From Tobacco Bronde To Whispering Pixie Bobs, How To Wear These 7 New Summer Hair Trends

Elle

21-05-2025

So, you're looking for a summer hair trend to refresh your signature style in time for sunnier days. The question is, what does it mean for a hairstyle to be summer-ready? Traditionally, summer hair trends have involved bright blonde hair colours (think fine sun-kissed highlights), effortless lived-in curls or sea salt spritzed waves. However, in 2025, with blistering heatwaves landing earlier than ever, the most coveted shades and chops look a little different.
This year, we're looking to professional hairdressers to guide us on the best summer hair colours, cuts and styles (bobs included) to achieve a joyful, modern look that lasts all season long. Here, the beauty industry's top stylists outline their best hair trends for summer 2025, including how to style them now.
If there's one red carpet hair look that is pinned to all our present beauty moodboards, it's Bella Hadid at Cannes Film Festival. Yes, we're obsessed with her crème brûlée blonde hair colour, but it's the cut expensive-looking cut that deserves further inspection.
'I am really enjoying a focus on healthy hair at the moment, and I can see a trend emerging (Bella Hadid just debuted this at Cannes) which prioritises growth and blunt ends for maximum impact with the weighty soft blowout look,' says celebrity hairstylist Halley Brisker. 'For those with longer hair, to achieve this you want to make sure trims are kept to a minimum but when cutting, it's bluntly chopped - no layers and not too much face framing for a nice and heavy, luxurious cut.'
Go for a relaxed barely there blowout to finish, he says. 'It complements and completes this look perfectly, alongside a few drops of Olaplex No7 Bonding Oil.'
Pixie cuts have been rife in 2025, from the return of the undercut, to the tousled grown-out 'trixie' style. Summer's most coveted short haircut? The delicate, '90s-inspired whispering pixie bob.
'The mullet and the pixie (with a hint of the classic Chelsea cut) have been making the rounds for a while and they don't look like they are done just yet,' says Brisker. 'With endless evolutions, this summer's short crop trend looks like it could be this hybrid of a bob and a pixie kind combined (think a hybrid of Emma Corrin and Florence Pugh). Long and layered necks with a pushed or swept back bang, staying choppy around the perimeter is certain to keep your look edgy with a hint of punk to boot.'
He notes that pomades or heavy creams are great with looks like this. 'I love Bumble & Bumble's Grooming Cream for something that sticks around,' he says.
Hairdresser Tobias Bell also co-signs this textured pixie for the upcoming summer months. 'It's bold, liberating, and ideal for summer because of its lightweight feel and striking aesthetic. To achieve this look, I use precision cutting to create short, textured layers that frame the face and emphasise bone structure.'
When it comes to updating your signature shade for summer, warming, sunkissed hues are essential; that's exactly what this brunette hair colour trend is all about.
'A sun-kissed, burnished brown that captures the warm, mellow hues of a single malt in the summer sun,' says Larry King colourist Katie Freedman. 'Think of the golden hour glow, with subtle, honeyed undertones that bring out the richness of natural brown tones. It's for those who want to add depth and warmth without straying too far from their natural shade - effortless, sophisticated, and coolly understated.'
You need only look to the red carpet for inspiration – Daisy Edgar Jones' glossy tone is our current favourite.
There's a bob haircut for everybody, and this summer's most in-demand cut offers maximum elegance.
'One of the biggest haircut trends that I'm seeing carrying right the way through the year is the bob – a style which is constantly evolving,' says celebrity hairstylist, Dom Seeley. 'We've seen the Italian Bob, the French Bob, and now the Riviera Bob is front and centre. It's a very versatile look, so think of it as the natural evolution of both the Italian and French bob combined. It's chic, timeless and gives effortless volume and movement.
Hailee Steinfeld, Zendaya, Khloé Kardashian and Halle Berry have all been spotted sporting this chic look, and the good news is, it's super simple to recreate. You just need a quality product for volume. 'I would recommend Xtra Large Bombshell Volumiser from Color Wow. It's lightweight, non-drying and will never leave the hair stiff, sticky or crunchy. It also protects the hair from heat but gives long lasting all day volume and hold.'
Think of this lived-in, bouncy blowdry as summer 2025's answer to the quiet luxury, clean girl aesthetic.
'The look is long, tousled and full of body, but never frizzy or unkempt,' says Seeley. 'Think soft waves with subtle layers, a centre part and a glossy finish. This for sure is picking up huge traction – it gives the impression of minimal effort but is still well put together, through a slightly dishevelled texture or a slightly imperfect blow out.
'To style this kind of hair I would definitely recommend Style On Steroids from Color Wow. It's a heat protectant texture spray that gives incredible memory hold and volume and can be used prior to styling but also after to give you that touchable pillowy texture.'
It's a common misconception that lighter blonde hair colours are the most summer appropriate, but it's the warmth that matters most.
'This is a mid-brown-blonde tone with a natural base, lifted with richer, "dirty" tones to create a perfectly dishevelled, lived-in dimension,' says Larry King blonde expert Harriet Muldoon. 'It's as effortless chic as it is rock n roll, and ideal for anyone who wants to keep their summer blonde but craves a bit more edge. Think of it as the hair equivalent of a vintage leather jacket - perfectly worn-in, undeniably cool, and forever in style.'
All bobs require some amount of maintenance, but this style for thick hair is easily one of the most effortless.
'This summer is set to be all about effortless hair and natural texture,' says Hershesons Fitzrovia's Samuel Broadbent. 'Think air drying, scrunch drying and maybe a super quick blowout just to tame the bed hair on days you need to feel a little put together. Think thick but not 'blunt' and styles that pretty much look after themselves. It helps to create that effortless movement of holiday hair, which is perfect for the summer months for low maintenance.'
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Katie Withington (she/her) is the Beauty Writer, at ELLE UK and Harper's Bazaar. Working alongside the ELLE UK Beauty Team, she covers all things beauty for both print and digital, from finding backstage make-up trends at London Fashion Week and investigating buzzy skincare ingredients, to unzipping the beauty bags of Hailey Bieber and Margot Robbie. Prior to joining ELLE UK in 2022, Katie studied (BA) Fashion Journalism at London College of Fashion and has previously contributed to Red, Good Housekeeping and Prima.