When you’ve got long hair, one of the chicest ways to funk up your look is to pin your locks up in an easy, breezy bun, and this spring is no exception. However, according to Shallynn Johnston—lead educator with the Aveda Institute of Vancouver—this year, it’s time to get down with your updos.

“Everything has moved from the top of the head to the lower part of the head,” says Johnston, who recently hosted a spring-trends demo at Aveda’s Gastown education salon. “Whether it’s on the nape or just to the side, everything is lower, whereas last spring there were a lot of ballerina buns right on the top.”

One of her favourite styles for the upcoming season is the fishtail-braid bun. For this, you start with a side part and a low ponytail. Then you split it in two and put each half into a fishtail braid (looks harder than it is). For a more street-chic, boho vibe, loosen the braid with your fingers to give it that bed-head look, and don’t bother tying the braids with an elastic. Instead, gently back-comb the ends, twist, and back-comb again. You can stop there, or if you want a more elegant look, take the two braids and pin them up into a messy bun.

If you want to let your hair down, the same wind-blown ethos applies—so you might want to put your straightener and smoothing serums in storage for now. As for people with shorter hair, based on what Johnston has surmised from her runway observations, it’s all about texture: nothing too sleek, straight, or blunt.

Think texturizing products. Or, better yet, if you want to be really cutting edge, ditch the safe shoulder-length hair and go for broke. Johnston predicts that super-cropped haircuts are something we’re going to be seeing a lot of, thanks to Anne Hathaway’s Les Miz lid and the boy cut Lena Dunham rocked throughout the awards season.

In terms of colour, traditional sun-spun ombre (colour that graduates from dark on top to light on the ends) has almost run its course on the runway. But for those who like to make a statement with their tresses, punk-rock ombre might be the way to go.

“So that’s just changing the colour that’s on the ends with a fashion colour like bright blue, green, or violet to keep things fresh,” Johnston says. “It could be really, really bold for a younger type of crowd, and then it can also be a little bit subtle and softer for the older, more mature group with a dusty sort of pink.”

Not your bag? Don’t worry—despite what the “it” crowd is saying, Johnston doesn’t think mainstream ombre is totally out yet. At least, not here.

“It’s not going to go away for a while, just because we are a little bit behind in trends,” says Johnston, referring to Canada as a whole. “Also, it’s just such a consumer-friendly look—you don’t have to worry about maintenance too much. The more you grow it out, the better it looks kind of thing.

“And Vancouver is a little bit more of a costly city to live in,” she continues, “so having a hairstyle that can go from season to season is still going to be ideal for lots of people.”