Sure, Banks’ hair was springier than mine (in season one, she had loose, 3A hair), but I wanted to have a bob (and clothes and sass) like hers. So I picked up a pair of kitchen scissors and got to cutting. When I went to my salon to get it fixed two weeks later, I was sent home with a CHI flat iron, a promise not to cut my own hair again, and, most importantly, the look I always wanted.
To style it, I picked up the diffuser-and-hairspray method from curly queens Jordan and Candace on Sorority Life. I’m grateful to have learned their ways, but I’m thrilled that hair-care formulas and technology have come a long way since then. “The products and tools we have now make the ‘90s styles more straightforward to achieve, healthier for the hair, and more versatile,” says hairstylist Annagjid “Kee” Taylor. “We’re not just recreating the past. We’re updating it with better techniques, more inclusivity, and a whole lot more creativity.”
Banks continues to inspire me to this day. (It always feels like a full-circle moment every time I have the chance to do a beauty segment on the very same studio lot where The Fresh Prince was filmed.) And though my curls have loosened, I still look back on that era fondly. Searching for your own ‘90s hair muse? Scroll for a breakdown of some of the most memorable ‘90s cuts and styles that are just as cool today.
The Rachel
Getty Images
Getty Images
If you forced me to pick just one haircut that defined the decade, it would definitely be The Rachel. It’s the cut that launched thousands of salon appointments. “It was engineered to look ‘casual,’ but it’s a masterpiece of shaping and is layered in a way that gives natural movement and volume,” says Kasper Heemskerk, hairstylist and Balmain Hair education director.
As someone who always aspired to rock The Rachel, I just had to ask the stylist who created the iconic look about its impact. “I feel like that vibe is creeping back, just in a more modern way,” says hairstylist Chris McMillan, Aniston’s longtime hairstylist. He’s right, as it’s one of this season’s biggest hair trends. New York City-based hairstylist Vanessa Ocando previously told us that 2025’s take on The Rachel is less manipulated by hairspray and hot tools. “With layering and added texture, the cut has beautiful movement and an effortless, face-framing flow,” she says.
Karyn Parsons’ Flippy Lob
Getty Images
Getty Images
Not unlike Miss Hilary Banks herself, this style is equal parts polished and playful. “This cut frames the face beautifully and has that unmistakable ‘rich auntie’ energy that’s so current right now,” says Heemskerk. “When styling the cut at home, use a round brush and blow dryer to smooth the hair while directing the ends outward.”
