- - Celebrity Hairstylist Chris McMillan Predicts the Hottest 2026 Hair Trends from 'Expensive' to Retro Styles (Exclusive)

Michelle LeeDecember 31, 2025 at 10:30 PM

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Chris McMillan attends the 2018 InStyle Awards -

Chris McMillan sits down with PEOPLE to talk about his predictions for 2026's biggest hair trends

The celebrity hairstylist and founder of the hair brand Chris McMillan has created pop culture and beauty's buzziest looks, from Jennifer Aniston's "The Rachel" to Leslie Bibb's White Lotus bob

McMillan predicts "quiet luxury"-inspired hair and vintage techniques will have a moment in the next year

He's done "The Rachel" and the "C**** Little Bob," and now celebrity hairstylist Chris McMillan is predicting what's about to be the new trends on the block.

Stylist to Jennifer Aniston, Leslie Bibb and Mariska Hargitay, McMillan is the hair genius behind the beauty industry's most iconic cuts. So, when he sat down with PEOPLE at a holiday party celebrating his eponymous hair line at Sephora to dish what he forecasts as next year's biggest hair moments, we couldn't gatekeep.

Aysia Marott

Chris McMillan styling hair at a holiday party celebrating his hair brand in New York City

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First, McMillan see's "expensive hair" coming up in the ranks. That doesn't necessarily mean dishing out your funds for a shape-up , but rather leaning towards looks that are effortlessly elegant and look like an extension of the "quiet luxury" category of fashion.

"I think that people like healthy, thick, glamorous, kind of expensive-looking [hairstyles]," McMillan explains, using Hailey Bieber's new lob (long bob), which was cut by Justine Marjan to hit at her collarbone, as a prime example.

The pro also adds Chanel's 2026 Métiers d’art runway show in New York City to his list of inspirations since the looks tapped into a subtle flair through a range of "cool girl" styles from bobs and French twist updos to long layers and slick-backs.

However, McMillan also sees the future getting nostalgic for vintage hairdos and techniques that have been recycled over the decades. "Roller sets and bouffant hairstyles are coming back in — a little vintage glamour," he says, noting that they'll be spun into a "modern version." And, he points out, "gorgeous hair like Cindy Crawford. I think a little '90s moment, we need that back."

For anyone hesitant to take the plunge, McMillan has this two-word piece of advice: "Hair grows."

Aysia Marott

The Chris McMillan hair styling line

As he looks towards the new year, McMillan reflects on one of his biggest milestones of 2025 — finally launching a hair line. The brand Chris McMillan, co-founded with Kenny McGranahan, launched in Sephora in August with a lineup of styling products, from sprays made to achieve Hollywood-level looks at home to a travel kit of a mini-size blowdry spray, texture spray, hairspray and styling balm that earned a spot among PEOPLE's September 2025 best beauty launches.

Now that he's taking his experience with hair beyond the salon, he says he's "absorbing" the business world like a "sponge." That's because he isn't just slapping his name on a label. He adds that starting the company "has really been true, authentic and organic since the beginning."

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