Top hair stylist Michael Beel picks the hair looks we’ll love in 2021
New year, new do? If you’re thinking about an update, now’s the time to embrace it! According to the hair professionals we consulted for the March Future Beauty issue of MiNDFOOD, after a tumultuous 2020 more of us are ready to take a leap and have a bit of fun with our looks.
We spoke to Michael Beel, Dyson NZ Stylist Ambassador and Director of Buoy Salon & Spa in Wellington about the influential hair trends we can expect to see this year. He says we can embrace owning a strong and unique look, an antidote to time spent at home in 2020 that necessitated a low-fuss approach, but that doesn’t mean it has to be high maintenance.
MiNDFOOD: What changes will we see in the way people wear their hair?
Michael: 2021 will all be about reinvention. For obvious reasons, 2020 made us relook at how we go about everything in our lives and forced us to change how we tackle things. People have had enough and many feel like a completely new take on how they look and how they want to present themselves to the world.
I feel like the ‘wash and wear’ type of hair style won’t be as popular, people will want to style their hair to present a more groomed version of themselves.
What key trends will be big?
The return of “THE” haircut. What I mean is a strong resurgence of a bold silhouette or strong texture being cut into the hair. This allows for hair styling to be super easy and help create your new look. Whether it’s a nod to a mullet, a cute little box bob or more of a shaggy-type long hair.
Using professional home hair care. You use good skin care, so why not use good hair care?! I recommend doing regular weekly deep treatments and using the right styling products with heat protection. Hydrated hair is shiny and healthy hair, and getting regular trims even when growing is also essential. And of course, using Dyson styling tools to help the cuticle stay flat and reduce exposure to extreme heat damage to increase shine is a no brainer!
Where are dominant hair influences coming from these days?
Social media in all its forms now is playing a massive role in influencing how we see things, from Instagram, TikTok to YouTube. Being in lockdown has made us look more to the online world. Viewing “how to” hair and beauty videos increased drastically while people had time to practise different looks in the safety of their home!
What are your customers talking about with you in-salon right now?
People are now asking questions about hair health and wanting to know how to style their hair in a variety of ways. So it’s important that stylists actually know what the ingredients actually are and what they do to the hair, or why we use different tools or attachments for styling hair.
Which styling tools are you loving right now?
The Dyson Supersonic hair dryer is my absolute essential tool to create beautiful hair. It dries hair faster and at a lower temperature, which keeps the hair’s integrity and health in check. The other favourite is the Dyson Corrale straightener, its flexing plate technology is the first of its kind in the world. The heated plates flex around the hair, which helps hold onto the strand and reduce going over the section again and again to avoid excessive heat damage. It can straighten, it can curl and it can wave too! And do not get me started about the fact that it’s cord free. It’s an absolute game changer to be able to style whenever, wherever!
And any styling products that are key?
A great mousse can help you to produce as much volume as needed to create different styles. I also use oil in wet hair to help increase shine, dry the hair faster and protect the hair. A pea size amount through mid-lengths and ends once dry can really increase shine.
