The hair flip hairstyle is back

Flicked-out flippy ends – aka ‘the hair flip’ – is a look we've been seeing more and more of over the past 18 months.

As with most trends, celebrity circles have played a breeding ground for its popularity, with the sartorially adored showcasing the style at various high-profile events, from Zendaya at Paris Fashion Week to Billie Eilish at the Oscars. Since then, everyone from Dua Lipa to Cate Blanchett, Florence Pugh and Maude Apatow – at last year's Harper's Bazaar Women of the Year Awards – have stepped out with the style. The latest? America Ferrera at Elle's 2023 Women in Hollywood Celebration.

While the style can be a bit Marmite (people are rarely lukewarm about it), the stars' triumphant takes on it make us all want to try it on, too.

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“Flippy ends have had a real resurgence,” confirms one of London’s leading hairstylists, Larry King. He feels that after being out of the limelight for a while, the style feels fresh and fun again.

We may have initially dabbled with the hairdo in the '90s and early '00s, however, “it takes inspiration from the Sixties,” King explains. Think The Queen’s Gambit – “but with a more modern, smoothed-down finish and just a little lift at the crown”. (Side note: try this trick to achieve crown lift, which makes any hairstyle more flattering.)

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King says that the hair flip is perfect for anyone in the bob and middy-length camp and that, mercifully, the style is more low-maintenance than it looks. “It works well with anything jaw- to shoulder-length and doesn’t take on the huge commitment of a different cut; it's just a simple styling trick that can change things up to look really new.”

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So, how do you do it? “Apply a mousse [like King’s My Nanna’s Mousse] to wet hair,” to ensure soft, bouncy volume, and smooth out the hair while blow-drying with a round brush, he instructs.

Next, “work the hair into a neat centre or side parting and use the round brush and hairdryer to flick the ends upwards”.

To finish, “smooth down any flyaways using the Flyaway With Me Kit” – a flight-friendly tube of the smoothing finishing cream A Social Life for Your Hair, with a dual-ended bamboo brush and comb to tame and tidy.

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If the silhouette feels a little strong for you, take note of Jenna Coleman's look at the British Independent Film Awards in London this month. Her execution of the hairstyle focussed less on the ends being exaggeratedly flipped out; they were flipped inwards. The result looked undeniably chic, and demonstrates that the trend can easily be tailored by taste.

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