The traditional half up, half down hairstyle can come off looking adolescent, but with a medium length haircut the style becomes more fashion-forward. To get this look, Moticka recommends flat ironing half an inch down from your roots, and then quickly smoothing the iron down the hair shaft, "making sure to move at a steady pace,� she says.
Continue this until you have straightened the bottom and mid-section of your hair. Keep the top section of your hair sleek and polished, then finger comb through the lower portion to add a rocker edge.
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Retro Waves
You don't need long hair to pull off retro, 1940s-inspired waves, as January Jones proves. To create this stunning medium length hairstyle, celebrity hairstylist Renato Campora recommends applying a volumizing mousse to your roots and a smoothing cream from about the halfway down your hair to the ends.
Next, blow dry hair using a large round brush, and then set your hair in large hot rollers for 10 minutes. Once you release the rollers, brush through your hair to create perfectly shaped retro waves. Finish with a spritz of hairspray for long-lasting hold.
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Messy Chignon
Alexa Chung�s messy chignon can turn unwashed hair into a dreamy style fit for the red carpet. While this is a more unstructured take on a chignon, "make sure it's tight at the nape of your neck," advises Devin Toth, Ted Gibson�s lead stylist. Celeb stylist Danilo says you can get this up in 5 minutes: "Add texture, pull back, twist, pin -- done." Add a decorative hairpin for more formal occasions and you�re ready to go!
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Sultry Spirals
This dramatic style is a great way to switch up your routine with a medium haircut, especially since the side-swept bangs break up the hairline and give the face new angles it didn't have before.
To get this look, curl 1 to 2-inch sections of hair around a medium barrel curling iron. Spritz hair with a holding spray while it�s wrapped around the iron for extra hold. Leaving three inches of hair out on the right side of your face, pull the rest of your hair into a low bun at the nape of your neck and secure with an elastic. Finally, pull out a few face-framing pieces on the left side of your face.
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Texture and Bangs
Heavy bangs can look boxy when paired with a short haircut and completely swallow the face when paired with a longer haircut. Medium haircuts are a different story. "This works great on most face shapes and can really enhance your jaw line," says Abby Schlenger from the Marie Robinson Salon in New York City. "To get that rocker edge and artfully disheveled look, air dry your hair and spritz on a sea salt spray to really amp up the texture.
Medium haircuts often get a bad wrap, and it's not hard to see why. Medium length hairstyles can sometimes feel like you're stuck in "hair purgatory." A medium haircut is either a stalling point for that waist-long goal you feel like you'll never reach or an awkward reminder of a pixie cut you're still growing out.
But before you overdose on Biotin or take the same picture of Carey Mulligan in to your stylist again, there's good news. Medium length hairstyles are actually on-trend these days, popping up all over the runways and red carpet. Medium haircuts give you the versatility of a long haircut without being weighed down by excess length, and the lightness of a short haircut while still being able to pull your hair up into a ponytail. Essentially, you get the best of both worlds.
Even if you are growing out your hair or planning to get extensions, these fresh medium length hairstyles may have you rethinking your game plan. To help you get the most mileage out of medium haircuts, we've rounded up seven celebrity medium length hairstyles that you'll want to try, stat. And we've broken down each style, explaining exactly what you need to do to get the look.
Click ahead to see our favorite not-quite-long and not-quite-short looks.
