11 unexpected hair trends set to explode this summer

Finally the weather is warming up, which means the 2024 summer hair trends are already incoming. The light, the temperature and vibes hit different in summer, so we love a mini – or major – hair transformation to mark the occasion. Plus, it’s one of the most social times of the year, with weddings, girls’ trips, festivals and pub gardens filling up our calendars, so we want our hair to look banging.

As for what to expect? Barbiecore has made way for a sportier aesthetic this summer. Bobs remain a headliner, but there are a couple of tweaks you can make to bring them right up to date. And colour is getting a little more casual, but no less glossy.

Here’s the 2024 summer hair trends you should really know about…

Tenniscore

The athleisure and coquette trends have blended into a sporty, cute and rich aesthetic that we’ve started to see everywhere. Throw in Zendaya’s Challengers press tour, where she served up tennis-inspired outfits and glam to reference her latest role as a pro tennis player-turned coach, and tenniscore is headlining both fashion and beauty trends this summer.

For hair, this translates into the hairstyles that come to mind when you think of female players. Imagine anything you’d pair with a visor or headband – like sporty braids, XXL plaits and swishy ponytails. “Its hair that’s swept back from the face,” confirms top hair stylist Sam McKnight, MBE. “Essentially, it’s a sporty, clean-girl aesthetic. It’s the perfect fresh-faced style,” he adds, noting “an effortless braided ponytail is a tennis girl go-to and has been seen on the courts endlessly.”