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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
WorldBangs Strands of hair cut to cover the forehead and fall over the eyebrows.Cut · Any hair · 1880 🇺🇸 United States and 2 moreMullet An asymmetric haircut with short hair at the front and sides, and long hair at the back.Cut · Any hair · 1980 🇫🇷 France and 1 moreBob cut Short to medium haircut ending at the jaw or shoulders.Cut · Any hair · 1909 WorldBowl cut A short haircut with a straight fringe and even length around the head.Cut · Any hair · 1400 🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 2 moreUndercut Long top hair with shaved or buzzed sides and back.Cut · Any hair · 1910 🇻🇳 VietnamCurtained hair A parted fringe with short sides and back.Cut · Any hair · 1980 WorldLob A medium-length haircut falling at or just below the shoulders.Cut · Any hair WorldShort hair A general category for haircuts kept above the shoulders or chin.Cut · Any hair · 1920 🇺🇸 United StatesShag A layered, unisex haircut featuring feathered top sections and thin edges.Cut · 1969 WorldAsymmetric cut A haircut where one side is longer than the otherCut · Any hair 🇫🇷 FranceTitus cut Short layered cut with curls from late 18th-century FranceCut · Curly hair · 1791 WorldLayered hair A cut using varied lengths for volume and shapeCut · Straight hair 🇺🇸 United StatesThe Rachel Voluminous layered cut popularised by FriendsCut · Straight hair · 1995 WorldTemple fade A short haircut tapering from the scalp to a longer length on top.Cut · 1990 Frosted tips WorldFrosted tips Short spiky hair with bleached ends.Cut · Any hair · 1998 WorldFeathered hair Layered style brushed back to resemble bird feathersCut · Straight hair · 1970 Jellyfish haircut WorldJellyfish haircut A two-tiered style with a short top layer and long lower sections resembling tentacles.Cut · Straight hair · 2023 Wolf cut 🇺🇸 United StatesWolf cut A layered haircut with a shaggy top and tapered ends, described as Gen Z's version of the mullet.Cut · Any hair · 2021 Hush cut 🇰🇷 South KoreaHush cut A soft, layered haircut from South Korea designed for natural movement and easy styling.Cut · Straight hair · 2023 🇺🇸 United StatesMohawk A haircut with shaved sides and a central strip of upright hair.Cut · Straight hair · 1970

Photo credits on this page

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

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