6 middle-part hairstyles that prove the look is anything but boring
There comes a point in everyone’s life when they eventually go back to things they once despised, only to find themselves looking at the same thing with an obscure sense of fondness. For me, it was the middle parting. After it was imposed upon me by my school for ‘disciplinary’ purposes, I couldn’t wait to grow up and never wear one again. And yet, much to my childhood self’s disappointment, I never really left my middle part behind. Somewhere along the way, though, my dislike for it disappeared.
What could be more elegant than a clean centre line, with your locks left cascading down your back? “The middle part has a very natural way of creating balance and bringing attention to the centre of the face. It can make the overall look feel more symmetrical and polished, while also highlighting features like the eyes, cheekbones and jawline,” says James Lalkhumsang, associate artistic director at Florian Hurel Hair Couture and Spa. And perhaps because of how effortless it is, we don’t give the centre part the credit it deserves. We often mistake its simplicity for redundancy. Unlike an elaborate updo, a carefully constructed blowout or even a chic side part, the middle parting may not seem to hold the same allure, but it is one that has survived every trend cycle.
Not that the centre part ever needed much help making its case, but Alia Bhatt‘s iconic Rani Chatterjee character in Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani, where her glossy, centre-parted hair became as much a character trait as her kohl-lined eyes and chiffon saris and Deepika Padukone’s Shanti Priya in Om Shanti Om walking down the carpet in one of Hindi cinema’s most memorable entrances, sporting a centre part. More recently, I was lured in by Zendaya’s look for The Odyssey premiere, where she wore Matières Fécales’ debut Haute Couture collection. Her mermaid waves, neatly parted down the middle, were all I could think about. So, naturally, I attempted to recreate them with the kind of ingenuity only a limited budget can inspire: by sleeping overnight in a French braid. Although I would like to believe I came very close to the original look, my friends are better equipped to answer whether I looked like someone floored by the hairstyle or simply someone who hadn’t picked up a hairbrush in weeks.
How to make the middle part work for your face
“For a rounder face, adding some length and soft face-framing layers can create a more elongated effect. For longer faces, you can add width through volume or waves around the sides. With a square face, softer layers around the jaw can help balance stronger features,” recommends Lalkhumsang.
Texture can also play a huge role. “Soft face-framing layers, curtain bangs and natural-looking texture can instantly modernise it. I also love adding movement through loose waves or keeping the roots slightly lifted while the lengths remain polished. The idea is to keep the structure of the middle part but make the overall look feel effortless rather than overly styled,” he adds.
How to add volume to a middle part
One of the biggest concerns with repeatedly wearing your hair the same way is that it can begin to look flatter over time. “Hair tends to fall in the direction it has been trained to over time. When you repeatedly part your hair in exactly the same place, the strands can lie flatter against the scalp, making that area look more visible. Changing your part even slightly to the side can redistribute the hair and create instant visual volume. It doesn’t increase the number of follicles or actually make the hair thicker, but it can make fine or low-density hair appear fuller,” says Dr Rakhi Soni, MBBS, consultant at Traya.
But you do not necessarily need to altogether abandon your middle part in the pursuit of volume. “The key is to separate the parting from the volume. A little root-lifting product, some strategic blow-drying and a round brush can make a big difference. You can also slightly change the direction of the hair while drying and then bring it back into the middle part. This gives you volume without losing that clean, polished centre line,” advices Lalkhumsang.
Can a middle part cause hair loss?
For all its aesthetic and effortless appeal, the concern with whether repeatedly wearing a defined middle part can cause hair loss is quite real. “As a dermatologist, one of the questions I hear often is whether a very defined middle part can actually cause hair loss. The answer is: the parting itself usually isn’t the problem. The way you style and pull the hair around it can be. A sharply defined middle part, when worn naturally and without tension, does not typically cause hair loss,” clarifies Geeta Mehra Fazalbhoy, dermatologist, founder of Skin & You Clinic. “However, repeatedly wearing tight, sleek buns, ponytails or other hairstyles that pull strongly on the same areas can create traction on the hair follicles.”
So, maybe my school was onto something (though I refuse to give them credit for it). The middle part may have begun as something I was forced into initially, but over the years it has become something I constantly return to, voluntarily.
Either way, I’ve realised that many of the celebrity hair looks I find myself drawn to have one thing in common: the middle part. If, like me, you too have decided to stick with it, read on for some middle-part hairstyles worth trying.
