What The Fish?! The Deep Dive On Jellyfish Hair!

by BR Tabatha

I love people who are unafraid of a beauty transformation. Someone who isn't afraid to twist their look, to morph into someone new, to shake up the usual standards. Some people - like Gaga - seem to do it naturally. It's who they are. Some of us might force ourselves out of our comfort zone with a new hair colour or even a change of lipstick shade. And some of us try to go wild and live to regret it (BR Kellie editor's note: like me, age 12, attempting to rock a mullet. What was I thinking? Lifelong sigh). Others stick to the knitting when it comes to their style and are good with that.

One person who I think of as having a style and sticking with it, is Nicole Kidman. Apart from changing her lush locks from curly to straight, or going lighter in hair colour, I don't see her as one for a dramatic shift in image outside of the looks required for acting, so you could've knocked me over with a gentle breeze from a hair dryer when I saw this image of her crop up from Perfect magazine:

Image: Perfect 

Strong. Dynamic. Stunning. There are plenty of words and there are no words to describe the 'wow' that whizzed through me as I took it in. Admittedly, my gaze went first to her arms. Amazing. I could do a million push ups and bench presses and tricep dips, and whatever else is required to get muscular arms, and mine would not look like that.

And then... I noticed her hair. The length. the colour. The blunt bob frontage. Is it real? Did she go for the cut? I have no idea, but what I did find out that this hair cut has a name: jellyfish hair... And you too can wade into its choppy waters.

What is jellyfish hair?

Jellyfish hair is cut to resemble our boneless floating friends, with a short 'do' on the outer part of your hair and long lengths on the underside.

How does one explain jellyfish hair to a stylist?

The key to the jellyfish cut is to ensure your stylist works with your face shape when it comes to the shorter layer, with the length ending anywhere from the bottom of your ear lobes to just under your jaw depending on your shape and bone structure.

Both the short and the long lengths can be blunt cut or layered. Which you go for will depend on your hair type and/or the look you're hoping to achieve.

The other thing to think about is just how jellyfish you're willing to go. Full bowl cut on the outer layer is one option, or you can ask for the cut to only be done on either side of your face, leaving long layers at the back.

My recommendation: find a version of jellyfish hair that you like and show it to your hair stylist. This is not a hair cut where you want to be stung with a case of the regrets.

Is jellyfish hair for all?

Much like any haircut, jellyfish hair is for you if you want to give it a go. A classic case of 'you do you'. Straight hair? Go for it. Curly hair? You can rock it. Even better, while you can get the straighteners out and go full blown Kidman jellyfish or give it some oomph with a little product, you can also just wash it, leave it to dry, and then head out the door. The joy of this look is that it's meant to stand out, which frees you up to style it - or not style it, as the case may be - however you want.

As for growing it out? It doesn't have to be all that painful. You could cut it and go full bob if you tire of the look, or tie it up while the shorter cut grows out before getting your stylist to recut it into whatever style floats your boat.

So, does jellyfish hair leave you weak at the knees? Would you feel comfortable rocking such a bold look? Or, much like a bluebottle on the beach, will you be walking right around this trend? Get chatting below!