We started hearing about him back in 2017 and since then his popularity has not stopped growing. We speak neither more nor less than the shag or shaggy style haircut , the one that has its best allies in the layers, and that if already in 2020 it was a boom like few others, almost comparable to the omnipresent bob, in 2021 it promises to continue sweeping .
After a long period in which the layers abandoned almost all the manes, about three years ago these began to be seen again in many hairs. but its origin comes from further afield.
We recognize the shag cuts in the 70s manes, very long, with very pronounced layers and bangs idem, combed with the tips outwards marking the different lengths, there that of Farrah Fawcett or the shorter and smoother of Jane Fonda in the movie Klute.
We also experienced a boom in the 80s, where the shag was more disheveled, shorter and more radical, like that of Chrissie Hynde or Blondie.
In the 90s, the capes adopted an air of a good girl, less rocker, and with them Jennifer Aniston broke molds in the role of Rachel in the series ‘Friends’ or Meg Ryan, who wore it even shorter and weathered.
The common denominator of these cuts that survive in one way or another through the decades are the layers. More marked or less, at different heights, many or few, they manage to give a movement and a feeling of lightness and volume to the hair as few styles achieve.
Shags work at any age, because the layers, combed with more or less marked waves, give an appearance of fluffiness and volume, in addition to framing the face, which favors whether you are 20 or 70 years old. Here Michelle Pfeiffer and Halle Berry.
Shags work at any age, because the layers, combed with more or less marked waves, give an appearance of fluffiness and volume, in addition to framing the face, which favors whether you are 20 or 70 years old. Here Michelle Pfeiffer and Halle Berry.
In addition, as we have seen, depending on the length of each hair or the nature of the hair, the layers adopt very different finishes that adapt to any occasion and type of style.
In addition, normally, shags are parted in the middle, although nothing detracts from the fact that they can be combed to the side.
And one factor that updates these cuts in 2021 is the bangs, the trendiest best friend of a weathered cut.
Eduardo Sánchez, hairdresser founder of Maison Eduardo Sánchez in Madrid, goes a little further in his explanation: “It is a cut with a straight base, but worked with a razor, to break its line and leave that flattering feeling of hair with movement and feather effect and lightness.
A cut that is very easy to wear on a day-to-day basis because just by drying it in the air you can already achieve that look, but if you want a more sophisticated mane, just create light waves “.
In summary, the hairdresser Felicitas Ordás, director of Felicitas Hair (Mataró, Barcelona): “the key to shaggy is the layers that allow for fluidity and movement. It has a lot of texture and is worn especially with long bangs. The lack of perfection With these parades, they manage to rejuvenate, since it reduces the volume of the sides “.
From Llongueras they tell us that this weathered style is perfect for any hair length. They can be worn very short (when it is worn a bit longer than usual, actress Kristen Stewart is an example) and they are daring and sexy.
That’s where Miley Cyrus comes in , whose shag is so extreme, short and weathered, that it is almost a mullet, or even, and again, Jane Fonda, with the short gray hair that she has accustomed us to this last year.
However, remember from Llongueras, a shag in a medium length also has a lot of potential due to the infinite number of stylings that it allows to create. Thus, medium and long hair can be styled slightly wavy like Alexa Chung and Michelle Pfeiffer, only with a point of movement, or more surf waves style, like Halle Berry.
In general, as Felicitas Ordás says, “it is a relaxed, almost sloppy and slightly tousled look, ideal for retouching ends and creating an effect of different lengths and movement”.
Perhaps the rise of the shag revival is due, however, to how well curly hair looks, be it shorter or bob. Because if in a straight one it gives that movement, volume and fluffiness so sought after, in addition to that effect like a rounded finish at the height of the ears so flattering, in curly ones these effects are almost more enhanced.
In this way, in straight or slightly wavy hair, it is achieved, as highlighted by Eduardo Sánchez, “that result of volume and lightness without the obligation to spend a long time working on the hair”.
And in the shorts, a priori more difficult to cut and work? For now it is perfect because it hides the frizz. But also, as Manuel Mon of Manuel Mon Estilistas (Oviedo) tells : “The layers, which work over the shoulder but also in longer manes, prevent the weight from stretching the curl and help the hair look vital and with volume”.
Not for nothing more and more celebrities are leaving their curls in the air thanks to the layers of a shag, see Zendaya or J Lo.
