As the current year comes to a close, it’s inspiring to think about all the possibilities the new year may bring. The past two years have brought a lot of changes to the beauty industry. As we look ahead to 2022, there are some exciting skin and hair care trends emerging.

Natural Hair

With a lot of people still working remotely, many have reduced the amount of time they spend heat styling their hair. This has prompted a renewed appreciation for natural hair textures. People are skipping their usual blowouts and letting their curls take center stage.

In 2022 we’ll see a continuation of this trend so it’s a great idea to refresh your skills when it comes to cutting and styling curly or wavy hair textures of all types.

Reverse Balayage & Warmer Color Tones

Much like the return to natural texture, many people enjoyed a return to their natural hair color. This doesn’t mean they’re forgoing any color, but instead trying out a version closer to their original color. We’ll see more of this in the form of babylights and reverse balayage.

Reverse balayage is a color treatment designed to add depth to the hair by adding darker tones using the same technique as traditional balayage which creates lighter tones. Along the same lines as reverse balayage, there will be an upswing in warmer tones like golden and copper.

Scalp Treatments

In the next year we’ll see the scalp get more love with treatments traditionally reserved for the face, like microneedling. After all, the scalp is skin too! 

New products and treatments are already gaining popularity as a way to promote scalp health and hair growth.

Skin Health

2022 will bring an emphasis on caring for the skin microbiome. We’ll see products and treatments that help nurture the skin rather than harsh, aggressive chemicals that deliver fast results but irritate the skin.

One example is the use of bakuchiol, a plant-derived alternative to retinol. Bakuchiol has similar effects on the skin as retinol and studies show it to be less drying and irritating than traditional retinol.

Blue Light Skincare

Going hand in hand with a focus on skin health is a new focus on protecting the skin from blue light damage. Up to now, blue light protection has been centered on the eyes with blue light glasses cropping up all over the place.

The truth is that we get the most blue light damage from the sun so we’ll see SPF that includes protection against HEV (high-energy visible) light.

CBD Treatments

CBD, aka cannabidiol, has been growing in popularity over the past few years, especially now that it’s legal to sell in products (as long as the product carries less than 0.3% THC by dry weight). CBD is celebrated in the skincare industry for helping with inflammation, eczema, and even acne, among other skin concerns.

Consider adding CBD oil to massage or facial treatments. Not only can CBD benefit the skin, but it’s shown to reduce anxiety, pain, and insomnia. You can also carry a line of CBD products in your spa or salon. This trend is only going to grow in 2022.

The Bottom Line

The next year will bring fun new trends for both skincare and hair. You can get ahead of the buzz by mixing in some new options at your spa or salon. Keep your current services feeling fresh by adding a twist with one of these up and coming trends.