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‘The Rachel’ Haircut – 90s nostalgia at its finest

Detail of a nice young woman with blonde hair The Rachel haircut

With ‘90s trends sneaking their way back into our lives, it was only a matter of time before ‘The Rachel’ made an appearance. Everyone knows ‘The Rachel’ haircut unless you’ve been living under a rock the past few decades. A creation of hair stylist, Chris McMillan, it first graced our TV screen in April 1995. 25 years ago… time flies!

Woman with the Rachel haircut

Style yourself 'The Rachel' and be this happy!

Consisting of a shag cut as the base, then layers and highlights galore, it was obvious it would catch our eye and we’d be finding the nearest hair stylist who was willing to do it for us. And with 25 million viewers tuning into the first three seasons of Friends, it’s no wonder so many people fell in love with the ‘do and wanted to copy it.

Despite its popularity, Jennifer Aniston, who played Rachel Green, didn’t even like the cut! She thought it was ‘ugly’ and it frustrated her that it was so hard to maintain. Luckily, things have changed since then and hair styling tips and tricks have evolved, so if you want to copy ‘The Rachel’ in 2020, you’ll find it a lot easier to look after.

Who suits ‘The Rachel’

The best part about ‘The Rachel’ haircut – it suits practically everyone! The cut is flattering on oval and long face shapes in particular, but also works on square and heart-shaped faces. If you happen to have a rounder face shape, you might want to have a good think about it first. The reason being that the shorter layers of this cut can emphasize rounder faces, which might not be what you’re looking for.

How to style ‘The Rachel’

If your hair is just above your shoulders, perfect! This length really solidifies this as a ’90s cut. Although if you want to modernize the look, try it out with hair a couple of inches below your shoulders. It’s up to you whether you decide to opt for face-framing hair tendrils or not.

Well you won’t be surprised to know that ‘The Rachel’ hairstyle consists of many layers. The layers help to give your hair a lot of body by surrounding your face in a heart shape and framing it perfectly.

For this hairstyle to work to the best of its abilities, you have to make sure to keep your hair light and fluffy, so try not to not leave your hair too long between washes as oil and grease will build up and weigh it down. A volumizing shampoo is your best bet here.

While your hair is still damp, apply a couple of drops of oil or serum, which will give you a smooth texture when you begin to style your locks. To finish off the look, blow dry your hair over a rounded brush and whatever you do, don’t straighten it as this will rob your hair of volume. 

Go one step further with color

You’ve got ‘The Rachel’ hairstyle down to a tee, but what about dyeing your hair to match Rachel Green’s stunning locks?

Her hair looked especially amazing due to the combination of striking blonde highlights against medium brown hair. We recommend Simply Color® Medium Blonde 8.0 for the highlights and Simply Color® Almond Brown 7.5 for the main body of hair.

After you’ve mastered ‘The Rachel’ and are still in the mood, why not try out other ‘90s hairstyles and take a trip down memory lane.

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