News
TrendsThe “Choppy Rachel Bob” Is the Most Flattering Winter Hair Trend—How to RecreateNatural hair15 Stylish Haircuts That Make Growing Out Your Hair Look ChicNatural hairNamibian Rasta sues gov’t after locs chopped in prisonTrendsAriana Grande’s Flipped Bob Is Fall’s Sweetest TrendNatural hairJa Morant Cuts Off Signature Locs, Reveals New HaircutNatural hairHGTV Star Leslie Davis' Natural Hair Color Is So Different From Her Signature Look (But Gorgeous)TrendsThe “Bombshell Blowout” Trend Has Entered the VillaTrendsColour Melting Is The Hair Technique To Know This WinterTrendsWhy Top Hair Stylists Are Crowning The ‘Flip Bob’ Summer’s Most Wearable Hair TrendTrendsThe Waterfall Bob Is the Polished Fall Haircut That Still Looks EffortlessTrendsThe “Choppy Rachel Bob” Is the Most Flattering Winter Hair Trend—How to RecreateNatural hair15 Stylish Haircuts That Make Growing Out Your Hair Look ChicNatural hairNamibian Rasta sues gov’t after locs chopped in prisonTrendsAriana Grande’s Flipped Bob Is Fall’s Sweetest TrendNatural hairJa Morant Cuts Off Signature Locs, Reveals New HaircutNatural hairHGTV Star Leslie Davis' Natural Hair Color Is So Different From Her Signature Look (But Gorgeous)TrendsThe “Bombshell Blowout” Trend Has Entered the VillaTrendsColour Melting Is The Hair Technique To Know This WinterTrendsWhy Top Hair Stylists Are Crowning The ‘Flip Bob’ Summer’s Most Wearable Hair TrendTrendsThe Waterfall Bob Is the Polished Fall Haircut That Still Looks Effortless
EveryHairstyle

Cuts

The bob, pixie, crew cut, undercut and layers: shape made with scissors and clippers. 58 hairstyles on EveryHairstyle so far.

A cut is a hairstyle whose shape comes mainly from cutting, with scissors, clippers or a razor, rather than from braiding, pinning or setting. Good cuts work with the way hair grows and falls, so they can be washed and worn with little styling. They range from the buzz cut, all one short length, to the precise geometry of a bob and the many layers of a shag.

How cuts are made

Stylists build a cut from a few choices. Elevation, the angle at which hair is held from the head, decides whether the cut is one length, graduated or layered. A guide, the first section cut, sets the length that the rest follow. Clippers with numbered guards make short cuts, fades and tapers, while point cutting, thinning and razor work soften lines and remove weight. Many cuts are made wet, then refined dry.

Cuts and their eras

Short cuts for women, such as the bob and the Eton crop, became a sign of modern life in the 1920s. Men's cuts were shaped by armies, from the crew cut to the high and tight, and by music, from the mop-tops of the 1960s to the fades of hip hop. Recent decades brought back the shag, the mullet and the undercut. Most people's hair is a cut, worn with little else.

Famous cut hairstyles

Shingle bobThe short cut of the 1920s and the 1960sPixie cutA very short crop for womenCrew cutShort sides, slightly longer on topBuzz cutAll one short length with clippersUndercutShort sides under a long topShagMany choppy layersMulletShort at the front, long at the backLayered hairLayers for lift and movement

Further reading

Hair typeStraight hairWavy hairCurly hairCoily and kinky hairFine hairThick hairAny hair
Worn byMostly womenMostly menAnyoneChildrenBrides and weddingsFaith and religious ordersUniform and workSubcultures and music
OrderBest knownA to ZOldest firstNewest firstBy length
🇺🇸 United StatesCrew cut A short, graduated men's haircut with upright top hair.Cut · Thick hair · 1920 🇬🇧 United KingdomPageboy Straight hair hanging below the ear with an inward turn.Cut · Straight hair · 1950 🇯🇵 JapanHime cut A Japanese style with straight cheek-length sidelocks and long back hair.Cut · Straight hair · 1970 🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreDucktail A 1950s men's cut with a central rear parting.Cut · Straight hair · 1950 🇺🇸 United StatesThe Rachel Voluminous layered cut popularised by FriendsCut · Straight hair · 1995 WorldLayered hair A cut using varied lengths for volume and shapeCut · Straight hair WorldTellum A haircut featuring long front sections and a short, buzzed back.Cut · Straight hair · 1970 WorldWings A layered cut where side hair flips out like wings.Cut · Wavy hair · 1830 🇯🇵 JapanSeiko-chan cut A feathered Japanese idol hairstyle from the 1980s.Cut · Straight hair · 1980 WorldFeathered hair Layered style brushed back to resemble bird feathersCut · Straight hair · 1970 Octopus haircut 🇰🇷 South KoreaOctopus haircut A layered cut with short top sections and long, fanning bottom sections.Cut · Straight hair · 2022 Two-block haircut 🇰🇷 South KoreaTwo-block haircut Long textured top with short tapered sidesCut · Straight hair Mop-top 🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 2 moreMop-top A bowl-shaped cut with a straight fringe, popularised by the Beatles.Cut · Straight hair · 1963 Jellyfish haircut WorldJellyfish haircut A two-tiered style with a short top layer and long lower sections resembling tentacles.Cut · Straight hair · 2023 French crop 🇫🇷 France and 1 moreFrench crop Short men's cut with faded sides and a blunt fringe.Cut · Straight hair · 1920 Hush cut 🇰🇷 South KoreaHush cut A soft, layered haircut from South Korea designed for natural movement and easy styling.Cut · Straight hair · 2023 🇫🇷 France and 1 moreShingle bob A short haircut with a tapered nape and curled sides.Cut · Straight hair · 1920 🇺🇸 United StatesMohawk A haircut with shaved sides and a central strip of upright hair.Cut · Straight hair · 1970 🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreDucktail A 1950s men's cut with a central rear parting.Cut · Straight hair · 1950

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

The weekly digest

Every Monday: the hairstyle of the day, new pages on EveryHairstyle, and the conferences and anniversaries of the week ahead.