These Winter Hair Makeovers Will Inspire You To Change Up Your Look

There’s nothing like kicking off the new year by giving your look a fresh update—and when it comes to an update, the more drastic the better, in our opinion.

Teaming up with Oribe at Little Axe Salon in Brooklyn, New York, that’s exactly what we did. The following four ladies were feeling the need to change up their beauty style, and subtlety was not an option. What else were we to do other than give them major hair makeovers, courtesy of hairstylist Coby Alcántar and colorist Christina Cipro.

Call them brave, as they certainly took quite a plunge—chopping off some serious length (and even getting a little bleach involved).

Click through the gallery below to see the dramatic results, and treat this as a source of inspiration for your very own makeover.

Photographer: Lauren Perlstein

Hair Stylist: Coby Alcántar at Little Axe Salon

Hair Colorist: Christina Cipro at Little Axe Salon

Makeup: Mirna Jose

Models: Jacqueline Frye at Barbizon Agency, Anna Riccardi, Tina Vaden, Bee Hill

Casting: Eric Cano

The curly shag-ish

For this look, Alcántar gave Tina’s curls a bouncy new look by giving her bangs—an idea that most curl-adorned folks would run from—and freshening up her cut with a “shag-ish.”

“This shape and other cuts that are similar are becoming popular again because it’s the opposite of the majority of the cuts that are out there,” she says. “Layers are great, as it’s nice to have softness and movement around the face. I call this look ‘shag-ish’ because it has the idea of the shag, but it’s not as strong as the original cut from the ‘70s.”

When styling this new ‘do, Alcántar first used Run Through on Tina’s wet hair to help detangle her curls and act as a filling base coat on her strands. She then applied Curl Control Crème from the root to the end, while smoothing the curls into a ribbon and making sure her layers and bangs fell forward, rather than letting her part dictate the look. Letting her hair air-dry, she used AirStyle to define the curls, giving them polished separation.

The crop

For Anna, who was in the process of growing out her sides and had an undercut, Alcántar chopped it all off using a razor for an overall textured, but structured, look.

“Cropped hair is a strong classic that will always be cool,” she says. “The pixie really opens up the spectrum of length options.” She left a little length on the top for different styling options but allowed the cut overall to remain simple. “Sometimes, simple can be edgier,” she says.

Using AirStyle from root to end, she styled the look by combing the hair forward and flat to define the ends and prevent puffiness at the root. Using a diffuser, she blow-dried the hair without ruffling the shape.

The long bob

For Jacqueline, Alcántar used her existing layers to transform her flowing waves into a long bob. “The long bob is great for women who have had long hair for a long time but want something different,” she says. “While it’s a huge change, it’s not as much of a commitment to grow out as a traditional above-the-shoulder bob.”

To style, Alcantar opted for a voluminous blowout, using Grandiose Mousse from root to end with a pump of Gold Lust throughout the ends. Though she used a regular round brush, she ran her hands through each section to crush the barrel of the curl, roughening up the finish. Once the hair was dry, she applied Matte Waves to give the look a little texture and an undone feeling.

Bleach and tone

For Bee, her makeover was all about the color. Cipro took Bee’s virgin dark brown hair all the way to a platinum blonde—a major change, especially for someone who’s never dyed their hair before.

In terms of tone, Cipro opted for a beige tone with a subtly darker root. When it came to the cut, Alcántar decided it was best to keep the length, but freshened it up by removing some heaviness and blunting the edges, which gave Bee’s look more fullness.

Using Supershine, Alcántar added moisture to the hair, adding a bit of weight to the ends and an overall shine.