Eight of the twelve autumn hairstyles need no product and no money: the season that asks for less, not more

This autumn hairdressers are not asking you to straighten your hair. They are asking the opposite - stop hiding its natural texture under an iron and hairspray. Layers, careless waves and deliberately unfinished ends are what September brings, and the good news is it requires no radical change.

The logic behind it is simpler than it sounds. After months of sun, sea and tied-up hair, most of the head is damaged at the ends anyway. Cuts that work with texture instead of against it hide that damage naturally - and what looks like a trend decision is really a solution to a problem everyone has in the same month.

The cuts

Four are most in demand. The butterfly cut - pronounced layers spread along the whole length, giving fine hair optical density; this is the cut that lies most in the right direction. The wolf cut - irregular layers with a relaxed, slightly open fringe, the most fashionable of all and the least forgiving if the hairdresser lacks judgement. The micro bob - to the jawline or slightly above, with deliberately undefined ends that avoid a straight line and so create volume. And the classic bob, in a short or longer version, which still suits the widest range of face shapes.

For those unwilling to sacrifice length, two options remain: long layers distributed through the whole head, which introduce movement even into straight hair, and the heart mid-length cut, which rounds the ends and gives lightness without taking away length.

Short hair is not excluded. The garçon cut - very short, masculine-inspired - carries texture perfectly well and is the choice of those who want character rather than softness.

What needs no scissors

Half the list is not a cut at all but a way of tying hair up - and that is the part worth most for everyday life. A braid deliberately loosened, with a few strands left free. Half-up hair with a clip, creating two different heights in one style. A ponytail with waves and a hidden elastic. And the careless bun, which works for a workday and for a wedding alike.

And there is the truth the industry does not say out loud: eight of the twelve suggestions on this list cost nothing. Not one product, not one treatment - just hands and five minutes. The other four require a hairdresser, but once a season.

What this trend genuinely changes is the standard. For years the goal was every strand in its place, which meant an iron every morning, then a mask for the damage from the iron. If September brings hairstyles that are beautiful because they are not perfect, that is the first fashion cycle in a long time asking for less rather than more.