10 Summer Hairstyles for Medium Length Hair Women
Medium length hair sits in a sweet spot — long enough to braid and twist, short enough to stay off your neck when the heat hits.
Summer calls for styles that actually hold up. Beachy waves with sea salt spray, a sleek low bun, a half-up twisted knot, a braided crown for festival days — this list covers all of it.
Some of these take five minutes. Others are worth the extra effort for a night out or a weekend away.
Here are 10 summer hairstyles worth trying right now.
1. Beachy Waves With Sea Salt
Sea salt spray is the easiest thing you can add to your summer hair routine, and it works especially well on medium length hair because the weight of the hair holds the wave without going frizzy.
Scrunch the spray into damp hair, then let it air dry or diffuse it on low heat.
The salt adds texture and grip, so your waves actually hold through humidity instead of falling flat by noon.
Brands like Not Your Mother’s Curl Talk or IGK Beach Club both give that lived-in, slightly undone look without making your hair feel crunchy or stiff.
2. Sleek Low Bun Style
A sleek low bun keeps your neck cool and your hair completely out of your face — a real win on humid summer days.
Start with a small amount of smoothing cream worked through damp hair, then pull everything back low at the nape of your neck. Twist the length into a tight coil and secure it with a hair tie and a few bobby pins.
Medium length hair actually holds this shape well without needing a ton of product or extra padding.
Run a fine-tooth comb along the top section to flatten any bumps, then finish with a light-hold hairspray to keep flyaways down through the heat.
3. Half-Up Twisted Knot
The half-up twisted knot keeps hair off your neck without committing to a full updo — a real win when the heat hits mid-afternoon.
Grab two sections from the front sides of your hair, twist each one toward the back, then knot them together at the center and pin with a couple of bobby pins.
Medium length hair works especially well here because you get enough length to form a solid knot but still have loose ends falling below it, which keeps the whole thing looking casual rather than stiff.
Skip the hairspray and let a few face-framing pieces fall forward naturally.
4. Braided Crown For Festivals
A braided crown suits medium hair really well because you have just enough length to wrap sections around your head without the style falling apart halfway through the day.
Start by splitting your hair into two sections, then Dutch braid each side toward the opposite ear. Pin the ends underneath the opposite braid using bobby pins that match your hair color.
Pull the loops of each braid gently outward to make the crown look fuller and less flat against your head. A little texturizing spray beforehand helps the braids grip and hold their shape through hours of heat and movement.
5. Effortless Messy Ponytail Look
Medium hair sits in that sweet spot where a ponytail looks full but doesn’t drag your neck down in the heat.
Pull your hair back loosely, then tug a few pieces out around your face and at the nape. That slight looseness is what separates a messy ponytail from a tight, stiff one.
Wrap a small section of hair around the elastic to hide it, and secure the end with a bobby pin underneath. It takes about 30 extra seconds and makes the whole thing look intentional rather than rushed.
Skip brushing before you pull it back — day-old hair with a little natural texture actually holds this style better than freshly washed strands.
6. Clip-Pinned Side Sweep
Sweeping your hair to one side and pinning it with a claw clip or a few bobby pins takes about thirty seconds and somehow looks intentional.
Grab a small section from the front, pull it across your forehead, and secure it just above or behind your ear. The rest of your hair falls naturally to the opposite side.
This works especially well on hot days when you want hair off your neck without committing to a full updo. A single claw clip does the job cleanly.
Try it with slightly damp hair for a sleeker finish, or tousled dry hair if you want a more relaxed shape.
7. Textured Bob With Layers
A textured bob with layers works especially well in summer because the reduced weight keeps hair off your neck without going too short.
Ask your stylist for point-cut layers rather than blunt ones — point cutting creates that choppy, lived-in texture instead of a flat, heavy finish.
At home, scrunch a small amount of sea salt spray or curl cream into damp hair, then diffuse on low heat. That combo pulls the layers apart and gives each section its own shape.
Skip brushing it out. Running a brush through kills the texture instantly — use your fingers to separate pieces instead.
8. Overnight Heatless Curl Method
Sleeping in foam rollers or fabric strips gives you bouncy curls without any heat damage — a real win during summer when your hair is already dealing with sun and humidity.
Dampen your hair slightly before bed, wrap half-inch sections around each roller, and secure them close to the scalp. In the morning, unroll everything and shake the curls loose with your fingers.
Medium length hair holds this curl shape well for most of the day, especially if you finish with a light-hold spray.
9. Boho Headband Tuck Style
Grab a wide elastic headband — the kind with a boho print or crochet detail — and slide it over your head so it sits about two inches back from your hairline.
Take small sections of hair from the front and tuck them up and over the band, rolling them underneath so they disappear into the headband. Work your way around from both sides until all the front sections are tucked.
The loose ends at the back stay down, which works well for medium length hair because you still get that casual, undone look without needing extra length to pull off a full updo.
On humid days, this style actually gets better as your hair frizzes slightly — the texture fills out the tucks and makes the whole thing look more intentional.
10. French Braid Into Updo
The french braid into updo works surprisingly well for medium hair because you have just enough length to braid down and tuck up without the style collapsing.
Start a classic french braid at your crown, pulling in small sections as you work toward the nape of your neck. Once you run out of hair to add, continue braiding the loose ends down a few inches, then coil them into a small bun and pin them flat against your head.
Pull a few face-framing pieces loose near your temples before you start — it stops the whole thing from looking too stiff in the summer heat.
