Posted on Feb 20, 2022

If you don't have one of these haircuts, from the neo-mullet to the ‘70s centre-parting, you're doing 2022 completely wrong

2022, here we go again. No lockdown this time, but the effects of the pandemic are still very much with us, with its impact felt on the economy, geo-political dynamics and, of course, most importantly of all, how we’re rocking our hair. 

If the following new styles are anything to go by, men are doubling down on haircuts that might, pre-pandemic, have been considered subversive, outré, or at least tricky in a job interview. It seems that in these strange and uncertain times, there’s a special joy to be found in expressing yourself with a bold new haircut. So here are the five hottest hair trends as chosen by Joe Mills, founder of the Soho salon, Joe and Co, and Tariq Howe, celebrity hairstylist and creative director of Joe and Co.

The Neo-Mullet

“Mullets are going absolutely nowhere for 2022,” says Mills. The style, which is synonymous with 80s icons of bad taste such as radio DJ Pat Sharp, and more recently, Joe Exotic, star of the Netflix hit, Tiger King, has evolved since it emerged last year. Hairdressers are now taking the trademark elements: length at the back, short at the sides, shagginess on the top, and adding new twists. “It could be really short around the sides, but it could have a bit of softness where the sideburns used to be,” says Mills. “At the back we might add a slight undercut.” Mullets are increasingly individualised according to the whims of the client and can now be adapted to suit almost all hairstyles and face shapes.

The Afro-Mullet

“The ‘Afro-Mullet’ is a massive growing trend,” says Tariq Howe who specialises in Afro hair. “But it’s not a mullet like when you think of Kevin Keegan in tight shorts. When people ask for it, they don’t even realise that it’s a mullet.” But look closely at sports stars such the American footballer

Odell Beckham Jr, Paul Pogba, the Manchester United Player, and R&B singers such as Usher and Jason Derulo, and you’ll spot the distinctive proportions of the mullet: short on the sides, shaggy on top and long at the back. “It does look different on Afro hair though,” says Howe. “You can have it short and neat with waves in a tight Afro shape, or it can be grown out in a twisted, more textured look, and I’ve even seen it with dreadlocks.” 

When Howe styled Alton Mason for the Fashion Awards last year, the supermodel asked specifically for a mullet, “It’s Afro, it’s young and it’s street, and it’s got a different feel to it,” says Howe. “I think people are pushing the boundaries a bit more now. It’s not just a caucasian thing - there’s a lot more crossover and blurring of boundaries.”

The 70’s Centre Parting

Perhaps inspired by the similarly sensual look of the 70s popular in men’s fashion over the past few seasons, long, luxuriant locks which tumble down to your shoulders have made a comeback as men decide to keep their shaggy lockdown locks instead of chopping it off. Today, hairdressers are carefully adding layers and texture to long hair to ensure that it moves and flows naturally, resulting in a style that you (or your lover) will want to touch and run their hands through. 

“From a product perspective it’s about working with your hair’s natural texture, whether it’s straight, wavy, or curled” says Mills. “So rather than trying to force an over complicated regime it’s about cherry picking products which really work with what you’ve naturally got.” Mills cites Bradley Cooper’s long, swept-back style in the forthcoming film, A Star Is Born in which he plays a lovelorn, hard-drinking musician, as a key reference. “It’s a subtle, softer way of wearing your hair long,” says Mills of the barely styled look.

The Grow Out

Men with Afro hair are also keeping their lockdown locks. “People are growing their hair out but it’s how you do it,” says Howe. “Lots of men have looked at themselves after lockdown and said, ‘Yeah it looks great’ and have decided to keep it.” According to Howe, the key to making the ‘Grow Out’ look work is to pay particular attention to the hairline and having it shaped up to leave a clean and tidy line, while wearing the rest of the hair with a textured, broken up look by twisting it with the fingers or using a curl sponge for extra texture and shape. “If you just let it grow out with no shape or nothing really going on then it can look a bit messy. But if you have it lined up along the neckline and have a strong outline then you’re showing people that you’re looking after yourself. You look cleaner, you feel better.”

He cites The Weeknd as a prime example of how to make this look elegant and stylish: “He has it textured with a curl sponge so that it’s broken up into little curls. You can see that it has a smart outline and has the rest of it grown out.”

Changes in society, particularly in matters of racial justice that have taken place over the past two years are being felt in how black men express themselves with their hair, particularly in the workplace. “I think there’s been a thing over the years especially with Afro hair, that unless it’s short, neat and tidy that it’s not suitable for work. Even braids or dreadlocks were previously considered messy but people are now just going for it and so you’re seeing braver and braver looks.”

Colour Pops

The one thing all of these hairstyles have in common is that they require a certain level of commitment, whether in terms of simply letting the hair grow out or making a big personal statement about yourself. Bright bold pops of colour are yet more evidence of this new, wild mood in men’s hair. “Society feels quite fractured at the moment,” says Mills. “We’ve had a long period

where we’ve been told what to do so it feels like there’s a punk mood in the air, and one of the ways in which you can stick two fingers is to go for a really wild dye job.”

The lime green dye-job that Frank Ocean sported at last year’s Met Gala coordinated with the animatronic puppet that wore pieces from his ‘Homer jewellery line, perhaps reflects the strange and discombobulated times in which we live. After all, Ocean is an unusually mild-mannered and low key R&B singer-songwriter known more for his simple black and white ‘normcore’ Prada ensembles. 

Kanye West, who is rarely seen without some kind of bleached or rainbow-hued hair colour, perhaps more than any artist today, has long revelled in this new discordant mood both in his fashion and music. “After being locked down people feel like being drastic, and colour is definitely a part of that,” says Howe. “Even with mullets, I’ve seen some in crazy blues, turquoise and bleached blondes, which definitely give more definition to those looks.

Original article: https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/grooming/article/hair-trends-2022