Not a hair out of place

Sleek looks are back - and it's not the chipku schoolgirl braids that you remember. Here's how to keep it chic, minus the grease

- Shreya Choudhuri [e-mail]

This time, the internet outragers have got it wrong.

Yes, sleek, pulled back hair is trending. No, it's not the oiled braids from your school days, not a Colonialism Remix, not an appropriation of Brown-girl hair codes. Globally, you'll see it described as slicked-back, wet-look, or glass-hair – and it's been repeatedly popping up on runways and red carpets heading into the 2026 trend cycle. The look is more chic, and if anything, harder to pull off.

Stylist Nikita Menon, bridal makeup artist Shradha Luthra, and Suhan Shaikh, stylist and zonal technical manager at the hair brand 3TENX, have tips on how to shake free of chipku plaits and do sleek, sculpted hair in 2026.

• Scrape it back. It's not just braids. Sleek hair looks include low buns, sculpted ponytails, thin braids and hair that is pulled back but left loose.

The aim is control, shine, and precision every strand knows where it belongs.