I have a confession: I'm low-key obsessed with predicting the hair trends of the year. From the hottest hair colours to the trending haircuts we'll all be booking in for, I'm always on the lookout for the next big thing that we'll all be rushing to the salon for. And for 2023, there is one haircut trend that is currently taking the beauty industry by storm: the butterfly haircut.
The butterfly haircut currently has TikTok, Instagram and just about everyone (including me) in a chokehold right now. But what exactly is the butterfly haircut? Its main features are a mix of short and long rounded layers, which give shape, volume and maximum body, with a symmetrical effect that resembles a butterfly. Think tumbling layers with plenty of movement. And the data backs it up. A report from Beauty Pie says that butterfly haircuts rose 12, 432% in the lead up to 2023, and #butterflyhaircut has 498 million views and counting on TikTok. So, this is one haircut trend we can expect to take 2023 by storm.
While I would never be brave enough to try cutting it at home myself, there are several tutorials doing the rounds on how to cut the butterfly haircut at home, which sees people tying their hair into two ponytails—one at the front, and the other at the back of the head—before taking the scissors and snipping straight across into each of the ponytails. That being said, I'd recommend heading to your hairdresser for this hairstyle to ensure it's a butter
Reasons You Should Get A Butterfly Haircut
Ready to take the plunge and try the butterfly haircut? The good news is that it suits almost every hair type and length while adding buckets of volume and shape to your hair. Ahead, I've rounded up some butterfly haircut inspiration to take to your next hair appointment, as well as the best hairstyling products to style the butterfly cut.
The butterfly haircut is a perfect match for tighter curls, as the face framing ayers add shape and definition to let curls sing.
If you still like to tie your hair up, the longer layers of the butterfly haircut are still long enough to tie back into a ponytail or bun. But we love how J.Lo has left her fringe and a few tendrils loose.
Butterfly Cut Add Volume And Texture To Your Hair
To ensure optimum volume and bounce, use a clarifying shampoo at least once a week to rid hair of build-up that can leave lengths limp.
If you find velcro rollers or drying your hair with a round brush doesn't deliver long-lasting hold, try these heated rollers, which will keep the hair's bounce and shape in all day long.as an early contender for 2022's hottest style, the 'butterfly' haircut is trending highly. With shorter looks ever popular — such as the blunt cut bob and the shaggy mullet — the butterfly haircut's popularity is thanks in part to the illusion it creates of a shorter style without losing out on length. It's a true have-your-cake-and-eat-it offering for those who don't want to give up their long tresses. Plus, it taps into the cool, '70s vibes of some of this year's best hair trends.
Unlike the trending wolf cut and octopus hairstyles, the butterfly cut consists of shorter layers solely on top, which are blended in with a series of longer layers to deliver movement and texture. The style is often referred to as two cuts in one due to the way the shorter, bob-length top layers effortlessly fall down when the hair is tied back. This gives the appearance of a shorter cut from the front, like this look created by Vintage Esther on Instagram.
Would You Try The Butterfly Cut At Home?
Apart from dipping into long bob territory in the past, I've always loved having long hair. I'm lucky that my hair grows quickly and although the strands aren't particularly thick, I'm always told by hairdressers that there are
Of them. A downside to having fuller, longer hair is that it can easily go flat and look heavy at the same time. My last flirtation with a multitude of layers was longer ago than I can remember (my usual cut pretty much keeps the hair one length, with shorter strands blended at the front for a sweeping fringe).
Swiping through glossy images of the butterfly haircut on Instagram, like this one by Richard Anthony, I was excited to give my flat and shapeless mane some life but equally nervous about the maintenance it could demand. I'm going to be honest: I am very lazy when it comes to my hair. I shampoo, condition and leave it to air-dry. That's my go-to daily routine — if you can call it that. Luckily, within minutes of arriving at Blue Tit's Brockley salon, my hairstylist Kostas calmed my worries. Even though I've mostly seen the butterfly haircut on Instagram rather than IRL, he explained that it's perfectly suited to my hair type — and is actually lower maintenance than it looks.
Butterfly Haircut: A Comprehensive Guide To The Whimsical And Versatile Style
The butterfly haircut works much better when the hair is past the shoulder, Kostas told me, adding that the cut is great for those with a natural wave or curl to their hair. A bit of a wave makes it look much nicer and you can actually see where the layering sits. Although Kostas thinks that the cut would suit a multitude of different hair types, he wouldn't recommend it for those with very fine hair as the layers can start to make the hair look wispy. It's mostly about the weight that needs to be taken out in order to create the softer look around the top, he said.
Kostas divided my hair into sections and tugged at my grown-out fringe (I fell into the trap of wanting to emulate Daisy Edgar-Jones' fabulous bangs after watching
And, sadly, it didn't work out). He showed me how the shortest layer would sit just below my ear and then used that to guide the other layers so that they would blend in easily. This would help us avoid the dreaded 'step' you so often see when layering goes wrong.
Summer 2022 Haircut Trends: Bardot Bangs, Invisible Layers, And More
To begin, Kostas snipped an inch or so off the bottom of my hair to achieve the right length, then the layering began from the top. In his opinion, the shorter the layers, the better. The shorter we go with them, the longer the haircut will last, he explained, and I was surprised to hear that the cut doesn't demand increased visits to the salon. Kostas said that by going higher with the layers and thus creating natural bounce in the hair, the style shouldn't go flat, meaning it can last 10-12 weeks before a freshen-up is needed.
Once the top layers were done, Kostas worked on the longer layers, meticulously checking that they were blended in well so I didn't end up with two haircuts in one. Then it was onto the styling. Kostas gave my lengths an added moisture hit by spritzing on a leave-in conditioner and followed that with OWAY Thermal Stress Protector, £32.50.He told me that although this haircut is generally quite low maintenance, like anything in life I'd have to put some work into it. Kostas blow-dried my hair using a barrel brush to enhance the layers but reassured me that while this does produce the best (and glossiest) results, I'm not necessarily expected to recreate it at home.
While my hair was still damp, Kostas ran OWAY Flux Potion, £32 (a light, gel-like styling product) through my strands. If I'm going to use just one product, this is the one, he said, as it helps create a bit more texture and wave to the hair. Giving hair a blast with a diffuser or leaving it to air-dry will give it a slightly more natural, texturised look, and tongs can be used to add curl. Kostas would advise against styling it completely straight to avoid a flicky finish.
Butterfly Haircut: The Tiktok Trending Haircut To Know About
Another concern I'd had prior to the chop was how practical the cut would be for me, as I take part in a lot of sport and exercise. My usual hairdresser had warned me that the Daisy Edgar-Jones fringe wouldn't work with my love of cycling and helmet-wear, combined with my unwillingness to style it. I didn't listen (spoiler: he was right). Would the butterfly haircut be a pain when it came to throwing it up for a run or cycle? Well, the layers do make it a bit messier to deal with but it's nothing a few strategically placed kirby grips can't handle. I also get what Kostas meant about reducing the weight of the hair. Pulling my lengths into a ponytail feels much lighter than it did before as the layers have thinned out my hair ever so slightly.
If you're keen on keeping the length of your hair but looking for a freshen-up, the butterfly haircut is a good bet. This is especially true for those with thicker hair types — and Kostas says the curlier, the better. Even after the blow-dry had faded, my hair felt bouncy and had added movement to it. I think
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