Hot hair trends for autumn

Summer has been hot, hot, hot this year and easy, carefree styling has been the perfect partner, but another season is on the horizon and with that comes a whole host of new trends to keep an eye on. Take inspiration from the AW18 runways and recreate this year’s top styles at home.

Photo: Chanel

Messy buns

Thanks to Meghan Markle making the look her own and putting the effortlessly messy bun firmly back in the spotlight, the topknot is going to remain a key look for the months ahead. This year, however, it’s getting a high-fashion makeover thanks to Chanel showing models strutting their stuff down AW18 catwalks with the easiest, most stylish up-dos in town. Perfect for elevating your daytime look or adding a touch of Parisian style to your evening outfit, a messy topknot is always a classic. But just because it looks easy, don’t be fooled – this level of messy takes a lot of effort to get just right.

If you want to recreate this style, start off by spritzing a texturizing spray or even a dry shampoo into the roots of your hair to pad it out and enhance the volume for a really lifted, full look. Take a teasing brush and back-brush the hair all over, paying extra attention to the sides of your hair and the crown area, and then lightly smooth over that top layer, brushing the hair gently back. Dip your head forward and scoop your hair into a ponytail at the crown, and fasten with a no-snag band, then wrap the ponytail round on itself and pin into place with Kirby grips. Make sure it’s not too neat and tidy, and don’t be afraid to use your teasing brush to loosen areas and create extra volume. Mist with a light hairspray to set the look and your messy bun is good to go.

Photo: Miu Miu / Getty Images

Retro rock’n’roll

The autumn/winter months always feel like the perfect time for retro influences in hair. Bouffant styles and vintage-inspired looks work beautifully with frilled collars, knitted jumpers and oversized coats, so winter wear is the perfect partner. Try mixing influences, like blowsy French 1960s hair blended with a little touch of punky rebellion, which was just the look seen on Miu Miu’s AW18 runway. The super-stylish high fashion Italian brand really went for it, creating huge beehive styles with a rough, raw texture that looked incredibly cool.

To get the look, arm yourself with some heavy-duty products and a teasing brush; this is a look that will take some work, but the results are worth it. Prep the hair with a misting of a thickening spray that instantly adds the volume to hair that you need for a much thicker texture. Then separate the hair into a top and bottom section, and back-brush the underside of the top section until it has doubled in volume. Flip the hair back and lightly smooth over the top, before pinning into a beehive shape, shaping with your free hand as you go. Mist the hair with a strong-hold hairspray to finish.

Relaxed blow-dry

The blow-dry is the perfect way to create glamorous hair and feel really special, but it’s something that usually takes a lot of time and effort. Thankfully, this look is taking a new direction for AW18. Often inspired by Hollywood icons of a bygone era, this season’s blow-dry is more relaxed, making it ideal for dressing down a dazzling party look.

To recreate the look, towel dry hair before spritzing with a light texturising product -like Shea Moisture’s Fruit Fusion Coconut Water Weightless Texture Spray - to encourage body and texture. Next, roll hair up into two loose side buns and use a diffuser to dry the hair. Unravel the buns once the hair is dry, spritz in a lightweight dry shampoo to add more texture and volume, and remove some of that freshly-washed shine, to create a slightly more ‘worn’ look. To add shape, use a wide-barrelled tong and wrap the hair loosely around it, stretching the hair as you release it to create bounce without too much structure. Run your hands through the waves and you’re done - an utterly glamorous look.

French-girl hair

It is never a surprise to see perfect French-girl hair on the Isabel Marant catwalk. Glossy, healthy and so relaxed, it’s the holy grail of hairstyles. Of course, as with all of these ‘effortless’ styles, it takes a lot of work to get hair looking that good. Your hair needs to be in tip-top condition for this style to look its best. Consider using a hair mask once a week to boost hair’s health and shine. If you are unsure what might work best for your hair type, ask your stylist what they think - they will be more than happy to advise on what products work best for any concerns you have.

Wash and treat hair with a shine-boosting shampoo and conditioner, and once you have squeezed excess moisture out of your hair and it has dried off a little, apply a moisturising cream then leave hair to dry. When it’s about 80% dry, twist it into a low, loose knot and leave it to dry completely. When hair is totally dry, undo the knot, shake out hair and part it in the centre. Hair should have a healthy, natural shine and a lovely loose bend, with plenty of movement. Don’t worry too much about styling the hair, the beauty of this look is in its insouciance. Mist with a light-hold hairspray and a shine spray and tuck the hair loosely behind the ears. Et voila!

Ponytails

For those days when you really don’t have much time to spend on your hair, take inspiration from Valentino’s models and work that ponytail. Forget severe and slicked back, this season’s ponytails should have a softness to them with wisps framing the face, all adding up to a super feminine look.

You want to keep the style light and relaxed, which all of those wispy bits will help with. Wrapping a strand of hair around the ponytail hair elastic to cover it makes the style look far more pulled together and it’s a look that can literally be done on the run.