Spring’s Biggest Hair Trends Offer Maximum Impact With Minimal Upkeep

Giving your life a little refresh for spring is a tradition ingrained in many cultures around the world. But you know what’s a lot more fun than tidying up or trying to figure out if that jumpsuit you bought last year truly brings you joy? A new haircut and color refresh. For 2025, hairstylists and colorists are seeing people move away from dramatic changes, opting for trimmed layers in long cuts, returning to more natural-looking hair colors, and growing out pixies into bixies and bobs into lobs.

“This spring is all about looking effortless and expensive—whether that’s with a blunt bob, adding soft, layered movement, or trying a rich, natural color with dimension,” says hairstylist Samantha Cusick. “The key is low-maintenance hair that looks high-end, with minimal upkeep and maximum impact.”

Many of the hairstylists we spoke to used adjectives like “neat” and “polished” to describe the season’s most wanted haircuts, but versatility is also a priority. “I’m seeing a lot more tidy layers that let you play around with different styles,” says hairstylist Evanie Frausto. “It’s all about having a haircut that gives you options.”

Colorists, on the other hand, are repeatedly using words like “warm,” “natural,” and “authentic” to talk about spring's top color trends. Blondes are softer, brunettes are warmer, and the season’s reds are quieter than the vivid cherry-cola shades that have been popular in recent years. “This trend isn’t about replicating the color you were born with, exactly,” says colorist Marissa Susec. “It’s about creating a seamless, blended finish that looks like it naturally grows from your head. Think of it as an ‘old money’ aesthetic—sophisticated, understated, and meticulously maintained.”

The one exception to all this subtlety? Bangs. As in, everyone’s getting them. “I’m cutting so many fringes on people,” says hairstylist James Pecis, who wonders if the chaotic news cycle might be influencing this decision for people. “There's so much going on, and a lot of people feel very out of control. I think our hair always becomes the one thing that we can try to change or control.”

Bangs or no bangs, big change or barely a change at all, below you’ll find all the cut and color trends—along with expert advice—to put a season of good hair days at your fingertips.

• Samantha Cusick is a London-based hairstylist and colorist and founder of Samantha Cusick London salons across the city.
• Evanie Frausto is a New York City-based hairstylist and Pravana brand ambassador.
• Marissa Susec is a hair colorist at Salon Benjamin in New York City.
• James Pecis is an editorial hairstylist and founder of Blu & Green Beauty, who works with clients in LA, Paris, and New York City.
• Monique McMahon is an Australia-based colorist and global ambassador for Christophe Robin Paris.
• Tracey Cunningham is an LA-based celebrity colorist, owner of Meche Salon, and US creative director of color & technique for Schwarzkopf Professional.
• Sunnie Brooke is an LA-based hairstylist and Biolage ambassador.
• Harriet Muldoon is a blonde hair specialist at London’s Larry King Salon and brand ambassador for Redken.
• Jacob Schwartz is an LA-based celebrity colorist and Schwarzkopf Professional color trend ambassador.
• Bea Carmichael is a Scottish colorist, hairstylist, and global styling educator for Aveda.
• Devin Toth is a New York City-based hairstylist at Salon SCK.
• Matt Rez is an LA-based celebrity colorist and brand ambassador for Moroccanoil.
• Benjamin Mohapi is a Welsh hairstylist, colorist, and founder of Benjamin Salon, with locations in both New York and LA.
• Sam McKnight is an editorial hairstylist based in London and founder of Hair by Sam McKnight.
• Kim Kimble is an LA-based hairstylist and natural hair educator, as well as founder of Kim Kimble Hair.
• Sarah Sango is a London-based hairstylist and Lush’s afro hair-care specialist.
• Laura Polko is an LA-based celebrity hairstylist and founder of Laura Polko Hair.

• Spring 2025 Hair Color Trends
• Spring 2025 Haircut Trends

Pecis predicts that we’ll be leaning toward a more mellow blonde this spring. “A lot of people are going to be asking for a softer version of Hunter Schafer’s new color,” he says. Gisele Bündchen has long had this shade, while Ariana Grande recently swapped her sparkling Glinda platinum for it.

How exactly your colorist achieves this look depends on both your natural hair color and any artificial color currently in your hair, but colorist Monique McMahon says you can expect a double process at your appointment. “A double process is a single service—tint, allover color, foils, process, rinse—followed by a second service that includes foils, hand painting, toner, or glaze,” she explains. “It’s about building color and adding dimension while keeping the hair looking healthy.”

Maintain that healthy finish with a weekly deep-conditioning treatment, like the Hair by Sam McKnight Deeper Love Intensive Treatment Mask, which infuses hair with strengthening plant-based keratin and a proprietary cereamide-like molecule (and, from experience, leaves your hair feeling glorious after every use). Then, if you plan to reach for a hot tool, spritz your strands with heat protectant. The Best of Beauty-winning Olaplex Volumizing Blow Dry Mist is great for fine to medium hair, while Iles Formula Finish Serum not only protects strands, it also softens and hydrates brittle hair when heat activated.

This shade of bronde is reminiscent of the straw bags French women tote around à la plage. “Many clients who once aimed for allover brightness now want to embrace their darker blonde base with subtle, blended highlights,” says Susec. Think Sydney Sweeney’s not-quite-blonde and not-quite-brunette hues, which give off the same luxe-yet-laissez-faire vibes as that raffia Loewe tote every fashion girl owns. “The soft dimension creates an understated yet sophisticated look,” says Susec.

Raffia blonde also encompasses another trend colorists are seeing among blondes: shadowed roots, intentionally colored dark toward the scalp that transition to a lighter color toward the end. Colorist Tracey Cunningham says shadowed roots give clients that “perfect neutral blonde without the hassle of constant touch-ups.”

In line with this spring’s shift to warmer hues, “teddy brown is a soft, dimensional brunette with golden-caramel undertones that give it a lived-in richness, like the plush warmth of a teddy bear’s fur,” says hairstylist Sunnie Brooke.

This look combines soft highlights and lowlights to “create luminous dimension without looking streaky,” says Cunningham. She adds that doing a root smudge—a technique that involves blending your natural roots with your color-treated hair—will further ensure the color appears cohesive: “This technique keeps it looking natural as it grows out, giving you a low-maintenance yet polished finish.”

“Glossy auburns are in demand,” Cunningham says of the deep-red tone trending this spring, which just so happens to look flattering and sophisticated across all skin tones and hair textures. It’s similar to the cherry-cola hues that have been popular for the past couple years, but with more depth and dimension. “It’s like a reddish-brown with just a drop of purple,” says colorist Harriet Muldoon, who notes that you can incorporate it into your balayage if you don't want to do an allover color.

Any type of red, including deep auburn, fades quickly, so a good color-safe shampoo is essential (Redken Acidic Color Gloss Shampoo leaves hair immensely shiny, while Dae’s Signature Shampoo is gentle and smells delicious). Salon touch-ups are inevitable for red dyes, but an at-home color-depositing mask (like hairstylist favorite Schwarzkopf Professional Chroma ID Color Mask in 6-88) will punch up your deep auburn and make it more vibrant, stretching out the time between visits and saving you some cash.

Warmth is making a comeback across darker shades, too, says Susec: “Cool-toned, ashy browns are fading out in favor of rich, neutral brunettes with subtle golden undertones that enhance shine.” Think Kaia Gerber, Penelope Cruz or Emily Ratajkowski, whose subtly blended highlights add depth and dimension without altering their natural hair color.

Ask your colorist for a “deep, rich brown with subtle undertones of caramel or gold to add dimension and prevent the color from falling flat,” says colorist Jacob Schwartz. The process will often involve an overall dye, lowlights, and sometimes using a toner for the final blend, says colorist and Aveda hairstylist Bea Carmichael, who adds that it can be a double or single process and requires a refresh every 8 to 10 weeks.

After your salon visit, keep your color looking fresh with proper color-safe products, including a good shampoo and conditioner, like Laura Polko’s Color Protect Shampoo and Conditioner, followed by a leave-in treatment. We like Aveda’s Color-Control Leave-In Treatment as it’s the ultimate multihyphenate: a detangling spray, heat protectant, and leave-in conditioner in one. For a more intensive treatment, hairstylist Devin Toth swears by the Kerastase 8H Magic Night Hair Serum for its ability to bring back luminosity and softness to damaged hair strands.

Not everyone wants their hair color to skew warmer, so let us—rather, let celebrity colorist Matt Rez—suggest this in-between brunette option for spring 2025. This specific shade of brunette, with both warm and cool tones, starts with a rich, chocolatey base, says Rez, and features cool, sandy-toned highlights and ashy reflects throughout. For a good visual to bring to the salon, check out Ana de Armas’s hair at the Oscars (which Rez is responsible for).

Rez achieves this nuanced, multidimensional hue by not only adding lots of very fine babylights throughout the hair, but also initially lifting the base color past the orange stage. “A soft, warm, yellow color is needed to deposit that ash brown on top,” he says, explaining that this helps ensure the color won’t turn red. Since cool tones fade faster than warm tones, Rez recommends, avoid washing your hair with hot water and do use color-safe shampoos to prolong the color. “The best upkeep for this complex tone, though, is to go to the salon and get glossed along the way in between highlight sessions,” he adds.

Many of us may have already switched to iced coffee by now, but if you’re looking to spruce up your dark hair for the spring, a warm, rich, espresso-inspired hue is just what the hair colorist ordered. Great for naturally dark brunettes who want a luxurious, reflective finish, espresso noir is a “deep, glossy, black-brown that looks rich and expensive in natural light,” says Cusick.

Light, in fact, is key for spring’s darkest trend. “It’s not a heavy color,” adds hairstylist and salon owner Benjamin Mohapi. “Even if it’s dark, it still feels very shimmery and translucent.” Achieved by an allover dye or with soft lowlights to add depth, upkeep is important for a shade this dark to maintain its reflectiveness. Keeping the Christophe Robin Color Shield Shampoo and Mask in your shower is a great way to make sure strands sparkly and vibrant.

The biggest spring refresh of all? Chopping off all your hair into a gamine pixie. This season’s version of the classic cut features soft, feathery edges cut to elegantly frame your face. It’s a lot more versatile than you might think, says hairstylist Sam McKnight. It works wonderfully on curly, wavy textures (like Quinta Brunson) as well as superstraight hair (see Emma Stone), and can be styled from tousled to sleek.

“Have fun playing with different finishes,” says McKnight. “Add shine and definitions with a cream pomade or add lots of movement with a texturizing mist.” (We love R+Co’s Control Flexible Paste and McKnight’s own Cool Girl Texturizing Spray, which adds effortless movement but feels light as air.) For very dry, bleached hair, a product that conditions and styles, like Blu & Green Beauty’s Solid Oil, brings back softness to hair while providing structure and definition.

This pixie may offer low-maintenance styling (no hot tools required), but it does mean you’ll have to pop into the salon once or twice before spring is over. “To keep the style crisp and polished,” says Carmichael, “you’ll need a trim every four to eight weeks.”

Last year’s bixie cut—a style that’s a little bit bob, a little bit pixie, and a tiny bit mullet-y—is showing up this spring with slight updates. “Some people are going shorter for a mod pixie look, while others are growing them out,” says Toth.

Because the cut is an amalgamation of styles, it’s high-maintenance for all parties involved. “Bixies can start out so cool, but can quickly become rough as they grow out,” notes Toth, who recommends getting trims often, if you can, ideally around three to four weeks. For hairstylists, this look can be a test of not going overboard with layering or graduation. “There’s a fine line between chic bixie and the dreaded ‘Can I speak to the manager?’ bob,” says Frausto. “I use a lot of razor techniques to remove weight, and thinning shears to create flips and kicks. Knowing when to stop is the real art.”

Investing in both a styling cream and a texturizing spray provides versatility when creating your final look. (You can go sleek and polished like Iris Law or voluminous and tousled like Auli‘i Cravalho.) We recommend having on hand Fekkai’s classic Brilliant Glossing Styling Crème (it provides hold and shine) and Davines This Is a Dry Texturizer (it adds effortless movement and a gorgeous, glossy finish).

Bobs are beauty’s most ubiquitous haircut right now, and there’s a trio of bobs that hairstylists predict will be ultra-popular this spring. First, the most classic of the three: short, sleek, and with zero layers (any that you can see, at least). Lily Collins, Naomi Campbell, and Leslie Bibb are all sporting the style, while Sofia Boutella shows how to pair it with a short fringe.

A blunt, chin-length bob is easiest to style on straight to wavy hair, and just needs to be adapted for thicker, more textured hair types. Those with thicker hair might need to do internal layering to remove some weight, says Cusick (some hairstylists even add a hidden undercut to take out bulk). As for textured hair, you need to soften the edges to prevent it from looking too severe and sharp, says hairstylist Kim Kimble. A good flatiron (like the GHD Platinum+ Styler, a pro and beauty editor favorite) enables you to style superstraight or add easy bends, while a lightweight gel (Bread Beauty Supply’s water-based hair gel provides noncrunchy hold) lets you tuck it behind your ears without lots of pesky flyaways along the hairline.

The second bob in the big three that stylists expect to see this spring is the Barbie: Beauty’s obsession with all things from the ’90s is finally influencing hair trends in the form of big, round, voluminous bobs. “The shape is very reminiscent of the styles we saw back then,” says Kimble. “Think of the bobs that stars like Halle Berry and Toni Braxton were rocking.” This look has a bit in common with the Italian bob, but with molto texture and molto movement. Gabrielle Union’s bombshell style at the NAACP Image Awards is a gorgeous example, as is Tinashe’s slightly sleeker version at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party.

The key to achieving this look is cutting hair so it naturally falls rounded, with some texture around the edges to create volume. “I’m seeing a lot of blunt cuts paired with soft layers, which is what gives the bob that soft, rounded, voluminous look,” Kimble adds.

These styles are all about waves and movement, so if you don’t want to spend a ton of time styling your hair, this type of cut may not be for you, says McKnight, who relies on Velcro and hot rollers for voluminous styles like this. That said, Kimble notes that you can use a wig to play with this look without the commitment (her Kiara style fits the bill, as does the AliPearl Butterfly Layered Cut Short Bob Wig).

And third, returning to the red carpet in a major way is the bell bob, a bold, structured cut that “embraces ’70s glamour,” says Carmichael. Mimicking the shape of a bell, the weighty ends can be styled so they flip upward or curl inward for a soft bounce, says Brooke. In the past few months we’ve seen this worn in a variety of lengths, from Lily Collin’s microbob and Kelly Rowland’s mid-length cut to all the chin-length versions spotted at the Vanity Fair Oscars Party.

“To kick out the ends, I’d use Biolage Thermal Active Setting Spray before blow-drying,” says Brooke. “It gives the hair memory and heat protection while locking in that sculpted shape.” We’re partial to the JVN Complete Blowout Styling Milk, too, which also offers heat protection and soft hold.

Did you get an Italian bob last fall but now have Michelle Monaghan's beachy White Lotus waves on your mood board? If so, you'll want to embrace a lob this spring. "This transition style is intentionally cut to hit around the collarbone with minimal layers for movement,” explains Kimble (Apple Cider Vinegar’s Kaitlyn Dever’s cut is a good example of this). “Keep the cut one length around the back, with slightly longer pieces in the front,” she says. “For textured hair, ensure the cut has enough layering to avoid weight.”

If you prefer a protective style, a lob can be worn with box braids—with or without beads for a touch of ’90s nostalgia, says hairstylist Sarah Sango—or locs, like how hairstylist Vernon François styled Lupita Nyong’o’s long bob for the BAFTA Awards.

What started out as a social media trend is now showing up on red carpets and in salon chairs. Says Toth, “At the Grammys, Miley and Gaga really demonstrated the hairstyle’s wearability and versatility.” The cut, a modern take on a historic Japanese style, features cheekbone-length side pieces and long length, often worn very sleek and straight. “It’s bold, structured, and the perfect contrast to the softer styles we’ve been seeing,” says Brooke.

On curly hair, you can create a jellyfish-like effect by braiding the bottom half of your hair into pigtails and leaving the shorter, face-framing pieces out and curly, says Toth. Just ask your stylist to cut the layers in front short enough so that they spring up near your face.

Curtain bangs—the trend we just can’t seem to quit—appeared front row at Paris Fashion Week and at sold-out concerts around the world, including Sabrina Carpenter’s thick, fluffy fringe that has inspired many a TikTok tutorial. “These soft, face-framing bangs are great for updating shoulder-length to long hairstyles and add a refined look to any haircut,” says Carmichael, who notes that curtain bangs look great air-dried or blown out.

To blow them dry, you’ll want to start with a small round brush that has a 1.3-inch barrel (like the YS Park Mixed-Bristle Round Brush in 35G5), which is great for picking up shorter strands, to give them some bend. Once your bangs are dry, Toth recommends, use a larger round brush that has a diameter of around 2.5 inches to stretch them out so they blend in with the rest of your hair (he uses YS Park “G” Series Mixed-Bristle Round Brush 66GWO, which is 2.75 inches). Then set them in place with a strong-but-flexible hairspray. We like Moroccanoil’s Luminous Hairspray Strong, which never gets crunchy no matter how much you use.

Curly hair gets a zhuzh for spring when you add bangs to the mix. Says hairstylist Laura Polko, “They frame the face so nicely, and you can twist your hair up in the back and let the bangs be the focal point of the look for a playful spring look.” Keep curls tight and bouncy or brush them out to be soft and fluffy, either way the prep work is the same. Sango recommends the LOC (leave-in, oil, cream) method: After washing your hair, apply a leave-in milk, like Lush’s Super Milk Conditioner Spray, followed by an oil for added hydration, and then finish with a curl-defining cream (Shea Moisture Coconut and Hibiscus Curl Enhancing Smoothie is an OG and Best of Beauty winner for a reason). “Work in sections from the nape of the neck to the fringe, finger-coiling each section to enhance curl definition,” says Sango. “Then use a diffuser on medium heat to dry the hair, ensuring the curls set beautifully.”

“This spring, we’re seeing layers fall slightly longer than shoulder length,” says Polko. Subtle, blended layers add shape without compromising length, while the softly tapered ends prevent hair from looking heavy, says Cusick: “Think ’90s-supermodel hair, but more relaxed.”

For this style, make sure to have a good detangling brush on hand (you can never go wrong with the Tangleteezer, which also has an option for curly hair), and treat your hair to a nourishing hair mask once a week to keep it in tip-top shape. The Alterna Caviar Replenishing Moisture Mask leaves hair ridiculously silky and manageable, while Cécred’s Reconstructing Mask is great for keeping fragile strands feeling strong.

Learn more about this season's biggest trends:

• This Spring’s Biggest Makeup Trends Bring Your Fantasies to Life
• This Spring’s Nail Art Trends Are Anything But Mild
• This Spring’s Most Popular Nail Colors Will Bring You Down to Earth
• 2025's Top Haircut Trends Are a Masterclass in Timeless Sophistication

Now, watch Rachel Zegler's 10-minute beauty routine.