What I'm Actually Seeing in My Chair This Year

By Megan Carter, Level 5 Stylist at Hyde Salon

You know what's funny about "hair trends"? Half the time, what the beauty magazines are calling "the next big thing" is something I've been doing for my clients for months already. The other half, it's something that sounds cool in theory but would look terrible on 90% of real people.

So instead of telling you what some blogger thinks you should be doing with your hair this year, I thought I'd share what's actually working for my clients, the stuff they keep asking for, the products they actually repurchase, and the styles that make them feel amazing when they walk out my door.

Everyone wants that glossy, healthy look

I swear, at least three people a week show me the same Instagram photo of someone with super shiny, almost mirror-like hair. It's what people are calling "glass hair," which honestly sounds kind of weird to me, but I get what they're going for.

The thing is, you can't fake healthy hair. If your hair is damaged, no amount of shine spray is going to make it look like glass. But if your hair is in decent shape and you want that extra glossy finish, the Oribe Shine spray actually works really well.

I use it as a finishing touch after I style someone's hair, just a light mist, not soaking it. Too much and you look greasy instead of shiny. I've had clients buy the little travel size to keep in their purse for touch-ups, which is smart because humidity here in South Carolina can kill your shine by lunchtime.

Heat protection is finally getting the attention it deserves

Maybe it's because everyone's watching curling tutorials on TikTok, but people are finally asking me about heat protectants. It's about time, honestly. I've been watching clients fry their hair with flat irons and curling wands for years.

The Kerastase Genesis heat protectant is probably the one I recommend most. It actually protects up to 450 degrees, and it doesn't make your hair feel sticky or heavy. I tell people to put it on damp hair before blow-drying, and then if you're going back with a flat iron or curling iron on dry hair, give it another light spray.

I had one client who was straightening her hair every single day with no protection. Her ends looked like straw. After three months of using a heat protectant consistently, her hair looked completely different. Still not perfect,you can't undo years of damage overnight, but so much healthier.

Curly hair is having a moment (finally)

I'm seeing more people embrace their natural texture instead of fighting it, which makes me so happy. For the longest time, everyone wanted pin-straight hair or loose beachy waves. Now I have clients with beautiful coils asking me to help them figure out how to work with what they've got instead of against it.

The Curl Manifesto gel-cream is my go-to for most curl types. It gives definition without that crunchy feeling that a lot of curl gels leave behind. And the Oribe Curl Gloss is amazing for adding shine, curly hair can look so dull sometimes, especially if it's damaged or over-processed.

I've been teaching clients about "plopping" too, which is where you wrap your curls in a cotton t-shirt instead of rubbing them with a towel. Sounds weird, but it cuts down on frizz so much. Half my curly clients have converted their old t-shirts into hair towels.

Scalp care is becoming a thing

This one's interesting because it's not really new, we've always known that healthy hair starts with a healthy scalp. But now people are actually paying attention to it, probably because they're dealing with more buildup from all the dry shampoo and styling products.

The Kerastase scalp scrub is good for this. I tell people to use it once a week instead of their regular shampoo, just to get all the buildup off. But you have to be gentle, I've had clients scrub so hard they irritate their scalp and then wonder why they're getting flakes.

If you're using dry shampoo more than twice a week, you probably need to exfoliate your scalp occasionally. Just don't go crazy with it.

The sustainability thing is tricky

A lot of people are asking about eco-friendly products, which is great in theory. The Oribe refill system is pretty cool, you can refill some of their bottles instead of throwing them away. But honestly, I'm not going to recommend a product just because it's "sustainable" if it doesn't work well for your hair.

I think the bigger environmental impact comes from not over-buying products you won't use. I'd rather see someone find three products that work perfectly for them and stick with those than buy a dozen "eco-friendly" products that end up sitting in their bathroom cabinet.

Overnight treatments for busy people

This one makes sense to me. Everyone's busy, and if you can do something for your hair while you sleep instead of spending extra time in the morning, why not?

The Kerastase night serum actually works. You put it in damp hair before bed, and your hair feels softer in the morning. I tell people to braid their hair loosely or put it in a silk scrunchie to keep it from getting tangled while they sleep.

Just don't expect miracles. It's not going to fix severely damaged hair overnight, but for regular dryness and maintaining healthy hair, it's pretty convenient.

Here's what I actually tell my clients

Forget about trends for a minute. What matters is finding products that work for your specific hair and your actual lifestyle. If you're someone who hits the snooze button three times and has five minutes to get ready, don't buy a complicated curl routine that takes 20 minutes to apply.

I ask people: How much time do you realistically want to spend on your hair in the morning? How often do you actually wash it? Do you use heat tools? Are you willing to sleep in a silk bonnet, or is that not going to happen?

Then we figure out a routine that fits your life, not some Instagram influencer's life.

The truth about "investment" products

Look, good products do cost more, and usually there's a reason for that. Better ingredients, more research, less damaging preservatives. But I also have clients with gorgeous hair who use drugstore products and swear by them.

The key is consistency. Use what works for you consistently, rather than constantly switching products because you saw something new on social media.

Want to figure out what actually works for your hair?

If you're tired of buying products that don't work or following trends that don't fit your lifestyle, let's talk. I love helping people build routines that make sense for their hair and their real life.

We can go over what you're doing now, what's not working, and what you actually want your hair to look like when you wake up in the morning. No judgment, no pressure to buy everything at once, just honest advice about what will actually help.

Book an appointment and we'll figure it out together. Your hair doesn't need to follow trends, it just needs to work for you.