Zendaya Just Teased Her New Blonde Bob And Fans Are Obsessed

2023 has already served up some pretty sensational hair transformations. Hailey Bieber has swapped her chestnut wavesfor an edgy bob, even Millie Mackintosh has spruced up her lengths with a new head of highlights and now it's Zendaya's turn.

The 26-year-old first revealed her new cut in December when she appeared at the Euphoria FYC event in LA sporting a side-swept bob. She followed up with an Instagram post, which seemed to confirm that her effortlessly cool, undone new style was here to stay. Since then, the actress has teased snippets of her new do on Instagram and last night she debuted a much blonder iteration of the look.

The bob is undeniably back. Popularity for the hairstyle has been steadily growing since last year when a flurry of celebrities booked in for the chop - read: Jenna Ortega and Lilly James to name just two. It's big on TikTok too. The hashtag #bobhaircut has over 482 million views on the video platform and it's currently the third most searched hairstyle in the UK, according to Protectivity's analysis of Google's average monthly searches.

Unlike the Hailey Bieber-esque styles we've been seeing much of of late, Zendaya's crop looks soft and featured. It's a style which leading hair stylist and trend forecaster Tom Smith calls the 'Bullet Bob', which he predicts will be 2023’s biggest focus for shorter hair. Think an evolution of the wolf, mullet and shag styles - a medium-length haircut with outgrown curtain bangs. 'We get a two-layered bob haircut which has the balance of a mullet (longer and heavier toward the back) but retains texture and detail around the face,' he notes.

As for colour Katie Freedman, Colourist at Larry King’s Notting Hill Salon, has noted a rise in demand for balayage bookings and demand for rich chocolate browns tones.

Katie says, 'Zenday's colourist has done a full set of highlights whilst maintaining a little bit of depth at the root by adding a root smudge for a seamless and soft blend. They've also likely worked with Redken's Shades EQ Gloss to create the perfect honey glaze tone, which doubles up as a treatment that serves up extreme shine and healthy hair.'

And Katie explains a few things to keep in mind when colouring shorter hair. 'For short hair especially, I always like to highlight or balayage a little softer,' she says, 'I like to call this technique feathering, this is used with really soft weaves and a gentle product application which will avoid any heavy product placement and blockiness. This technique is perfect for creating a dimensional colour.'

The best way to maintain this colour is by using a colour-safe shampoo, Katie notes, like the Redken Color Extend Magnetics Shampoo, £17.10, which protects colour and helps strengthen hair. Larry King Hair's Good Life Shampoo, £40, is a brilliant colour defender too and acts like a green smoothie for your hair, giving it everything it needs.

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