None of us are strangers to the itch for a hair transformation. The makeover arc we love to love in pop culture often constitutes a genius stroke of magic, be it smoothening of the tresses à la The Princess Diaries, or perhaps more recently, Belly’s adult bob from Season 3 of The Summer I Turned Pretty. The latter feels like a fresh start, the heralding of new and good things to come. Whether Belly was better off with her classic girl next door mane from yesteryears is another question altogether, but the universal truth is that a hair makeover can and will put a pep in your step—one many of us might be sorely needing by this time of year.
Even if general exhaustion from work or the simple desire for a refresh hasn’t enticed you over to the other side yet, perhaps the promise of a carefree, tousled makeover will. Rather than the more styled blunt micro bob, the textured bob is as simple as it sounds: pleasantly zhuzhed up in layers to achieve a breezy, floaty look. One that grants volume as much as it does a jovial mood. Think boho; lived-in; effortlessly chic à la Leighton Meester’s recent chop or rising It-girl Gracie Abrams.
“It’s a bob with multi-layers to create movement,” sums up Michael Lim, the salon director at professional hair salon Kim Robinson. So you can play with it, tousle it, and run with it—all in a day’s work. To answer our curious asks, Lim joins founder Kim Robinson himself, to explain the considerations one should have when asking for the look at the salon, and how to maintain your textured bob in Singapore’s humidity.
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What is a textured bob?
“A textured bob is a bob with different sorts of multi layers to create movement. There are variations of layers that change the overall shape and create more volume and texture, as compared to a regular bob,” offers Lim.
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What are some things to take into consideration when asking for a textured bob at the salon?
“Your stylist should be able to ascertain if your hair is thick enough for a textured bob. The number of layers required is depending on the texture of the hair; for example for frizzy textured and curly hair, the stylist would need to know how much additional layering is needed.
One should also consider using an easy-to-use styling product that separates the hair strands to give an undone, sort of lived-in, chunky texture that holds without stickiness—like our KR ProStyle Paste, perfect for a textured bob to make the haircut work,” adds on Robinson.
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How would a textured bob differ for different face shapes?
According to Lim, an experienced hairstylist would be able to analyse the face shape prior to cutting. “Think of everyone’s hairstyle like a frame that is meant to enhance the positive shape and features of the face, whilst camouflaging other aspects you may not want to enhance. At Kim Robinson, our stylists uses our own unique system (KR Face Matrix) developed by our founder, which automatically ascertains what face shape each client has and if their face proportions would be suitable for a bob style,” he says.
The textured bob is one that needs to look great au naturale and Lim suggests opting for a dry cut technique—one that is signature to the salon—for more natural movement of the hair in general, ensuring the cut that will look great even with no styling.
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Any product recommendations to maintain the look in Singapore's humid weather?
Whilst the textured bob is meant to look effortlessly chic, there’s definitely times when you would want to give it some extra pizzazz. Robinson suggests using a lightweight mousse like the brand’s ProStyle Paste which he’s specially developed after styling Asian hair all the time. “It’s great for quick styling and it isn’t sticky—making it great for Singapore’s humidity. You’ll get volume, texture, shape and that added shine all day long, without any of the heaviness.”
