From Yorkville to Parkdale, here are some of the biggest hair trends in Toronto right now.
1) THE BEACH WAVE – Dundas West & Parkdale
ELLE Magazine
A lot of women are going for carefree beach waves. This is a classic, simple look and it’s great for our humid summers! Toronto women like this hair trend because it’s super relaxed with a lot of flexibility.
To get this look, let your hair air dry (which really means diffusing or rough drying until it’s about 50% dry), followed by a texture spray. With its pastel blue bottle and soft, clean scent, we’re totally obsessed with Bedroom.Hair by Kevin Murphy. It’s kind of in between a spray and a paste and gives hold that’s really natural.
Using a curling iron, create some ringlets in a checker pattern. Once hair has cooled, break the curls gently with your fingers, then tip your head forward and massage the scalp to give lift at the roots. With your head still down, spray a second time with the Bedroom.Hair. Lift your head up and use your fingers to stretch out the hair from mid-shaft to ends. Finally, set the style with a third spritz of Bedroom.Hair. If you need more hold, you can add hairspray like Vicious Strong Hold by R+Co. It smells amazing!
2) THE SHAG – Queen West
L’Oreal
The west end of Toronto is shag central. We sww about five women a day walking by with this look! The 90s and 2000s were all about the sleek flat iron, but in Toronto right now the biggest hair trend all about movement. The kind of shag we’re taking about is in between the 70s and 80s. It’s a layered curly look. Pretty much anyone can wear this and it’s extremely versatile. You can flat iron to highlight the layers, diffuse to bring the curls to life, wear it with bangs, or without.
Less is more with this look. To style the shag start by applying Oribe’s Imperméable Anti-Humidity Spray then air drying with a diffuser. You can then define some of the layers using a curling iron.
3) THE SIMPLE BRAID – Ossington
Hair & Photo by Christiano Tobar
The effortless braid! This is the kind of long, sleek look that Sade wore all through the 80s. Wear it down, or twisted into a bun.
To get this look, tie your hair up in a high pony using a good, strong elastic. We like the ones made by BaByliss. Wrap a piece of the hair around the elastic and secure it with a bobby pin. Then, braid the pony and tie it with another elastic at the bottom. Spray with hair spray or Bedroom.Hair by Kevin Murphy.
For cool waves, saturate wet hair in leave-in conditioner and braid it before bed. When you wake up, unwrap the braid and add some oil (thick or coarse hair only), then break it up with a wide tooth comb. For more volume, diffuse, clip, and voila, you’re in Cuba!
4) THE CLASSIC BOB – Yorkville & The Financial District
Instagram @taylorlashae
This is the power bob! It’s all-one-length with a full or side fringe. Wearing it with bangs is so classic, very Uma Thurman in Pulp Fiction. This kind of bob works best on thick hair that’s not too fine or too coarse. If you have really fine hair, go with a shag instead!
Get this look by applying a heat protector before blow drying because it creates a barrier between the heat and the hair. Using a natural bristle paddle brush – we like the one by Denman because it grips the hair – blow dry everything forward to create volume. Some prefer their bob to be sleek and smooth, but we like a bit of jeuje and volume. Comb it to the shape you like then get your flat iron and seal the hair all around from mid-shaft to ends. Set the look with Vicious Strong Hold spray by R+Co and and Oribe’s Imperméable Anti-Humidity Spray (because Toronto’s humidity is the straight bob’s worst enemy!) The next day you can refresh the look and help control moisture by applying a dry shampoo.
5) BALYAGE – Everywhere!
InStyle
For a beautiful sun touched look, add balayage to your shag, beach wave or bob! Balayage is a subtle highlighting process. By selectively painting pieces of the hair we can control how the curls look.It’s a less intense way of highlighting because you just slice-in some pieces. They can be blonde, pink or purple without overtaking the entire hair. You can use the balayage technique on brunettes too.
She might not be a Toronto girl, but I love how Sarah Jessica Parker rocks her balayage! The slivers of blonde around the fringe highlight the face and it looks beautiful even if you direct it to the other side or part it in the middle.
Get your best summer hair by making an appointment at Bob + Paige salon.