus appearance aside, it is sufficiently 70s and has major wanton sex appeal. In all truthfulness, the cut isn't too different to the shag, making something of a hybrid of the token 70s style and the wolf cut of the 80s. An updated variation of both styles that are slightly longer in the length.
Which hairstyles suit the Octopus Cut?
As we've seen through 'Curtain Bangs' and its sibling 'Bottleneck Bangs', these trends from the 70s and early 80s find their way back into the modern zeitgeist always with a modern twist. As for the the 'Octopus Cut', we are not surprised that it's found its way to the front line as it has mass appeal, working with many hair types. If your hair is on the thinner side, you may want to talk with your hairdresser about adding in extra layers to create the desired effect. Curly hair needs even less attention when it comes to styling, the natural texture does much of the heavy lifting.
View this post on Instagram
How to get the Octopus Cut?
For a quick break down of the cut, the space between the short and long layers gives the shape. Cutting in between to create dimension, on the top, the layers hug the head shape to create a round dome, but taper in further down and flip out at the ends. Ask your hairdresser to keep the length as much as possible as this gives the effect of the 'tentacles'.
View this post on Instagram
How to style the Octopus Cut?
A texturising spray is your best friend here, something like Kevin Murphy's Bedroom Hair will work wonders to amp up the style of the cut. When it comes down to styling the look, invest in a decent round brush when blow drying. For the top layers, pull the brush down to create volume in the crown. For the ends, use the brush to either bend them or flip them out to create movement in the layers.
If you've gone down the groovy hair rabbit hole, and are looking for even more inspiration, you may want to consider looking into our roundup of all the best hair trends of 2022 for your next salon trip.
Image via: @kaiagerber and @daniellemarcan
