MET GALA 2026
The Hair Industry shares their favourite trends.
Bruno Marc Giamattei, JOICO Senior Creative Director
Sabrina Carpenter transported back to the roaring twenties on the Met Gala carpet, swapping her signature long blonde hair for a shoulder-length pin curl bob. Merging both contemporary and vintage influences to create a look which exuded sheer elegance, Sabrina’s hair was paired with a dazzling flapper-inspired headpiece and custom Dior gown, channelling Old Hollywood glamour.
For styling, Sabrina’s look incorporated one of this season’s hottest trends, the ‘c-curl’. As the name suggests, the ends curve inwards completely mirroring the silhouette of the letter ‘C’.
This exaggerated finish is a new approach to styling what is quite a simple cut. It’s elegant with an essence of drama. This look requires minimal styling, so I’d recommend curling the ends of the hair inwards with a pair of straighteners to create that dramatic upward turn, holding the look in place with lots of bobby pins and hairspray! The epitome of glamour!”
Andy Heasman, International Creative Director at RUSH Hair
Long gone are the days of boring hair. Cara Delevingne’s elevated bun was so much more than your typical slick back… it was a sculptural silhouette.
The sophisticated essence of this look was all in the fine details. From the hair being tucked behind the ears, combining professionalism with a vintage-feel, to the added touch of asymmetry with the deep side parting and the voluminous quiff.
Cara’s looked infused androgynous grunge with professionalism beautifully. However, the star of the show has to be the fingers waves which cascaded down the side of her hair, adding that extra essence of Sauvé to her look. I can imagine that this look was closely followed by lots of hairspray to hold everything in place! Cara’s high cheekbones, strong jawline, and heart face shape shone with this stunning architectural look.
Simon Shaw, Fellowship for British Hairdressing on Sombr
Sombr sported an effortless, almost undone hair which fully embraced his hair’s natural curly texture. A huge trend in men’s grooming this year is low maintenance options with that require minimal heat styling, whilst still injecting extra volume and ‘oomph’ into the hair. His long curls were enhanced with a matte styling pomade for added movement and definition, without looking too polished and allowing for some freedom in how the hair falls.
In 2026, men’s hair will be more fluid, infusing sophistication and playfulness with many men opting to tap into their natural texture.
To re-create Sombr’s effortless curls, scrunching is the best technique to use. Much like the name, this technique can be done with a gel or mousse, scrunching the curls upwards towards your head using the palm of your hand, leaving you with loose, flowing curls. Sombr rocked this look!
Tracey Ann Smith, Creative Director at MOOD
Zoë Kravitz’s look at this years MET was timeless and beautiful. Alongside her very chic, black lace gown, she wore her hair in a half up style, with the top half of her hair in a high, delicately braided voluminous bun, with her remaining hair draped down her back with curled ends. The look had a very effortless finish, with pieces of hair being pulled out around her face for softness.
To create this kind of look, I would firstly prep the hair with a heat defence spray like MOOD Hairstyling Bodyguard Get Ready before blow-drying. I would work with heated styling irons to lightly curl the ends of the hair before creating my bun.
To add in texture and volume to the hair, I would use the MOOD Salt and Care Spray, this not only will give the hair draping down the back a more effortless, textured finish, but it will also help to give the hair at the crown volume and grit, perfect for creating your bun style.
I would then gather half of the hair, taking this back at the crown and securing into a ponytail. I would then divide the ponytail in two, creating two buns and weaving these together to create my desired bun shape. I would gently pull at the braid sections for added volume and to give the look a further soft, delicate feel. Finish by pulling some loose tendrils of hair out around the face to frame the face and add softness, using your heated styling irons lightly on these sections for added movement. Finish with a hairspray like the MOOD Hairstyling Bodyguard Hairspray Extra Strong to lock the look in place and give a finishing shine.
Suzie McGill, International Artistic Director, Rainbow Room International.
Alysa Liu hit the red carpet in real style with a look that is very much aligned with her signature ‘halo hairstyle’ she is known for. She opted for a half-up, half-down style with face-framing pieces and straight across bangs. The look had a bit of a punk rock vibe, which very much leaned into her own style with a look that was distinctly her own. Its fantastic to see individuality celebrated like this on the red carpet.
Brian ‘Leo’ McCallum, Creative Director ROAR Hair & Beauty
Kim K never disappoints. She really does bring her A Game to her huge red-carpet events and has everyone talking, and her 2026 Met Gala appearance was no exception. She went for a tonal full impact, ditching her signature dark hair for a lighter bombshell blowout. The blonde was a very flattering, warm golden blonde, and the blow-out had a more relaxed ‘lived-in’ vibe, styled in a centre part, which I thought was a great choice and worked well with her daring ensemble.
Chris Grimley, Textured Hair Specialist
Adwoa Aboa went for a stylist updo, with lots of height and volume, which featured some escaping, but intentionally flowing pieces of hair, bringing a bit of Wuthering Heights to the Red Carpet! I loved the relaxed yet refined appeal of the style, and it’s so refreshing to see textured hair styled in such a thoughtful way, but giving real impact. The relaxed appeal of the look brought a real softness, making the full look just so cohesive and considered.
Alex Thaddeus, Stylist & Owner of Alex Thaddeus Hairdressing
For me, one of the real standouts of the night was Chase Infinity’s voluminous head of curls. The curls were perfectly defined, full of health and bounce, and cascaded down her back just beautifully, with the longest layers reaching her waist. What I also loved was the extra detail of the blondes at the ends of her hair, making the two-tined curls even more striking, giving an almost halo-like effect. With curls this beautiful, that’s all the statement you need.
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