Written by Subuola Oyeleye
Image by @kiararidgell
1) Let’s get (even more) natural
In 2022, you may or may not have noticed the comeback of the OG sew-in – this disappeared into thin air a few years back when wigs became the next big thing. In 2023, this is changing in full force – not only are sew-in’s coming back, there are so many longer lasting and slightly more manageable ways of wearing hair extensions whilst showing off our beautiful hair making their way into the market. Whilst these services seem quite limited and expensive at the moment, in 2023 we are going to see more salons, hair stylists and hair extension companies offering micro links, LA weaves (braid-less wefts), u-part wigs and clip-ins to achieve the natural looks we’re after. This in turn has its benefit on the natural hair care market – if you’re letting your natural hair out you’re bound to want to take better care of it.
Taking it way past hair, other natural beauty trends are on the way in – With BIAB nails (“builder” gel-like nail polish for a more natural nail look) on the rise, you’re going to see more of this in your local nail shop. We saw the “No makeup-makeup trend” come in with people using natural-coloured eyeshadows, bronzers, blushes a lot more and light coverage foundation. The real no makeup-makeup is coming in full force in 2023 with tinted moisturisers making a well-deserved come back. You’re going to see even more beauty brands launch tinted moisturisers and for the brands that already have them, they’ll definitely be extending their shade ranges.
2) Natural but bold
I’m here for all the natural looks we have coming next year, but I’m even more excited that we’re going to see a rise of more people of colour experimenting with coloured hair again. Over the past few months, we’ve seen a lot of ginger and I love it! Next year we’re going to see more people trying additional hair colours, the auburn-reds, the various shades of brown highlights – they’re all coming back in full force. We probably won’t see many people going to the more experimental colours like blue, purple and the various colours women were playing around with a few years back, but colours are coming back that’s for sure.
And let’s not leave out the hairstyles themselves – we’re going to see a lot more exciting ways to style your hair – all the way from layers to more crimps and curls. I’m gushing at the thoughts of all the looks that are going to be served.
3) Barrier first skincare
Let’s take it back to bases (no pun intended!). Post pandemic, we’ve definitely seen the rise of more people investing in skincare – there’s probably no one out there that doesn’t know what exfoliation is by now. But let’s be real, you can’t ONLY exfoliate your way to good skin. We saw pretty much the whole beauty world learn their lesson about barrier repair with a range of trending skincare topics and ingredients like slugging, skin cycling, ceramides, peptides and all the barrier specific skincare products you can think of going viral. In 2023, I’m here to tell you that not only is this here to stay, but skincare brands are going to take a more holistic approach in making sure that all these amazing barrier focused ingredients are present throughout your skincare routine and not just as a single step or reparative product. A lot of the new exfoliants, retinoids and cleansers coming out next year are going to have those barrier boosting ingredients in the formulas themselves. At the end of the day, healthy skin is good skin.
