Beauty Buffs Turn To Warrior Cut For Hairspiration

Breakups are never easy.

To overcome them and regain a sense of self-worth and confidence, beauty consumers are turning to haircuts as a symbol of renewal. After all, with a new ‘do is a new mentality and hopefully, in time, less stress (think Brad Pitt’s spikey-haired, hunky guru Tyler Durden’s advice in “Fight Club”: “Stop trying to control everything and just let go!”) That’s why the warrior cut and low-tension hairstyle are the moment’s fastest-growing hairstyles per Spate’s Popularity Index.

The Warrior Cut

The warrior cut is a textured men’s haircut defined by a short, spiky top and a low-to-mid taper on the sides. Austin Butler has been sporting the look throughout his recent press tour, and Brad Pitt popularized a similar version in the 1999 cult classic “Fight Club,” which has fueled a recent renaissance and searches for “Brad Pitt warrior cut.”

Interest has risen by more than 1,000% compared to last year, and across platforms, analysts say. TikTok owns the conversation with 54.2% popularity share, where the trend garners 7.5 million average weekly views. Google is not far behind, with 21.5K average monthly searches, signaling that consumers are looking for both immediate inspiration and practical information across platforms. Notably, this reflects a shift in male grooming behavior, analysts say. Men are increasingly using TikTok the way women have long relied on it for beauty inspiration. What’s more, creators are helping drive the surge. Barber @trentcuts, who films client transformations, received 6.4 million views last week alone alongside this trend. For brands, this presents an opportunity to partner with TikTok barbers and showcase products that help maintain the style.

Low-Tension Hairstyles

For textured hair types, braids and knots can often pull at the scalp, creating high tension that may contribute to traction alopecia, or hair loss from tugging at the hair. To keep their manes thick, many are embracing low-tension hairstyles such as soft waves, loose buns and half-up looks, which put less stress on the hair and scalp. The trend has grown by more than 1,000% compared to last year, and across platforms.

TikTok dominates the conversation, owning 85.8% of the trend’s popularity share and driving 681K average weekly views, analysts say. Google search volume is lower, at 640 average monthly searches, but the crossover shows that consumers are curious enough to research beyond TikTok. Hashtags like #naturalhair (266.1K average weekly views), #type4hair (192.9K average weekly views) and #naturalhairtiktok (171.3K average weekly views) connect this trend directly to the natural hair community. This suggests it is not a fleeting fad, but part of a broader movement toward healthier, more protective styling. Engagement around the trend is notably high, with an 8.5/10 sentiment score, a 6.9% engagement rate and only 3.5% paid views, meaning consumers are participating organically.

For hair brands, analysts say this offers opportunities to join the conversation through natural hair tutorials and product integrations across categories – from curl creams and oils to gentle hold sprays. With many styles under the low-tension umbrella, there’s room for multiple product types to be highlighted in an authentic way.