The Japanese people are style inspirations because of the amazing fashion choices and hairstyles that they have come up with over the past few decades. The hime cut is one of our best-loved hairstyles as it is a long, sophisticated hair cut with a long history and an important place in Japanese culture.
In this article, we reveal to you the history behind this amazing hairstyle and the characteristics that make the hime cut what it is. Also, we reveal styling tips that will help you to create perfect hime cut hair in 2026.
The history of hime cut
Hime cut hair is a Japanese hairstyle dating back to the Heian period (794 – 1185 CE). During this period, women in the nobility of Japan would keep their hair all their life, and the hime cut is one of the most popular long hairstyles of this era.
It was very common among Heian women at the age of sixteen that they had their hair cut near the ears in a ritual referred to as “Binsogi.” Their remaining hair was meant to be left for the rest of their lives as hime hair.
However, the name hime hair was coined in the 1970s. Megumi Asaoka, who was a Japanese singer and actress, was credited with naming the style as hime cut and she popularized it among many Japanese women. This is a very interesting fact as the word “hime” is Japanese and it means “princess,” which reflects Japanese cultural perspective on this very distinctive style.
What are the features of hime cut?
The hime cut is seductive and sexy as well as possessing oriental allure. It is possible to have a hime cut if you have long and straight hair, and your hair tends to drape along your back.
One may view the hime as a cut which has long, straight hair and bangs in front of the ear. There are many variations of the hime, but the common type is a cut with long, straight, and dark hair.
There are two types of hime cut hairstyles that one can try out nowadays – the hime cut with bangs and the hime cut without. Here are some tips to keep in mind when considering hime haircut in 2021:
Length matters
However, we have seen the hime hairstyle evolve in modern times by using it with shorter haircuts such as the bob and lob hairstyles. Although the hime hairstyle can be done by using the layered lobs, from the point of view of a purist, the hime is something that needs length to remain traditional.
This is because the hime is about long and straight hair that should be styled until it reaches down the back. Therefore, in this regard, we say that length is important for the hime hairstyle. This means that in case your hair is not naturally long, you can use extensions to get the length you need.
Consider your face shape
Like all modern haircuts, your face shape is very important when it comes to determining whether or not a hime cut will be suitable for you. Perhaps one of the most amazing things about a hime cut is that it makes your face look smaller. This works well especially if you have a long face.
Also, the decision of including or not including bangs can be useful when evaluating your face shape. Curtain bangs work well for hime cuts on diamond-shaped faces of girls providing face-framing effect which highlights all your facial features.
Maintenance is important
One of the major cons of this hairstyle is the necessity of constant care because you cannot do it and forget about it. You should comb your hime cut every day to ensure its clean and sharp lines which it is famous for.
If you have wavy or textured hair, you will constantly need to minimize its volume because otherwise, it might provide you with extra bounce which you will not want to have. Most women use straightening tools on their hime cuts, but the frequent usage of such styling instruments can dry your hair. It is recommended to use some heat protection products to preserve moisture and elasticity of your hair.
Being a representative of straight haircuts, hime will require you to know how to maintain straightness of your hair while sleeping. We are proud to present our ionic blow dryers for this purpose.
Use of Laifen SE will enable you to maintain your hair’s shine and health in comparison to normal salon dryers.
The weather and the environment may have an effect on your hime cut.
Compared to most other long straight haircuts, the hime cut is one that tends to be more prone to heat and humidity making it appear untidy.
Humidity may affect the shape and straightness of hime hair and requires maintenance especially if there is humidity in the atmosphere.
Due to the fact that hime hair is prone to heat and humidity, most women prefer using hair extensions as opposed to natural hair.
Conclusion
The hime hairstyle is an extremely unusual and oriental style that fits women who have long straight dark hair.
Despite the need to devote much time to the care of such hair and the sensitivity to heat and moisture, it is an excellent hairstyle choice if you are interested in something adventurous and stylish for your long hair in the coming event.
However, when you are fascinated by the hime haircut in 2026, keep in mind our recommendations on the care and styling of it.
