I present · The Zoltan Texture Review

The Zoltan Texture Review

Autumn/Winter 2026

In short
  • The look: The worn-in wave.
  • Who it suits: Straight hair (↑UP), wavy hair (↓DOWN), curly or frizzy hair (↓DOWN).
  • How long it lasts: Done once, it carries you through the winter, into spring.
  • For men: The same idea, scaled down: soft texture on top — never flat, never crunchy.
  • What’s in: The worn-in wave. What’s not: Glass-straight, ironed every morning.

Every season I keep notes. What my clients ask for in the chair on Maddox Street. What I see when I’m out in Soho and Shoreditch. What the catwalks in London, Milan and New York are trying to sell us.

Then I put it together. Some of it is fashion. Most of it is hair that has to survive London.

This is The Zoltan Texture Review — my notes for winter 2026.

By Zoltan Vargyai · perming since 1991, straightening since 1999 · Maddox Street, Mayfair

“Soft, slept-in, and still shining — the worn-in wave is what London will want this winter.”

— Zoltan
I. The lookUP

My look for winter: the worn-in wave.

This winter, London’s hair loosens up. After seasons of glass-straight shine, I’m seeing the mood turn softer: waves that look as if you slept on them — and still catch the light. If you take one thing from this review, take this.

“It’s not a curl and it’s not a blow-dry. It’s a wave that looks like it grew there — soft, a bit undone, but with shine. You should still see it on day five, not just the day you walk out of my chair.”

The treatment: Wavement →

How you get there depends on where your hair starts:

  • Straight hairUP

    Straight hair won’t do this on its own. A soft Wavement gives it the bend — loose enough that nobody asks who did your perm.

  • Wavy hairDOWN

    You’re nearly there. I’d do a partial for manageability, or a Semi to bring the shine up — the wave stays, the frizz goes.

  • Curly or frizzy hairDOWN

    A Demi takes the curl down a step, from spring to wave. Not straight — just calmer, and shinier.

How long does it last?

Done once, it carries you through the winter, into spring.

This winter

What’s in. What’s not.

What’s in

  • The worn-in wave
  • Shine that survives the rain
  • Your own curl, behaving
  • Soft movement on short hair
  • Glossy — not greasy

What’s not

  • Glass-straight, ironed every morning
  • Greasy on purpose
  • Crunchy, perm-look curls
  • Rock-hard sculpted volume
  • Shellacked wet look by day
For men this winter

And the blokes.

The same idea, scaled down: soft texture on top — never flat, never crunchy.

I don’t cut men’s hair — I do the texture.

  • Straight hairUP

    Flat hair goes nowhere. A soft Wavement gives it movement your barber can actually cut into.

  • Thick or frizzy hairDOWN

    Too much of it? I take it down gently — enough to lose the frizz, never so much it looks done.

What’s in

Soft texture on top

What’s not

Flat, gelled and crunchy

The inspirations

Inspirations this season.

The catwalk, the famous heads, the street — what caught my eye, read as texture.

II. Catwalk

Nine shows. My pick.

Read as texture. Runway images are never copied.

London

  • DOWN
    London · Feb 2026

    Chet Lo

    Hair by Anna Cofone for Authentic Beauty Concept

    • Glass straight
    • Mirror shine
    Official postLoads from Instagram. Their terms and cookies apply from then.
    IN

    Mirror shine is a ↓DOWN job — not a flat iron at 7am.

  • UP
    London · Feb 2026

    Di Petsa

    Hair: not credited

    • Dishevelled wave
    • Tousled
    Official postLoads from Instagram. Their terms and cookies apply from then.
    IN

    These are waves that look slept-in and still shine. That’s an ↑UP — and once it’s done, you leave it alone.

  • UP
    London · Feb 2026

    Tolu Coker

    Hair by Efi Davies

    • ’90s flick
    • Kiss curls
    Official postLoads from Instagram. Their terms and cookies apply from then.
    IN

    The ’90s flick is back, and it needs a bend in the ends — a soft ↑UP does that without the round brush.

Milan

  • UP
    Milan · Feb 2026

    Moschino

    Hair by Eugene Souleiman for KEVIN.MURPHY

    • Own texture
    • Polished
    Official postLoads from Instagram. Their terms and cookies apply from then.
    IN

    This is your own texture, just polished — and for me it’s the best thing on any catwalk.

  • UP
    Milan · Feb 2026

    Etro

    Hair: not credited

    • Slick top
    • Wavy lengths
    IN

    Slick on top and a wave underneath. The wave is the part I’d keep.

  • UP
    Milan · Feb 2026

    Prada

    Hair: not credited

    • Tousled
    • Greasy
    Official postLoads from Instagram. Their terms and cookies apply from then.
    OUT

    Greasy on purpose is still greasy. In London we just call that Thursday.

New York

  • UP
    New York · Feb 2026

    Sandy Liang

    Hair by Dylan Chavles for Uberliss

    • Fluffy curl
    • Soft blowout
    Official postLoads from Instagram. Their terms and cookies apply from then.
    IN

    Fluffy is not the same as frizzy, and the difference is an ↑UP done properly.

  • DOWN
    New York · Feb 2026

    Christian Cowan

    Hair by Justine Marjan

    • Old-Hollywood gloss
    • Glossy wave
    Official postLoads from Instagram. Their terms and cookies apply from then.
    IN

    This is Veronica Lake gloss. Smooth it first, and the wave sits exactly where you want it.

  • UP
    New York · Feb 2026

    Collina Strada

    Hair by Mustafa Yanaz for Bumble and bumble

    • Sculpted volume
    • Rock-hard
    Official postLoads from Instagram. Their terms and cookies apply from then.
    OUT

    This is volume that needs scaffolding. It won’t survive the Central line.

III. Celebs

Who changed their hair.

Worldwide, read for London — texture only. Who changed, and what it would take in my chair.

  • Official postLoads from Instagram. Their terms and cookies apply from then.
    Sept 2026

    Kelly Clarkson

    Long and smooth to short with texture and curl

    UP Short hair needs movement built in, or it’s flat by day two — that’s where a soft ↑UP earns its keep.

  • Official postLoads from Instagram. Their terms and cookies apply from then.
    Feb 2026 · Gucci show

    Demi Moore

    Long and sleek to a short, wet-look bob, cut for the Gucci show

    DOWN She really cut it. Dimitris Giannetos calls it the "Demi-tris bob". The cut is his; the texture is the wet-look shine. On a short bob that only works if the hair lies smooth on its own, and that’s a ↓DOWN, a Straightment Semi.

  • Official postLoads from Instagram. Their terms and cookies apply from then.
    Mar 2026

    Ariana Grande

    Years of sleek ponytails, then her own curl out in the open

    UP Years of ironing, then the curl came back. If yours won’t come back on its own, a soft Wavement will bring it.

  • Official postLoads from Instagram. Their terms and cookies apply from then.
    Sept 2026 · Emmys

    Emmy Rossum

    Natural curls, worn loose

    UP This is loose curl, not tight. If yours won’t hold its shape, a soft Wavement will.

IV. Street

What London actually wears.

On the street outside the February shows, shine is everywhere: sleek lengths with high gloss, wet-look slick for the evening, bouncy curls and soft waves, and natural curl and coil left to be themselves. A London winter wants shine that survives the rain.

The men · texture only

The men. Texture only.

  • Street · London 2026

    Waves and curly tops

    Mid-length waves, natural curl on top

    IN. Straight hair can’t do this on its own — that’s an ↑UP.

  • Street · London 2026

    Smooth and controlled

    Sleek, smooth top with a clean finish

    IN for thick, frizzy hair. A light ↓DOWN, and it still looks like hair.

MY CALL

I want movement on top, never flat — a soft wave or curl body that looks like it grew that way, which is an ↑UP. If there’s too much frizz or curl, I take it down gently with a ↓DOWN.

Questions

You asked. I answer.

What is the hair trend for winter 2026 in London?

It’s the worn-in wave: soft, slept-in waves that still shine. It’s the one look I’m calling for London this winter.

What is a worn-in wave?

It’s a soft, lived-in wave with shine. It’s never crisp and never looks like a perm — and it’s still there on day five, not just the day you leave the salon.

Can I get a worn-in wave if my hair is straight?

Yes. That’s an ↑UP: a soft Wavement puts the wave in.

I have wavy hair. What do I need?

You’re nearly there. I’d do a partial treatment for manageability, or a Semi to bring up the shine — both are a light ↓DOWN.

I have curly or frizzy hair. Can I wear it?

Yes. That’s a ↓DOWN: a Demi loosens the curl down to a wave.

How long does it last?

Done once, it carries you through the winter, into spring.

Is a worn-in wave a perm?

It’s an ↑UP treatment, but the result is soft — never a perm-look.

Is a Semi the same as a keratin?

Keratin is not a treatment — it’s a word for every kind of smoothing. In my system, what people call a keratin is a Semi or a Demi.

Who decides which treatment I get?

I do, on the day, once I’ve seen your hair. Nothing is 100% — I’ll tell you what is.

What’s the look for men this winter?

This winter it’s soft texture on top — never flat, never crunchy. If your hair is straight, a soft Wavement gives it movement (↑UP); if it’s thick or frizzy, I take it down gently (↓DOWN). I don’t cut men’s hair — I do the texture.

How do I book?

Start with a consultation: online £9.95, or in person £74.95 on Maddox Street, Mayfair.

Not sure what your hair can do?

Online consultation £9.95 · in person £74.95. Nothing is 100% — I'll tell you what is.

Book a consultation

Drawings: original, house style. Runway and street images are never copied.

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