All the Chicest People I Know Have Been Dabbling in This Breathtaking 2025 Hair Trend

In 2025, we're all about personalizing our clothes, adding an excess of charms to our handbags, and accessorizing our hairstyles with glints of molten silver and gold. (Even Millie Bobby Brown is a fan.)

Though hair jewelry isn't a new idea, especially in Black and Asian cultures, it feels more mainstream than ever thanks to the recent uptick of designers threading futuristic metal accessories into the strands of their runway models. From mini ponytail cuffs decorating the bubble braids at Bronx and Banco's S/S 24 presentation to fashion buttons pinned into the sleek 'dos at Blazé Milano's F/W 25 show, designers keep finding new ways to reinvent hair jewelry, and we're feeling called to follow suit.

What is hair jewelry?

"Hair jewelry in 2025 feels less like an accessory and more like an extension of the overall look. It's part of the outfit, the vibe, the image," says celebrity hairstylist Marc Ballance. "It's becoming more intentional, architectural, and expressive. We're seeing statement pieces that don't just sit on the hair—they enhance it."

Whether it's a molten-metal claw clip puncturing a perfectly undone updo or a bangle-like cuff accenting a ponytail, it seems that everywhere I turn a chic person is draping their hair in something akin to chunky jewelry. "It's about elevating the style in a way that feels curated and directional," Ballance adds.

This, however, isn't to say that metallic and flashy adornments in the hair are anything new. Women in South Indian communities have adorned long braids with jadanagam, a traditional plait ornament, for centuries. (See this ornate gold hairpiece dated between the 18th and 19th centuries at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.) Black women have long detailed their braids and coils with everything from pierced rings to beads, and traditional Japanese hair accessories known as hana kanzashi include delicate fabric flower hairpins that mark the time for celebration.

As you can see, hair jewelry has been used for thousands of years to express creativity, make a statement, or simply follow the trends of the time. It's not that the act of dressing up your hair is new; it just continues to take new shapes.

Why is it trending in 2025?

Whether or not we can credit this era of accessory excess to the gradual shake-off of the pandemic uniform (ahem, cozy WFH clothes and unkempt hair), there's no denying that people are looking for reasons to play dress-up these days.

"There's a definite shift toward dressed hair again," Ballance muses. "Clients are craving that sense of finish—something that feels elevated and a bit more glamorous. Hair jewelry brings in that extra layer of self-expression."

Since beauty and fashion now exists under the microscope of social media, the concept of personal style has become a hotly debated topic. Everyone wants to be individual (or, at least, look like it), and this trend presents a newish way to make an outfit look unique. "It's incredibly visual, which is key in a world of red carpets, social content, and close-up moments," says Ballance. "A strong hair detail can be just as impactful as a bold lip or a killer accessory."

How to Use Hair Jewelry

Ballance's motto when it comes to hair jewelry is purposeful placement. "In 2025, I'd use hair jewelry to draw attention to specific features of the hairstyle or to connect the hair more intentionally to the outfit," he explains. "Minimalist metal pins anchoring a deep side part, brushed-gold buttons running down a braid, or a single sculptural cuff on a clean bubble ponytail … It's about using fewer pieces but making them count. It has to feel considered, not overdone."

Do you have your pieces in mind? Great. Now, it's time to learn how to actually use them. Shockingly enough, it takes a lot more than just twisting the cuff-clad elastic band around your ponytail.

"I'd start by building texture with a light-hold spray—enough grip to anchor the jewelry without weighing the hair down," Ballance advises. After giving your pieces something to grip onto, the hairstylist asks you to plot your placement. "I like to work with where the eye naturally goes—[pins] along the braid, tucked into a parting, or sitting clean at the base of a ponytail," he says.

"For heavier pieces, I'll use fine pins in an X-shape or anchor them with thread or discreet elastics underneath," he adds. "The goal is always 'secure enough to last but invisible enough to look effortless.'"

What to Wear With Hair Jewelry

Celebrity hairstylist Jacob Rozenberg (the purveyor of Dove Cameron's viral earbud-strewn updo) sees your hairstyle as a conduit for transformation, and the right hair accessories can either help it or harm it.

"If you put the wrong hair with the wrong outfit, it's not gonna look quite right. But if you put the right hair with an outfit that isn't quite right, it could save the look, right?" Rozenberg queries. "Fashion and hair are either going to complement each other or destroy each other."

There's a way to elevate an outfit with the use of a fun hair piece (or several), according to Rozenberg. "If it's a super-casual look, you could put a ponytail cuff on. A pair of jeans and a tee with some sort of hair jewelry would make more sense than a gown that has a lot going on, which can feel like too much," he explains. In general, the stylist agrees that it's a fun way to express yourself through hair.

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Sold? So are we. Shop some of our favorite styles below, including stackable pony cuffs, showstopping metal barrettes, and so much more from brands such as J.Crew, Lelet NY, and Jennifer Behr.

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Who's Who

• Marc Ballance is a New York–based celebrity hairstylist with IGK Hair. His clients include Nick Jonas and Bad Bunny.
• Jacob Rozenberg is a celebrity hairstylist in New York City who has worked with Dove Cameron, Meghann Fahy, Parker Posey, and more.