The Good. Clean. Fun.™ BLOG

If you are contemplating changing up your ‘do for the new year you are not alone. 'Change your hair, change your life' as the saying goes. Particularly in 2021, when so many of us are eager to turn the page, re-find our mojo and shake up our next Zoom meeting! Better Natured™ went straight to the experts to get their takes on the top three styles that will be in demand this year and what products work best to care for them and keep them looking on point.

One trend that they all agree on is that healthy hair is a must – and is the best foundation for any style. To achieve that they all recommend using professionally developed products like Better Natured™ that deliver good ‘clean*’ glam: gentle and full of naturally-derived** ingredients that nourish, moisturize and protect your locks.

Bobs Are Back

There is something about a blunt bob that makes everything seem under control. Sharp lines. Precision angles. They are classic for a reason. Style expert and #betternaturedpartner Jennifer MacDougall also likes bobs, and their longer sibling – lobs – because “they’re versatile and great for all textures.”

If wearing a straightened bob, she recommends blow drying with Better Natured™ Heat Styling Lotion which delivers up to 96 hours of frizz control. Follow with Better Natured™ Fresh Dry Shampoo Powder “to keep flyaways down and create a sleek look and finished ends.”

Las Vegas style pro and #betternaturedpartner Shelley Gregory is particularly fond of collar bone-grazing layered lobs which work on multiple textures: thick, fine, curly or straight. “They’re a modern way to update your cut, but an easy length to style and still pull back.” If your hair is straight and you want to add some waves with a curling iron, Gregory suggests using Better Natured™ Beachy Texture Spray for added oomph.

For curly lobs, both experts like spritzing Better Natured™ Hydrating Leave-In Milk on wet hair to add a dose of hydrating moisture for soft, gorgeous curl definition. 

Rapunzel-Redux

It stands to reason that with people going less frequently to salons and social events that we are seeing a longer hair trend. But it’s not about a one length cascading curtain of hair. Today’s top styles feature long, flowing layers that work beautifully on thick, wavy or very straight hair, and can add some volume to fine hair.

For a sleek, voluminous, high glamour effect, Gregory suggests using the Better Natured™ Moisture Replenishing Masque, a 2020 Beauty Innovation Award winner, “at least once per week to deposit deeply restorative hydration” to your locks. Not only will it leave your heat-styled hair epically soft and shiny, it makes combing out 14 times easier and less likely to cause unwanted damage. Follow with Heat Styling Lotion for a round brush blowout, or Beachy Texture Spray “for those days when you want to relax and air dry.”

While longer hair looks luxurious, depending on the texture and even face shape it can literally weigh some of us down. Long bangs are what MacDougall prescribes “to give lift to the face and add softness when hair is pulled back into buns and ponytails.” There are many varieties of fringe to choose from: long bangs, curtain bangs, blunt bangs. But what they have in common, Gregory adds, is they “frame the face, bring out your eyes, and add character to your cut.”

Pixie Power

At the other end of the hair style spectrum – literally – is the pixie cut. A radical change that some find scary and others find liberating and empowering. Nothing says goodbye 2020 and hello new adventures like cutting away inches and inches of hair! No doubt about it: pixies are a mood.

Before you shy away, let’s be clear. Today’s pixies are not one size fits all. They’re showing up in all kinds of ways: sleek, spiky, messy, meticulous, asymmetrical, androgynous and ultra-feminine. Celebrity stylist and #betternaturedpartner Marcus Francis calls the cut “edgy, chic and timeless,” and points out that with the right products “it can be styled in multiple ways that are quick to achieve and easy to manage.”

For shorter styles, Francis recommends Better Natured™ Beachy Texture Spray for a “piecy, tousled look.” For pixies that are longer in the front and have sweeping bangs, he suggests applying Better Natured™ Damage Repair Leave-In Cream “because the hair around our faces tends to be more fragile,” he explains, “this formula will shield from damage and help hold your style, too.”

*Better Natured defines clean as products that have been rigorously tested for efficacy, are compliant with European and North American regulatory standards, and are free from our top 12 ingredient taboos: silicones, parabens, SLS/SLES (Sodium Lauryl Sulfate and Sodium Laureth Sulfate) sulfates, petrolatum, mineral oil, phthalates, gluten, animal by-products, chemical sunscreens, microbeads, BPA and formaldehyde-releasing agents.

**We use the Global ISO Standard 16128 which defines naturally-derived as a plant or mineral derived material and water which is found in nature and has undergone limited processing. In the Better Natured™ line, the percent naturally-derived ranges from 86% to 99%.