Summer’s here and honey, your hair might be screaming 2010 instead of 2023! As a stylist who’s seen it all, I’m dishing the tea on those cringe-worthy summer hair trends that are aging you faster than a bad spray tan. Plus, I’ll reveal the sneaky styling mistakes sabotaging your quest for that coveted ’90s supermodel magic we’re all chasing these days.
1. Ombré Gone Wrong
Remember when ombré was fresh? Now those harsh, chunky color transitions scream ‘I haven’t updated my look since Pinterest launched!’
Modern color should melt seamlessly, like butter on hot toast. Blunt color blocks are the equivalent of wearing platform flip-flops to a wedding.
2. Crispy Beach Waves
Heavens, the crunchy, product-laden waves are killing me! Your hair shouldn’t sound like you’re walking through autumn leaves when you touch it.
Ditch that extra-strong hold mousse and embrace softer products. Those crispy curls are about as current as flip phones.
3. Sky-High Top Knots
Though I adore a good updo, those ballerina buns perched at your crown like a satellite dish are collecting dust in the trend department.
Modern buns sit lower, looser, and more effortless. Your head shouldn’t look like it’s trying to communicate with Mars, darling.
4. Stick-Straight Ironed Hair
Flat-ironing your hair within an inch of its life? That poker-straight, zero-volume look belongs in a Y2K time capsule.
Hair should have movement and dimension! Even the straightest styles now embrace subtle texture and body. Your strands shouldn’t look painted onto your head.
5. Chunky Highlights
Yikes—those zebra-stripe highlights from the early 2000s are making an unwelcome comeback! Bold, chunky streaks might remind you of your favorite girl band era, but they’re not doing your face any favors.
Modern highlighting is about subtle dimension, not color blocking.
6. Extreme Side Parts
Honey, that deep side part where half your hair cascades over one eye isn’t mysterious—it’s dated! While Gen Z might claim center parts own the world, I’m not that extreme.
A soft, natural part that works with your face shape is timeless. No need for hair gymnastics!
7. Helmet-Head Curls
Lord help me when I see those uniform, prom-night curls all facing the same direction! You’re not auditioning for a 1980s music video, sweetie.
Modern curls vary in size and direction, creating natural movement. Your curling iron shouldn’t create a synchronized swimming team on your head.
8. Flequillo con plumas
While Farrah Fawcett remains a goddess, her signature feathered bangs need to stay in their decade. Those wispy, over-layered fringe bits instantly age even the freshest face.
Today’s bangs are either blunt and bold or soft and curtain-like—not stuck in a 70s time warp.
9. Visible Hair Extensions
Bless your heart if your extensions are announcing themselves to everyone at the beach! Nothing screams ‘dated’ faster than visible tracks or color mismatches between natural hair and extensions.
Quality extensions should be your secret weapon, not your obvious armor.
10. Pineapple Ponytails
That super-high, super-tight ponytail perched atop your head isn’t giving youthful energy—it’s giving playground flashbacks and tension headaches!
A modern pony sits either sleek at the nape or loosely at the crown with volume. Your scalp shouldn’t be doing a facelift impersonation.
11. Ignoring Your Natural Texture
Against the ’90s supermodel code: fighting what Mother Nature gave you!
Working against your natural texture creates that try-hard vibe. The supermodel secret was enhancing, not completely reinventing their God-given texture.
12. Over-Brushed Blowouts
Sacrilege against the ’90s code: that helmet-head, every-hair-in-place blowout!
True ’90s blowouts had movement and a certain undone quality. Your hair should flutter when you walk, not remain suspiciously motionless.
13. Product Overload
Committing the cardinal sin against ’90s hair: drowning it in products!
That greasy, weighed-down look screams ‘trying too hard.’ The supermodel secret was using minimal product for maximum impact—hair that moved freely without a product party.
14. Flat Roots
Missing the ’90s supermodel memo: volume starts at the roots! When your crown is flatter than yesterday’s soda, you’re killing that bombshell vibe.
Without that root volume, even the best cut falls flat—literally and figuratively.
15. Skipping Heat Protection
Honey, destroying your hair’s integrity is the fastest way to lose that supermodel shine! Those ’90s icons had glossy, healthy locks—not frazzled split ends.
Heat damage creates frizz and dullness that no styling can hide. Protecting your strands isn’t optional if you want that coveted supermodel gleam.
16. One-Length Cuts Without Layers
Forgetting the ’90s supermodel secret weapon: strategic layers! That blunt, one-length cut is sucking the life and movement out of your hair faster than you can say ‘Versace runway.’
Every ’90s hair icon had invisible layers that created that signature bounce and flow—not harsh, obvious steps.