# Butterfly Haircut: 24 Styles, From Long Layers to a Short Bob

> Spread your wings.

- Canonical: https://luxe.digital/style/butterfly-haircut/
- Author: Editorial Team (https://luxe.digital/author/editorial-team/)
- Published: 2026-09-27
- Publisher: Luxe Digital (https://luxe.digital/)
- Cite as: Luxe Digital, "Butterfly Haircut: 24 Styles, From Long Layers to a Short Bob", https://luxe.digital/style/butterfly-haircut/
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You've saved the photo. Long hair, big bouncy layers, and those short pieces around the face that flip out like a pair of wings. Then you sit down, the stylist asks where you'd like the shortest layer to start, and "like the picture" suddenly doesn't feel like much of an answer.

Here's the good news: it comes down to one line. The short layers usually start somewhere between the cheekbones and the chin. Longer layers underneath keep your length. The whole look owes a debt to Farrah Fawcett's feathered 70s hair (with a nod to the Rachel).

Below are 24 butterfly cuts by working stylists, long, short, with bangs and without, each shown twice. Every one ends on what to say in the chair, so you can pick a favorite and read it out.

## Long butterfly haircuts

## Butterfly haircuts with bangs

## Medium and shoulder-length butterfly haircuts

## Short butterfly haircuts and butterfly bobs

## Butterfly haircuts for straight hair

## What is a butterfly haircut?

A butterfly haircut pairs short, face-framing layers with longer layers underneath, so your hair looks short around the face and keeps its length at the back. The short layers usually start around the cheekbones or chin, often about an inch below the chin, and they're cut soft and feathered rather than choppy.

The name comes from the way the layers fan out like a pair of wings. Hairstylist Sunnie Brook is credited with it, and her clients Jenna Ortega and Elisabeth Moss have both worn the cut. You'll sometimes see it called the octopus haircut too.

It isn't brand new. Davines calls it a cross between a 1970s shag and a 1990s Rachel, and the feathered wings go straight back to Farrah Fawcett in Charlie's Angels. The Rachel, Jennifer Aniston's cut as Rachel Green on Friends, was a shorter chop. The butterfly borrows its face-framing without asking you to cut to your chin.

## Who suits a butterfly haircut?

A butterfly haircut suits medium to thick hair best. The layers take out bulk and add movement, and thick hair has enough weight to hold the shape. On fine hair, too many layers can make it look thinner, so ask for a softer version with gentler face-framing.

Hair texture changes what the cut does. On straight hair the layers add lift and dimension. On wavy hair they show off the wave. On curly hair they take out weight and help define the curl pattern, so a stylist who knows curls is worth seeking out.

Davines finds it especially flattering on oval and square faces, though it works on every face shape with small changes. With a round face, ask for side-swept face-framing layers. With a heart-shaped face, curtain bangs balance the forehead.

Length matters too. The classic version needs hair at least to the shoulders, although a stylist can adapt the effect to a bob or even a pixie, as the short looks above show.

## What to ask your stylist for

Start with where you want the shortest layer to fall, because that decides the whole cut. Around the cheekbones gives you a dramatic frame, while around the chin, or an inch below it, is softer and easier to grow out.

Then say how much length you want to keep at the back, and ask for soft, feathered layers rather than choppy ones. If you want bangs, say which kind: curtain bangs parted in the middle, wispy bangs, or none at all.

Bring photos, ideally from the front and the back. Every look above ends on its own ask line, so you can read one out word for word.

## How much upkeep does a butterfly haircut take?

Plan on a trim every six to eight weeks to keep the shape crisp. If you're growing it out, you can stretch that to ten to twelve weeks, and Davines puts the regular interval at about 12 weeks. The good news is that the layers grow out gently, with no awkward line.

The styling takes more time than the trims. The look in most photos is a blowout: heat protectant, a texturizing spray, a large round brush focused on lift at the roots, then Velcro rollers to set the front layers away from your face. A flexible hairspray holds it, and dry shampoo between washes keeps the lift going.

## What's the difference between a butterfly haircut and layers?

A butterfly haircut is a kind of layered cut with a very specific shape: short layers concentrated around the face and long layers everywhere else. Regular layers can be spread evenly through the hair, or kept long, without that dramatic frame at the front.

| Cut | Where the short layers sit | The finish |
|---|---|---|
| Butterfly haircut | Around the face, from the cheekbones or chin | Soft and feathered, the length kept |
| Regular layers | Anywhere, often spread evenly | Varies, from subtle to heavy |
| Wolf cut | Through the crown and sides | Heavier and blunter, part shag and part mullet |

## Is a butterfly haircut the same as a wolf cut?

No. A wolf cut is more dramatic, with heavier, blunter layers that mix a shag and a mullet. A butterfly haircut is softer and more polished, with gentler transitions between the layers and a touch of 90s glamour. If you like volume but don't want the choppy, lived-in look, the butterfly is the one to ask for.

## Who should not get a butterfly cut?

Very fine or thin hair is the main reason to think twice, because a lot of layering can make it look sparser. A softer version with fewer, gentler layers is the safer ask. The cut also rewards a blow-dry, so if you never style your hair, expect it to look more like plain long layers on most days.

## How do you style a butterfly haircut?

Blow-dry it with a large round brush, working in sections and focusing on lift at the roots, then roll the front layers away from your face with Velcro rollers while you finish getting ready. A flexible hairspray sets it.

No heat? Wavy and curly hair can air-dry with a mousse or texturizing product scrunched in, and the layers will still break up the length, as the unstyled photo above shows.

## How long does a butterfly haircut last?

A butterfly cut holds its shape for about six to eight weeks between trims. Hair grows about half an inch a month, so after two or three months the shortest layers have dropped toward the jaw and the frame softens. Leave it longer and the layers blend into ordinary long layers, with no awkward stage in between.

If you'd like to see the butterfly next to lobs, shags and curtain bangs before you decide, browse our [shoulder-length hairstyles guide](/style/women-shoulder-length-hairstyles/). It has 69 more medium cuts.

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