It's been a big year for men's hair. Even with Kylie Jenner opting for a new candy-coloured hue with every striking mood, the choppy lob that took over Hollywood, and the bronde movement that has flooded the internet over the past year, Google reported that in 2015, searches related to men's hair were higher than those for women’s for the first time ever. That's HUGE.
This staggering fact is in large part due to the now ubiquitous man bun. Love it or hate it, y’all searched for it (and you'll see a bunch of them in the following slides). But we can also thank beards, the (supposed) end of beards, comb-overs, fades, Harry Styles, Justin Bieber, Leonardo DiCaprio, The Weeknd, and George Clooney for this heightened interest in male grooming. Or lack thereof, in some cases.
Mustache-shaping, manscaping, mermen; we covered it all over the past year. But here, we narrow down the field to the trendsetters, transformations, and simply ridiculous man-hair moments of 2015.
Leonardo Makes The Big Chop
Though it's true that "man bun" Google searches soared through 2015, this hairstyle actually hit its peak in 2014 — thanks to Leonardo DiCaprio, a man not afraid to sport a bun and massive beard at once. Or, as his scruff continued to grow in weed-like proportions, I began to think that perhaps he was simply a man afraid of the barber. But he proved me wrong in September, when he chopped off the pony and seriously trimmed said beard, reuniting the world with his baby face — an emotional moment for all of us.
Photos: Dennis Van Tine/Geisler-Fotopres. Variety/REX Shutterstock.
The Bleach Brigade
This was the year I became a Belieber. “Sorry” changed my life — it’s so good, no? But enough about me; more significantly, 2015 was the year Justin Bieber got an undercut and dyed his hair platinum. He wasn’t the only one — Channing Tatum got all peroxide on us, too. A study released this year says women prefer men with their natural hair colour, but these guys both seem to be doing all right for themselves against the odds.
Photo: Courtesy of NBC.
Jared Leto Ditches Those Luscious Waves
In the world of man hair, Jared Leto is king. He was rocking long locks and a man bun when Bieber still had his teenybopper shag. Then everyone caught on, and Leto went in the complete opposite direction. Naturally. In March, he shaved his head to the shock and horror of long-hair Leto lovers everywhere (another one bites the dust). But he had a lot more up his sleeve to appease Echelon this year — bleaching his hair, going green, red, pink... Always one step ahead, this guy.
Photos: Matt Baron/BEI/ Rex Shutterstock. David Fisher/REX/Shutterstock. Gregory Pace/BEI/ Rex Shutterstock.
Man Buns Get Political
I think it’s safe to say that we’ve all seen enough of Donald Trump this year (i.e., for the rest of our lives) — and maybe enough of the man bun, too. But the one moment when his face induced a fit of giggles, rather than an eye-roll, was when he popped up on my Instagram feed sporting the ultimate hipster 'do — and Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, and George Washington rocked it, too.
Photo: Courtesy of DESIGNCROWD.
Merman Hair Makes Waves
Rainbow hair is not just a trend for the ladies (“Merman, merman!”). This year, guys began to dye their locks and beards bright blues, greens, and purples in a trend dubbed merman hair. Even Joe Jonas went for it.
Photo: Via @holyshizbatmanguy
Zoolander Storms Valentino
Speaking of Zoolander, in March, Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson made a surprise appearance on the Maison Valentino runway in Paris to announce Zoolander 2 — a big moment for film, a big moment for fashion, and a big moment for hair. I mean, what would Blue Steel be if it weren't framed by that perfectly spiked coif? Plus, Hansel was rocking the tousled bob way before Alexa Chung and Co. caught on.
Photo: Courtesy of Paramount.
Man Buns Linked To Hair Loss
A sad cloud fell across the globe, from Williamsburg to Dalston, the day the news broke over the summer: Man buns can cause hair loss. In an ironic twist of hipster fate for men who can grow their hair long enough to put in a pony, pulling it back in said pony can actually cause traction alopecia. First Jared, then Leo, now this — just another factor contributing to the inevitable demise of the man bun.
Photo: Photographed by Alexandria Gavillet.
Man Braids Make A Statement
So yes, enough with the buns already (they do cause hair loss, you know): Hair long enough to pull back into a pony is long enough to braid, too. And this year, there was no holding back. Man braids stepped into the spotlight and into hashtag territory, with Harry Styles and his pretty plaits leading the pack.
Photo: Via @louteasdale.
Shia LaBeouf Sports A Rattail
Speaking of man braids... Shia LaBeouf popped up this year with a blast-from-the-past-we're-not-sure-we-want-to-revisit rattail braid, shaved sides, and even an eyebrow piercing. Talk about a throwback. LaBeouf has certainly made some questionable choices in his time, and this look is another one for the books.
Photo: Bauer-Griffin/GC Images/ Getty Images.
Twins On A Plane
What could be better than one lumberjack beard? Two, of course! In one of the sweetest non-kitten viral moments of the year, two strangers walk onto a plane (no, this is not a joke) only to find that they're sitting next to a big ginger-bearded mirror version of themselves. Just look at those smiles!
Photo: Via @leebeattie.
The Weeknd's Pettable Mane
Abel Tesfaye, better known as the Weeknd, is another star who had an interesting hair year. The partially Jean-Michel Basquiat-inspired style, which he has been growing out for four years, drew some questionable pets from a tipsy Taylor Swift when they met. The singer/producer told Rolling Stone, "[The] whole time she was talking, she was kind of, like, petting my hair? I think she was just drawn to it — she must have been a little gone off a few drinks. And, of course, I'm not going to be like, 'Hey, can you stop?' I mean, it felt good!" Can't feel my face, but you can feel my hair, anyone?
Photo: Kevin Mazur/LP5/WireImage/ Getty Images.
Going Grey
This year, Business Insider reported that more and more men are choosing to embrace their greys — and even fake some. The ladies have dabbled in dyeing their hair silver for a bit, and now the men are in on the game. But many guys are going for a more natural-looking salt-and-pepper style, à la George Clooney. They don’t call him a silver fox for nothing.
Photo: Variety/REX/Shutterstock.
Beard Transplants Are Blowing Up
Beards have totally hit the mainstream (which may mean they are on their way out). They seem to be everywhere outside of hipsterville: on football players, actors, dads — but not everyone can grow one. Luckily, there is a solution (if you’re not bald) for those desperate to get grizzly. The New York Times reported that beard transplants have been on the rise this year. One doc told the publication that a decade ago, he used to perform four or five facial-hair transplants a year; now he averages three a week. Is this the lumbersexual effect?
Photo: Hero Images/ Getty Images.
Meet The Beardstache
Can't decide between a beard and a moustache? Why choose? Try the beardstache — which lives somewhere between the two. The combo had a moment this year, and was even seen on Christian Grey, a.k.a. Jamie Dornan. Yep, we think it's pretty hot.
Photo: Via @jamiedornan.
Clip-In Man Buns Are A Thing?
For those not blessed with a thick head of hair, or those not fully ready to commit to the style, in November Groupon offered up a deal on clip-in man buns. Yes, clip-in man buns. Was this a joke? Was this real? Either way, it made us laugh.
Photo: Courtesy of Groupon.
Zayn Malik's Hair Transformation
In 2015, Zayn Malik ditched both One Direction and his covetable boy-band waves. But that wasn't the end of his hair journey: He made like Jared Leto and went on to go platinum, grey, green... What's next?
Photo: Rex USA.
Glitter Beards For The Holidays
Last year, it was flower beards; this year, the men who like to dabble in facial-hair decoration went for something flashier. They left the garden and went straight to the party with glitter beards, just in time for the holidays.
Photo: Via @thegaybeards.
The "100 Years Of Hairstyles" Hunk
This year, the people behind those "100 Years" videos finally treated us to some man action. For Movember, I was delighted to watch (no fewer than 10 times) a very easy-on-the-eyes dude transform from donning a slicked-down 1920s hairstyle to a James Dean '50s pomp to a '90s grunge beard to, you guessed it, the man bun — and everything in-between. Pick a decade!
Photo: Via @Youtube.
The Death Of The Beard
The man bun is on the way out, the beard is on the way out — so what is in? Over the summer, Mashable reported that we’re moving into the "yuccie" phase. An equally folksy-sounding name, but one that is far from the world of IPA-filled Mason jars and plaid. It stands for "young urban creative," a guy with a streamlined life and streamlined look (and way less hair). It's too soon to say whether this is going to become a thing, but we'll be keeping an eye on it...
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