The ‘cool girl crop’ is the short hair update you need

In his second column for GLAMOUR, celebrity hairstylist Adir Abergel shares his pro hacks for the ultimate in androgynous short hair as seen on Kaia Gerber and Hailey Bieber.

Adir is best known for his show-stopping red carpet looks and A-list clients including Kristen Stewart and Anne Hathaway, as well as being the pro behind Nicola Peltz’s supermodel-inspired wedding hair, so we’re pretty sure we’re in safe hands…

Looking to score instant cool points? Then boyish short hair – aka the ‘cool girl crop’ – is the way to go. Celebrity styles are a good indication of what is coming your way and requests for androgynous hairstyles from my clients are on repeat right now. Even Pinterest predicted the rise of shorter hair for 2023.

Step forward Kristen Stewart, my friend, client and ultimate muse for an ever-changing cool girl crop. She is one of the greatest collaborators when it comes to beauty because she’s fearless in her approach and loves to explore with different haircut proportions. Basically, she’s a short hair chameleon who loves to experiment!

I’m still in love with Kristen’s androgynous, shaggy crop that we created on a trip to Korea. It’s a deconstructed style that almost has a DIY vibe to it, so it’s something that’s easy to style at home. For example, I like to apply a smoothing cream, plait the hair and then diffuse it until it’s dry, deconstruct the plait, and then finish with Virtue 6-in-1 Styler to add texture.

Tempted by the cool girl crop ? Keep scrolling and prepare to say goodbye to your long locks…

What to ask your hairstylist for

I’m all about individuality and going for the look that feels most you, but get the lowdown from your stylist before any super-drastic chops. To ace a boyish cut, you’ll need to work with your natural hair texture, not against it. That also means taking your hairline and any cowlicks into consideration to get the length and shape on point. A cowlick that sits at the top of your crown can be used to accentuate volume on a shorter cut, for example.

When you’re deciding on a style, you also need to decide which features you’d like to enhance and which you’d prefer to play down. If you have a prominent forehead, one great option is to leave the fringe long, as seen on Jennifer Lawrence and Anne Hathaway. This style leaves your options open to soften the look, or make it edgier with the use of a great styling paste.

If you have delicate features like my client Charlize Theron, I’d encourage you to run wild with a more masculine cut. When I created Charlize’s game-changing bowl cut, all of her features were immediately accentuated. The length at which I kept the blunt lines were strategically placed to hone in on her beautiful eyes, nose and lips.