"The “French Girl” persona is chic, sophisticated, classic, and sexy. What can I say? It has that je ne sais quoi. From their of-the-moment interior style to stylish clothes (who didn’t want a striped tee and loafers circa 2015 thanks to a bunch of French girls on Pinterest?), the French know what’s up. I personally can’t get enough of their beauty looks: messy red lips, undone hair, barely-there skin—the French beauty vibe is unmatched, and the easiest way to achieve it stateside is through French haircuts.
There are just certain styles that immediately scream “waltzing through Parisian streets” or “frolicking in Nice.” Consider these Paris’s coolest haircuts of 2021. No matter your texture or length, scroll down for the best French-inspired cuts and easy ways to style them.
1. Messy Pixie
The French girl aesthetic is all about disheveled, barely-done beauty, and that’s exactly what you’re going to get with this style. To keep it looking purposefully piecey instead of like bedhead, use a hair wax or pomade to strategically put everything in place. It’ll add a matte texture to your hair and hold all day without getting sticky or stiff.
2. Full Bangs
You’re bound to walk through a French shop and see bangs, and they’ve made their way throughout the U.S. in the last year too. Bangs act as your cheapest accessory, looking good down, at all lengths, and with every single updo. To style your bangs, use a round-brush dryer like the Revlon One-Step or a blow dryer with a small round brush to put your bangs in place and give them a little shape and volume. Then, follow it up with a spray wax. This will keep your bangs exactly where you want them all day long without changing the texture and keeping the look soft.
3. Blunt Bob
The French love a blunt cut because it adds tons of volume and can be worn every way under the sun. Add bangs for a cool-girl vibe, curl it into soft waves for a romantic look, or straighten it to make it sleek. Regardless, use a frizz-reducing product to keep frizz to a bare minimum because the style can look boxy when the hair gets really frizzy.
4. Shoulder-Length Curls
This tousled look has tons of shape and volume, and it’s perfect for all curl patterns and types from 3A to 4C. It’s a low-maintenance cut that continues to look good even as it grows out. It’s cool-girl, which inevitably screams Parisian. Add even more volume to your curls with a volumizing product, and then add a curl gel to keep them in place and give them a day’s-long hold.
5. Chin-Length
The chin-length bob is sharp and defined, so it turns your hair into a whole look on its own. To keep it sharp, use a flat iron to smooth out the ends. This style looks sophisticated and elegant with little-to-no styling required, so it’s a must-have for French girls who don’t have time for a high-maintenance cut. Plus, this grows out into lengths that are also trending, like a classic bob and lob.
6. Shaggy Layers
If you’re really looking for that Parisian je ne sais quoi, it’s in a shaggy, messy layered look. It’s perfectly imperfect and looks effortless (but the process is usually the opposite, of course). Bring out all the stops in the texture department with this look. Use a waver to get a beachy, barely-there wave and add lots of texture spray. For even more texture, especially at the roots, use a dry shampoo powder to roughen it up and give your scalp lots of volume.
Perfectly-imperfect fringe, despite what the naysayers say, is attainable.