This Hairstylist Is The Secret To Getting Trendy Korean Hush Cuts & Japanese Wolf Cuts

TikTok has quickly become one of our favourite go-to resources for viral beauty hacks and buzzy trends. One trend, in particular, has caught our attention and it looks like it’s here to stay: the wolf cut.

Photo from @billieeilish and @hoooooyeony

As seen on celebs like Billie Eilish, Miley Cyrus, and Squid Game actress Jung Ho-Yeon, the wolf cut gets its name from its deliberately edgy and shaggy style – think textured, choppy layers with wispy ends that flick out. What makes it so popular? This haircut is low-maintenance and it’s suitable for different hair types. Long, short, curly or straight hair, just about anyone can pull off this fierce look.

Of course, finding the right hairstylist for the job is no easy feat. 

Photo from Colors Hair Salon

You need an expert who can help you rock the wolf cut – like local hair stylist Issey. With 16 years of experience under his belt, he has helped countless clients in their hair transformations. Not only did he win the Voter's Favorite Award at the Hoyu Professional 2021 Hair Coloring Photo Competition, he is best known on TikTok for his amazing hair makeovers – either by helping clients fix their botched haircuts or giving them the perfect hair colour that best suits their unique personalities.

Issey is also one of the few hair stylists in Singapore who specialises in the wolf cut, which are typically offered only by authentic Japanese hair salons. He says, “When I started dabbling in TikTok three years ago, I noticed many videos on my feed featuring wolf and hush cuts. That’s when I realised that layered haircuts will be all the rage for the next few years.”

Photo from Colors Hair Salon

Since the early 2000s, Issey has been honing his speciality in niche hairstyles as a nod to the growing popularity of Japanese visual kei style. “Layered hairstyles are much more fun to work with as they have many variations such as volume layering, modern mullets, and shag haircuts,” he says. Issey notes that the wolf cut is a great option for most clients as it is low-maintenance. “It will still look good even when you’ve just rolled out of bed as it requires minimal to no styling.”

Photo from @sodam_park_0908 and Colors Hair Salon

What is a hush cut?

Hush cuts are all the rage in Korea, having been sported by stars like actress Park So-dam and K-pop idol Wendy from Red Velvet. It is considered a more subtle version of the wolf cut and has a tousled look with long, graduated layers.

This chic style is another niche haircut Issey is best known for. He understands that there is no one-size-fits-all template when it comes to hush cuts. Relying on his expertise on Korean layered styles, Issey will customise each hush cut to suit his clients’ hair type, texture, face shape, and daily hairstyling habits. “Hush cuts best suit round or oval face shapes as they help frame the face either with curtain bangs or full bangs, make your features stand out, and make the hair appear fuller and thicker with more volume at the crown area,” he says. 

“Although relatively fuss-free, hush cuts should be trimmed every 1.5 months to maintain the best results.”

Photo from Colors Hair Salon

A bold new look for the new year

Want to kickstart 2023 with a new look? As a skilled colourist, Issey can help you get the hair makeover of your dreams with peekaboo colour or underlights.

Issey attributes the growing popularity of this trend to K-pop. “It has been around since 2012, but I noticed that it has gained a resurgence in the past few years when clients started showing me photos of BLACKPINK’s Lisa and other Korean celebrities sporting peekaboo colours/underlights.” It has become so popular that an average of  30 to 50 clients a month come to Issey to help them get this look.

To create underlights, only the bottom layer of your hair is coloured while the top section is untouched. That means you can show off the new colours only when your hair is tied up or parted. According to Issey, “you can hide or flaunt the hidden colour whenever you want” – making this new hair trend perfect for ladies who want a subtly adventurous look that won’t break any strict dress codes in school or the office. 

“To rock different looks with a hidden colour, all you need are some bobby pins or a hair tie,” he says. “By tucking your hair behind your ears or tying it up, the hidden colour design will give you a whole new vibe and look.”

Issey is based in Colors Hair Salon (288 River Valley Road) and 8 eight by Colors (#02-62 Hong Lim Complex). The rate for haircuts (all lengths) start from $50 for students, while colouring services start from $140 (roots retouch) and from $160 (whole head). For more information, contact him via direct message on Instagram.

This post is brought to you by Colors Hair Salon.