Butterfly Haircut Ideas to Help You Revive This Retro Look (2024)

Learn more about the hair trend that's all the rage in TikTok.

If you love retro hair trends, check out the butterfly haircut. It consists of feathered layers that are usually styled away from the face, mimicking butterfly wings. It was a popular look in the 1970s. Now, it’s making a strong comeback, with #ButterflyHaircut having 1.1 billion views on the social media platform TikTok.

The butterfly haircut works best on shoulder-length and long hair. The length allows you to add spaces between your layers to create volume, movement, and dimension. The shortest layers often fall by the cheekbones or chin. Longer layers then follow, resulting in a soft, flowy look.

Butterfly Haircut vs. Wolf Cut: What’s the Difference?

The butterfly haircut has voluminous, feathered layers and is often parted at the center. On the other hand, the wolf cut combines long and short, choppy layers that make for a tousled look. Also, the butterfly haircut looks soft and flowy, while the wolf cut exudes an edgy vibe.

Top 10 Butterfly Haircut Ideas We Love

1. Butterfly Haircut on Long Hair

Butterfly Haircut Ideas to Help You Revive This Retro Look (1)

Keep your long hair from looking plain and flat with this trendy haircut. To style your layers outward, wrap each section around a curling iron and move it away from your face. You can also use a round brush and a blow-dryer and brush each section outward while blow-drying. Finish with a few spritzes of hairspray to make your hairstyle last.

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Butterfly Haircut Ideas to Help You Revive This Retro Look (2)

Editor’s tip:Don’t let frizz get in the way of rocking this haircut. Use Cream Silk Triple Keratin Rescue Ultimate Straight Ultra Conditioner after shampooing. It has keratin relaxers to help straighten and smoothen your hair, keratin serum to keep your hair moisturized, and keratin essence to add shine and help revive hair from intense damage.

2. Long Butterfly Haircut With Beanie

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Add a hip, street-chic vibe to your butterfly haircut with a beanie. You can also wear other head coverings like berets and bowler hats to jazz up your long, layered hairstyle.

3. Medium-Length Butterfly Haircut

Rock butterfly haircut on medium-length hair. Credit: @lllaken on TikTok

Butterfly haircut on shoulder-length hair may have fewer layers, but it still has the haircut’s signature flowy, bouncy look. You can even jazz it up with blonde hair color and dark roots to add depth to your look.

4. Butterfly Haircut With a Two-Tone Hair Color

The stark contrast between each side of your hair can make anyone do a double take. Credit: @zezyav on TikTok

Speaking of hair color, try this look: a butterfly haircut with black and ash gray sections. Its edgy vibe suits a moody or grunge aesthetic. Plus, the two-tone hair color adds more personality to this trendy haircut.

5. Scrunched Shoulder-Length Hair

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No time to style your layered medium-length hair? Scrunch your hair to fluff it up and give your layers definition. You can also style your hair this way to look chic and laid-back while working from home.

6. Long Layered Hair With Curled Tips

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Give your long layers a blowout for bounce and volume. Then, curl the tips of your hair to glam up your hairstyle even more. It’s a versatile look, too. You can wear this ‘do at the office or when going out with your friends for drinks.

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Butterfly Haircut Ideas to Help You Revive This Retro Look (6)

Editor’s tip:Keep your hair smooth and easy to style with TRESemmé Keratin Smooth KERA10 Shampoo. It has KERA10 Protein Complex that penetrates your hair up to 10 layers deep to nourish it. It also gives your hair 10 salon benefits in one wash. These include making your hair soft and shiny, calming frizz, taming flyaways, detangling, strengthening, and providing heat protection.

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Butterfly Haircut Ideas to Help You Revive This Retro Look (7)

Pair TRESemmé Keratin Smooth KERA10 Shampoo with TRESemmé Keratin Smooth KERA10 Serum Conditioner. It has KERA10 Protein Complex and oleo serum to moisturize and nourish your hair deeply.

7. Ombré Layers

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Add character to your butterfly haircut with blue-and-green reverse ombré hair. It’s equal parts edgy and playful. Try this look, and you’ll definitely turn heads wherever you go!

8. Butterfly Haircut With Face-Framing Layers

Face-framing layers are flattering for women with round face shapes. Credit: @caneteandrea on TikTok

You can blow-dry or iron your short layers inward to frame the face, while longer ones are styled outward to resemble a butterfly’s wings. This styling hack gives the haircut a modern twist. Plus, the face-framing layers can help give balance to a round face shape.

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Butterfly Haircut Ideas to Help You Revive This Retro Look (9)

Editor’s tip: Coloring and bleaching can cause extreme hair damage. Use Dove Intense Repair Keratin Tri-Silk Serum Shampoo to help nurse your strands back to their healthy-looking state. This shampoo has keratin, fiber actives, and serum ingredients that instantly repair damage, nourish and protect your hair deeply, and leave it extra beautiful. Its Keratin Repair Actives also nourish and repair damaged hair from its core to its surface.

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Butterfly Haircut Ideas to Help You Revive This Retro Look (10)

Pair Dove Intense Repair Keratin Tri-Silk Serum Shampoo with Dove Keratin Repair 1 Minute Serum Conditioner for best results. This conditioner has keratin-infused serum capsules, which go deep into your hair to repair damage from within.

9. With Long, Wispy Bangs

Layers make thick hair look chic. Credit: @eggdressesup on TikTok

Wispy bangs complement the feathered layers of a butterfly haircut. And if you have thick hair, try this look to showcase your hair’s natural volume in style.

10. Butterfly Haircut With Bobby Pins

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Accessorize your butterfly haircut with hair clips or colored bobby pins to create a playful look. Add see-through bangs, too, to give your hairstyle a trendy, K-pop vibe.

Styling and jazzing up a butterfly haircut depends on your personality and lifestyle. If you think this hair trend is for you, book an appointment at your favorite salon now and let a trusted professional give you these gorgeous, flowy layers. When done right, the butterfly haircut can up your style game and give you the transformation you’ve always wanted.

Butterfly Haircut Ideas to Help You Revive This Retro Look (2024)

FAQs

What are the disadvantages of a butterfly cut? ›

The butterfly haircut works with all hair types, though natural, curly and wavy textures tend to work best due to the defined, layered nature of the style. However, when it comes to thin hair, you might want to steer away from this cut. Adding lots of layers to already thin hair can make it appear even thinner.

Does the butterfly haircut look good on everyone? ›

While the cut can be tailored to any hair type, Brook says it looks best on those with natural texture.

What face shape suits a butterfly cut? ›

Best Haircut for Oval Faces: Butterfly Cut

“People with oval face shapes have balanced proportions and can pull off many hairstyles,” says Korab, specifically pointing to long layered haircuts, like the butterfly cut, as a popular choice for the face shape.

What face shape suits a butterfly haircut? ›

The butterfly haircut is typically more flattering on oval and round faces due to its layers accentuating cheekbones and softening angles. But that doesn't mean there isn't a way to make it work on any face shape.

Who should not get butterfly haircut? ›

Butterfly haircuts are typically not considered the most flattering pick for thin hair because the wispy, feathery layers can make the hair look even more sparse.

What's the difference between wolf cut and butterfly cut? ›

The Wolf Cut is similar to the Butterfly Cut, but with more layers. This haircut combines shorter, choppy layers with longer, shaggy sections to create carefree movement.

What is the best length for a butterfly cut? ›

The butterfly cut is most wearable on straight hair of medium textures. "Since it's a hairstyle that combines different hair layers, it's an ideal style for shoulder-length hair or longer," said Rawling. Say yes to the cut if: You have straight hair in a medium or longish length.

What is a ghost haircut? ›

Using ghost layers is a technique that focuses on the horseshoe section of hair that is layered or uses a slicing method to create movement. While the illusion of one length is still intact. The ends are usually left blunt to give the illusion of soft movement, adding a thicker-looking appearance.

Who are the famous people with butterfly haircut? ›

“It's a bit sassy and great for those of us who want a little edge but aren't brave enough to go full shag.” Jennifer Lopez and Sydney Sweeney show off their feathery butterfly cuts.

What is the difference between butterfly haircut and layered? ›

What makes this style different from every other layered cut is that the butterfly cut has two distinct sections: long layers that fall below the shoulders for length, and short layers that hit two to three inches below the chin to frame the face and add volume.

Is a butterfly haircut high maintenance? ›

The butterfly haircut is relatively low maintenance as it works with the hair's natural texture and adds movement. But, for added style points, we recommend that you opt for a high-quality texturizing and volumizing product such as Style Masters™ Creator Memory Spray™ to give texture and definition.

What is the difference between butterfly cut and curtain bangs? ›

"The curtain cut brings the focus to the front, with attention given to the middle-parted bangs which blend into face-framing layers," he says. Highlighting the difference even further, Mikic adds, "Layers in a butterfly cut also turn away from the face rather than framing the face.

Is the butterfly cut a good idea? ›

Who should get a butterfly cut? The style is ideal for people wanting to create the illusion of fuller, healthier hair without sacrificing length. Hairstylist Ashley Lynn, in Charlotte, North Carolina notes that the butterfly cut also "creates volume and shape, while removing damage from every level."

Does the butterfly haircut make your hair shorter? ›

Because of multiple variances in the layers, a butterfly haircut gives the volume of a short haircut but it doesn't mean you will have to sacrifice your hair length. Instead, the butterfly haircut removes weight and damaged hair ends, leaving your hair voluminous and bouncy that's able to hold its shape.

Does the butterfly haircut give you layers? ›

According to Maxine Salon hairstylist Jenna Spino, the butterfly cut is a heavily layered and feathered cut that features shorter layers on top of the head and through the crown as well as curtain bangs.

Is butterfly cut good for chubby face? ›

The butterfly bob is a great option for women with chubby faces who want a stylish and flattering haircut. This layered bob features soft, curved layers that frame the face and create a more elongated appearance.

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