The decision between being a long hair or a short hair person is a tricky one. Both ends of the length spectrum have their own set of pros. Nothing looks cooler than a cropped above-the-shoulder chop (which also means less styling time), and yet waist-length mermaid manes truly never go out of style (and happen to offer zillions of styling options).
But while the question itself may be layered, it turns out that there’s an equally layered haircut that actually eliminates the need to decide altogether.
Yes indeed, the ‘butterfly haircut’ has just flown into our lives, offering a chic and versatile solution for anyone who’s struggling to choose a length to settle down with.
Natural Black Layered Butterfly Feathered Wolf Cut 90s Straight 13x4 Lace Front 4x4 Lace Closure Human Hair Wig
This is a very layered haircut on hair below the shoulders that's cut in a way that the top layer can be separated from the bottom and easily pinned under to look like a short haircut, Sunnie Brook (the celeb hair stylist behind the OG butterfly cut) explained to POPSUGAR. The shortest top layer falls about two to three inches below your chin.
“[The butterfly cut] is a style that allows you the ability to wear your hair up at the back, but look like you’ve got shorter hair from the front. It’s called a butterfly because the idea is that the hairstyle offers two completely different looks.”
Your upper layer should frame the face and fall above the shoulder as a shorter style would, giving the effect of a cut without the commitment. This way, whenever you whip your hair into a pony or throw on a chic turtleneck, you get the full effect of a chic, short chop, and yet can also embrace your hair in its full down-do glory whenever an occasion calls for longer locks. It’s practically a faux bob that allows you the best of both hair worlds.
This 'butterfly Haircut' Is Perfect For Girls With Long Hair
As for the longer layer, it's there to be either tied up or left loose, depending on your desired aesthetic. Unlike many longer hairstyles, however, the butterfly cut will never leave your lengthier sections void of body or movement. Even if you're mostly looking for a way to stop long hair falling flat, it’s a great way to keep length but add volume and shape.
So if it’s Farrah Fawcett volume you’ve been searching for in your long hair game, (as well as the ability to style it ‘short’ whenever you want), this super flattering ‘70s style is for you.
All products are independently selected, tested or recommended by our team of experts. If you buy something, we may earn an affiliate commission.With TikTok and IG full of bouncy layered looks, there is no doubt you have already seen and admired the butterfly haircut. Here you will find all you need to know about this new trendy layered cut.
The Viral Butterfly Haircut Is Here To Stay
The butterfly haircut is sometimes confused with the ‘90s blowouts and modern shags like the wolf cut, so let’s make things clear. What is a butterfly haircut? It’s a layered cut kind of parted in the middle or to one side, with the top layers done around the face and the bottom section falling below the shoulders.
Since a picture is worth a thousand words, scroll down to see the cut in all its beauty and diversity of versions.
1. Butterfly Haircut with Intense Bottom Layers. Some girls prefer a few well-defined layers in the lower part, but you can take another approach and get more layers yet with a softer feel.
Butterfly Haircut: A Comprehensive Guide To The Whimsical And Versatile Style
2. Bronze-Tinted Hair with Chunky Layers. Not only the placement but also the way your layers are cut and styled can change the whole look drastically, for example, giving the hair a fuller feel.
3. Ginger Butterfly Hairstyle with Flowing Layers. Unlike many other butterfly cuts, this style doesn’t show stark separation between the top and bottom layers but features a seamless cascade of locks all the way down.
4. Smokey Brown Butterfly Cut with Intense Layering. Since girls with thick manes can have as much layering as they want without sacrificing body, this ashy style is packed with fairly short layers from top to bottom.
Butterfly Haircut Ideas And Styling Tips
5. Taupe Hair with Butterfly Layers. Not only does this cut debulk the dense hair with the help of layering, but it also incorporates strategically placed highlights to make the ends lighter and so much airier.
6. V-Shaped Butterfly Hairstyle. This ultra-long and super-thick hair requires lots of debulking to give it movement and shape, and the butterfly cut here ticks all the boxes.
7. Long Off-Centered Butterfly Haircut. Although the butterfly cut often comes in a center-parted version, this beige bronde style is cut to allow an off-center parting.
Can't Decide Between Long Or Short? Meet The Butterfly Haircut
8. Shoulder-Length Butterfly Haircut in Dusty Blonde. This style leaves a shorter distance between the face-framing layers and the bottom strands but still creates plenty of bounce and volume.
9. Fluffy Butterfly Haircut with Bangs. Adorned with just a tad thinned-out bangs, this buttery blonde style keeps a shorter distance between the topmost and bottom layers to give a shaggier feel to the whole cut.
10. Wispy Butterfly Haircut for Straight Hair. The combination of intense layering and fiercely sliced ends in this ashy brown hair brings out some airy waves accentuated by the dreamy shade.
Butterfly Haircut Wig: The New Hair Trend You Should Not Miss Blog
11. Butterfly Layered Haircut for Smokey Brown Hair. This mesmerizing style doesn’t stick to layering in the front and at the bottom and adds pieces of different lengths throughout the perimeter.
12. Copper Brown Medium Butterfly Haircut with Accent. Here we have a killer combo of face-framing layers and money pieces since nothing works to spotlight a face better than a pop of color on an eye-catching texture.
13. Butterfly Layers with Retro Vibes. Adorned with the lavish curtain bangs styled upward to build more volume in the front, this caramel brown hair is a fresh and more low-maintenance take on the ‘70s shag.
Butterfly Haircut: A Playful And Trendy Hairstyle For A Flawless Look
14. Polished Top, Shaggy Bottom Hair. This buttery blonde style is kept perfectly sleek around the crown but it gets much choppier and more undone towards the ends, gaining texture and movement.
15. Butterfly Haircut for Thin Hair with Blonde Highlights. Although full-blast layering is not recommended for thin tresses, you can try a hairdo with face-framing layers in the upper part and short layers with blunt ends in the lower part.
16. Butterfly Cut Hair with Graduated Side Layers. Layered quite moderately on the bottom, this long brown hair catches the eye with tons of texture around the face gained through feathering, graduation, and flipped-out styling.
Why The Butterfly Haircut Is The Hottest Trend Of 2023 + Stying Tips
17. Butterfly Hair Cut with Long Side-Swept Bangs. No, you don’t need to wear your fringe center-parted all the time, and this girl shows how to arrive at an extra volume on the crown with the front pieces effortlessly swept to one side.
18. Medium-Length Butterfly Haircut with Wispy Layers. If you want to rock a full and bouncy style but with an airy touch, ask for wispy layers across the mid-length while keeping them rather chunky around the ends.
19. Long Butterfly Haircut with Definition. Getting straight hair feathered is a nice way to bring texture into your otherwise flat tresses, but accentuating the flips at the ends with proper styling doubles the effect.
The Butterfly Haircut: What It Is And How To Style It
20. Butterfly Layers with High-Contrast Bangs. We can’t help falling in love with this stunning color scheme that starts with spectacular illumination near the face and melts into a dreamy, muted shade.
21. Rachel 2.0 with Butterfly Bangs. Here is a new take on one of the most iconic styles of the ‘90s era — heavily layered, bouncy, and voluminous hair but this time, it’s complemented with light, feathered bangs that grow longer toward the edges.
22. Disconnected Butterfly Hairstyle. By spacing out her curtain bangs and the rest of the face-framing layers, this girl has got a chance to emphasize her beautiful cheekbones while balancing the width of the face with visual elongation.
The Butterfly Haircut
23. Ashy Brunette Ombre Layers. Judging by these impressive butterfly haircut images, pairing a contrasting ombre with a heavily layered V-shaped bottom is truly a brilliant idea.
24. Butterfly Hair with Honey Blonde Balayage. This mix of brown and golden blonde pieces does a good job of creating dimension in the straight hair, which is further filled with texture and dynamics through masterful feathering and layering.
25. Choppy Butterfly Haircut for Brunette Hair. While the ends in butterfly haircuts are often extensively thinned out for a wispier feel, you can take a page from this girl’s book and opt for a shaggier finish.
The Tiktok Famous Butterfly Haircut Is Still Going Strong In 2023
26. Butterfly Layers with Reduced Bounce. This almost straight style avoids over-layering and extra slicing to retain fullness but still gains texture and added volume around the face.
27. Texture-Rich Medium-Length Butterfly Haircut. Although this style is anything but shaggy, the abundance of wispy layers creates tons of texture in the one-color brown tresses.
28. Butterfly Haircut with Farrah Fawcett Vibes. You will probably need a shorter butterfly haircut to recreate this vintage style with loads of flipped-out ends cascading a bit past the shoulders.
Butterfly Haircut Ideas And Inspiration
29. Springy Black Butterfly Cut. This shorter version of the butterfly cut has the bottom cut in dense layers to give support and better bounce to the face-framing pieces.
30. Extremely Choppy Butterfly Layers. This enviable mane immediately catches the eye with the shaggy texture throughout the
