The latest TikTok obsession is a wild hairstyle that’s supposed to be flattering for all face shapes: the Octopus hair.
Sounds a bit strange? Popular in Japan and Korea, it’s named the Octopus because of its many choppy layers, which resemble octopus tentacles.
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It uses shorter layers on the top of the head to maintain length and volume, while thinner, longer lengths of hair remain at the bottom.
You don’t even have to style it, as air-drying is good enough for this edgy, effortless look. The most you might need to do is apply a leave-in product to smooth down frizzy flyaways.
The biggest thing you need to consider if you’re going for this haircut is your hair texture, as it’s supposed to look best on those with naturally smooth or slightly wavy hair.
But does it truly flatter all face shapes? We decided to sacrifice our tresses to put this viral TikTok haircut to the test.
Getting the Octopus haircut
I walked into my regular hair salon and showed my stylist the Octopus haircut, and he immediately likened it to the Jellyfish haircut that was popular a few years ago.
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Looking at it now, I can see the similarities between the Jellyfish haircut and the Octopus haircut, despite the Octopus being a lot more layered.
My hairstylist warned that most of his clients with these types of hairstyles would often come back would trim it off into a bob cut instead, because they are not used to the sudden drastic change in hairstyle.
Still, I was committed to getting the Octopus haircut, and I sat down in the salon chair and underwent my transformation.
Here’s how the change went for me. While my hairstylist did his best to make my hair as layered as possible, it seems like my naturally flat and straight hair did not agree.
While it’s a lot more textured on the back, it resembles more like the Jellyfish haircut from the front due to my lack of volume.
Initially I was disappointed that I did not resemble the many cool, edgy Octopus haircuts I saw online. But after living with this haircut for a few weeks, I have a few things to note.
For one, this is really a hairstyle that doesn’t need to be styled – just like what many who have tried it mentioned. Even when you’ve just woken up from bed, the poofy bed hair you would get almost makes it look as if it has been styled, making it truly effortless.
While I wouldn’t recommend the Octopus haircut for those with super flat and thin hair like me, I think it would look good on those with square faces, as it almost looks like a soft and layered long bob.
So, if you’re thinking of getting the Octopus haircut, I would recommend talking to your hairstylist and working out whether your hair texture would fit this wild style.
Otherwise, you might be better off skipping this TikTok popular haircut.
Featured image credit: esescapist
