The “Octopus Haircut” Trend Isn’t Nearly as Weird as It Sounds — See Photos, Video

You may be wondering why something called the octopus haircut has been gaining so much traction lately. The minds at Pinterest were the first to predict its rise to haircut stardom in its annual Pinterest Predicts Report back in December of 2021. Based on an analysis of its monthly users’ search terms, the website found that the octopus haircut “will be [among one of] the most-requested styles at the salon by Gen Z [in 2022].” 

To be clear, there’s absolutely nothing fishy about the octopus haircut. Seattle based-hairstylist and owner of Fix Salon, Mandy McCullough, says it gets its name from the tentacled creature because “the silhouette rounds with the head shape similar to an octopus body; the base length mimics the vibe of octopus legs,” she says. Even though the cut bears a resemblance to the octopus, McCullough tells Allure that its “interior is an extreme shag, but the ends stay long.” 

While the octopus cut does look a bit like the classic shag, it does have some features of another trendy cut. Hairstylist and owner of London-based salon Shag! London, April Christina Taylor, agrees that the haircut has some characteristics of the shag, but she thinks that it also shares some similarities with the wolf cut, a haircut featuring “lots of layers, texture with wispy lines, and no blunt lines.”

If you’re considering getting the cut, McCullough finds that it works best on those “with medium- to high-density hair” but adds that it would work well on “straight [and] wavy textures,” too. Taylor admits that she’s mainly seen this cut done on straight and wavy hair types, but she believes that any hair type can pull it off. However, she says “it will be cut differently on every hair type to achieve the best results.”

Taylor says that this cut is a great option for anyone that is also looking for a “super-low maintenance” style that does not involve a trip to the salon every six weeks. But she says to make sure to ask your stylist “for short layers, lots of shaping around the face, lots of weight removed, and a little lesson about the styling required — which is minimal.”