It’s Officially Short Hair Summer—29 Easy Hairstyles We’re Trying This Season

I’m calling it— 2023 is officially the *the* year of the short hair summer. And I’ve got the evidence to back it up. Every single hairstylist I speak to says that they are seeing more and more clients in the salon chair who are looking to hack off their lengths and go for one of the many, many varieties of the bob haircut—it’s one of the most requested hairstyles doing the rounds right now. From the voluminous Italian bob sported by Zendaya to Hailey Bieber’s sleek box bob, there is a bob hairstyle to suit just about everyone. But it’s not the only hairstyle we’re hacking off our lengths for. Short hairstyles are big news in every form. Even Lupita Nyong’o and Florence Pugh have recently debuted short buzz cuts, and we’re seeing the ’70s-inspired mullet and the shag haircut still doing the rounds too. If it’s shoulder-length or shorter, you’ll no doubt be seeing these 2023 hair trends on your social feeds this summer.

Of course, short hair lends itself well to the summer heat too, when long lengths can be harder to maintain or feel too cloying when the temperatures rise. Not to mention the humidity can wreak havoc with all the effort put into styling. For this reason, summer hairstyles for short hair need to be simple and look chic—stat. Whether you’re spending the season in the city and need some easy summer hairstyle inspiration, or jetting off on holiday and need some ideas on how to take your poolside hairstyle from beach to the bar, you’ll want to have plenty of simple hairstyles to take you through the season.

The experts have a couple of tips for making the most of your short hair in the summer heat, too. “The ultimate protection is to keep your hair out of the sun and covered, but the next easy thing is to use a UV protecting mist and wearing protective styles,” says celebrity hairstylist, Sam McKnight. “Whether you summer in the city or at the beach, sun and humidity protection is key. Fight flyaways with Happy Endings (£36), a hybrid nourishing balm with defines, de-frizzes and de-fluffs while sealing split ends.  Layer it up into wet or dry hair, braid or twist for the day, and go from beach to bar or desk to date by shaking it out and misting Sundaze Sea Spray (£26), a UV protecting mist to give you sea kissed texture like the ultimate Ibizan Cool Girl.”

And curls can benefit from some extra TLC in the summer too, says Afro Hair Specialist and BaByliss Pro Ambassador, Michelle Sultan. “Humidity is the biggest cause of flyaways, followed by humidity freeze which is caused by using too much or too little products, and over-manipulating the hair,” she says. “Some of my clients will towel dry their hair before using styling products, and this causes curls and coils to freeze and even break the curl pattern. It can also be caused by the water pressure on your shower head being too harsh [and] if water is too hot, so turn down the water and avoid over-washing your hair.”

So, if you’re after some summer hairstyles for your short hair, we’ve rounded up the sleekest we’ve found, as well as the newest styling products to help you tap into your short hair summer.