Feathered Hair Is Officially Back, so Here’s All the Inspiration You Need

It’s easy to forget, but trust us when we say that hair trends have come on leaps and bounds in the last 15 or so years. Nowadays, more often than not, we know exactly what we want when we sit down in the salon chair. Whether it be hand-painted balayage, rogue blonde, or a glass bob, we’re more clued up on the intricacies of hair techniques than ever before. But let us not forget where this all started. Cast your minds back to when every salon appointment started with you handing over a picture of a celeb torn out of a magazine. Soon enough, we picked up on new terms—things like “inverted bob” (VB, you owe us for the cold necks we suffered), “babylights,” and, perhaps the most frequently uttered words in salons throughout the ’90s and early noughties, “feathered ends.”

Yes, hair feathering was the thing to be seen asking for. Looking at your reflection critically in the mirror and asking your stylist for “just a little more feathering around the face, please” showed not only that you knew what was chic, but also that you knew exactly what you were talking about.

The concept of feathered hair is simple. It involves the stylist chopping into the ends to reduce bulk and make hair look layered, softer, and feather-like. Do you want to know the crazy thing? It’s kind of back. Only this time around, feathered hair is cooler and more undone. Paul Edmonds, award-winning hairstylist and founder of Paul Edmonds London says, “Feathered hairstyles have become less finished and more undone, with waves and texture to make hair look air-dried. Because there’s been less ability to go to salons, it’s natural that this undone look will become more prominent going into 2021.” And we never thought we’d say it, but we’re officially back in love with feathered hair.

Not yet convinced? Keep scrolling for all of the super-chic, very cool feathered hair inspiration you need for 2021 and beyond.