"Mermaid" Cuts Are Just as Dreamy as They Sound

The number one defining trait of a mermaid is their bright, fish-like tail. The second? Their long, flowy, perfectly layered hair. That's why, when we learned about the latest haircut trend to hit the scene — called "mermaid" cuts — we thought: that makes sense.

While it's trending all over social media today, as most things in fashion and beauty, the look has been popular before. "This style has never truly gone out of style and is very popular for people with long hair but still want lots of movement," hairstylist and Verb ambassador Juli Akaneya tells PS. "I'd say it mostly gained traction in the '60s and '70s during the hippie era when people were growing out their hair, and then again in the '90s during the grunge era."

With summer around the corner, and thanks to last year's premiere of "The Little Mermaid" movie, it seems everyone is trying to achieve that coveted mermaidcore aesthetic. If you're also capturing every aquatic-themed beauty trend like they're Poké Balls, read ahead for everything you should know about mermaid haircuts.

"A mermaid haircut is long layers that are overdirected forward to frame the face," Akaneya says. "The cut focuses on minimal loss of length to give a soft, flowy finish to the hair."

Remember the micro-braids era of the late '90s and early '00s when stars like Brandy and Beyoncé had those incredibly defined, piecey ends? Yeah, those were the braided version of mermaid cuts.

Like the name suggests, this style is meant to resemble that of a mermaid's because — thanks to the extra texture from the flowy layers — there's a lot of movement to the long hair in a way that looks like you could almost be floating underwater.

The difference between mermaid cuts and "waterfall" layers all has to do with the finish of the hair. "Because mermaid cuts overdirect the layers, a softer shape to the hair is achieved and the layers are more subtle, so they won't appear to be too harsh or chunky," Akaneya says. "This makes the hair look extremely lived-in."

"To get this look, your stylist will create a guide in the front of your head and then overdirect all hair forward," Akaneya says. This means they will be cutting your hair as it's held in a more forward-facing direction. "By doing this, you get a more diffused and blended line for the layers," she adds.

To style your mermaid cut, you can work in some of your favorite leave-in products and air-dry for a great way to enhance your natural hair texture. "I love using Verb's Ghost Air Dry Whip ($20) for a natural, noncrunchy finish," Akaneya says. Or, if you want to blow it out for a more polished look, Akaneya recommends using a volumizing spray on damp hair before blow-drying. We also love the Oribe Dry Texturizing Spray ($26) for a soft, textured finish.

Now that you know everything you need to about mermaid cuts, get some inspiration for your own version of the trend ahead.