Among his ten new signature cuts are the Perriand, a chin length, classic wave for finer hair, that he cut on Olympia of Greece, inspired by the famously fuss-free mid-century French architect Charlotte Perriand. Then, there’s the Chob, (for thicker hair), a play on that first Alexa bob, which was designed to be dried and hand-scrunched. He has the Wild, a fringed do he conceived for curly hair; The Jane, a riff on Jane Birkin’s bed-head locks and The Midi, a precise shoulder-skimming bob which, he says he came up with to help women who are edging their way from long hair to shorter.
All share an overall softness and lots of shorter, face-framing, choppy layers that belie their overall simplicity. It’s those flattering layers at the front that accentuate cheekbones, trim jawlines and exemplify Northwood’s approach to future-proofing. The fact that all of them can be maintained, away from the salon, with minimal to zero blow drying, is another major leap forward.
The low maintenance dividend means there’s less temptation to fiddle around with these cuts. “Over-styled hair, like over-accessorised outfits, is very aging,” says Northwood. They’re also healthier for your follicles. Straightening irons are at least twice as hot as dryers, but even the latter can parch hair. “Clients who don’t blow dry their hair for a few months usually see a big improvement in its condition,” he notes.
Northwood isn’t saying we should go cold turkey on products. One of the biggest advances in hair since The Rachel is the number of lightweight, volumising and shaping formulations that minimalise the need for heat appliances. Some of the best include Sam McKnight’s barely-there, but highly efficient textured Sam McKnight’s Cool Girl hairspray (£27), Northwood’s own deeply cleansing and moisturising shampoos (his entire range is called Undone), Redken’s Matifying Powder Grip (£17.14) and Hershesons’ excellent Almost Everything Cream (from £14).
As someone who’s never fully mastered the art of the self-administered blow dry, I’m particularly taken by this low-interventionist approach. Inspired by Northwood, I decided to let my hair air dry during a subsequent fortnight in Greece, just using his moisturising cream for smoothing, shaping and volumising (£15). Upshot: I’ve realised all that blow drying I’ve been doing for years isn’t necessary. The frizz has gone, and the shine is back. Honestly, it feels like a surprisingly big win.
I like the way he’s thought about different bone structures, hair textures and ages with these ten cuts. They’re uncontrived, but they also pack some attitude. The Jane, with its unexpectedly precise-looking fringe and contrasting cheekbone-lifting layers is, he says, “the way to wear long hair when you’re older” .
But I also wonder whether all that flattering framing around the face won’t, in the end, mean some of these styles date – although maybe not as much as The Rachel.
“Every style will need tweaking over the years,” Northwood says. “A million TikTok trends will come and go, but I do think this is the overarching direction hair is heading – easy going, face contouring and untortured.”
Amen to that.