50 Layered Haircuts and Hairstyles for Every Face Shape
Your favorite celebs wear them best—now it’s your turn.
Are you just about due for a haircut—or at least need some fresh styling inspiration? A layered hairstyle might be exactly what you're looking for. Could I interest you in long layers, one of 2025's biggest hair trends? Or maybe something with a bit more edge, like a bold wolf cut? Whether you’re eyeing the oh-so-popular butterfly cut à la Matilda Djerf or Gwyneth Paltrow’s timeless face-framing layers, there’s a version of the look that’ll complement your face shape and hair texture perfectly.
A layered hairstyle is the perfect way to highlight your features. (Think: lifted cheekbones, a more defined jawline, and even a peek of collarbone when the cut hits just right.) But it's not just about aesthetics. Layered hairstyles also make styling easier; air-dried textures will look more polished, curly hair will stay defined and separated, and fine, thin hair will be blessed with volume. Plus, they tend to grow out gracefully, making them a go-to for anyone craving a low-maintenance refresh that still feels elevated.
That said, keeping your cut in shape does require a little upkeep. "To maintain a layered haircut, regular trims are essential to prevent the layers from losing their shape and becoming overgrown," shares Laurie Heaps, the artist responsible for Sabrina Carpenter's bouncy layers. "Additionally, using a lightweight, volumizing shampoo and conditioner can help keep the layers looking fresh and bouncy."
Ahead, find inspiration for your next salon appointment. I’ve rounded up 50 layered hairstyles to try, from '90s-inspired curtain bangs to the contentious jellyfish haircut trend, and everything in between.
Bouncy '90s Curtain Bangs
Because her client is the current queen of a layered blowout, Heaps perfects Carpenter's hair by keeping her signature curtain bangs trimmed regularly—constantly adding freshness to her long-layered style.
Long, Shaggy Layers
Walking the red carpet alongside her fellow Yellowjackets cast members at the 2024 Emmy awards, Sophie Thatcher wore her brunette shag long and heavily layered with a full, tousled bang to add even more intrigue to the hairstyle.
The Wolf Cut
You can spice up a shorter hairstyle by adding choppy layers a la Reneé Rapp. Dubbed a wolf cut, this style lends itself perfectly to an air-dried wave or loose bend, creating instant dimension and volume.
The 'Jellyfish' Cut
One of the most polarizing layered haircuts trending right now is the jellyfish haircut, spotted on Miley Cyrus at the 2025 Grammys. The look takes cues from its namesake, with a blunt, chin-grazing bob on top and cascading long layers beneath (mimicking a jellyfish’s bell and tentacle). It’s bold, unconventional, and undeniably attention-grabbing.
The Italian Bob
Move over, classic bob; the Italian bob is having a moment. The full-bodied cut is all about face-framing softness and barely-there layers, and it’s A-lister approved. Celebrity hairstylist Irinel de Léon recently gave Khloé Kardashian the trending chop, finishing the look with a voluminous blowout.
A Layered Wet Look
For a red carpet appearance, Kim Kardashian embraced a wet look, incorporating long layers and a side bang. While the wetness makes it hard to see the separate sections at play, the side part gives us a peek at the texture.
Textured Ponytail
Anne Hathaway is my hair hero, so of course, she nails the layered ponytail. "Pulling back the hair into a high or low ponytail while leaving out some layers to frame the face creates a chic and stylish look," shares Heaps. In this case, the volume and texture in her ponytail give away the subtle layers throughout.
Body-Boosting Cuts
Anyone who curls their hair regularly should take notes from the brilliant Amal Clooney. Her gradual layers ensure that each chunk of hair remains defined. If you switch between a center and side part, just make sure your front layers aren’t too short. See how they fall so nicely?
Angled Layers
Asymmetric layers add unmatched excitement to any style, regardless of length, color, or texture. To achieve Willow Smith's edgy cut, your hairstylist should add sharp layers with blunt ends.
Voluminous Curls
As Da'Vine Joy Randolph expertly exhibits above, layers and curls are a perfect match. They give the illusion of length and volume while giving the hair a thinner, less bulky feel. It’s a no-brainer style for summer or when you're caught under the bright lights of a red carpet.
A Gradual Swoop
You'll want to ask your stylist for jagged layers to achieve Michelle Pfeiffer's gradually layered hairstyle. When styling at home, achieving her perfect inward bend will require a bit of heat styling (remember a protectant!) before gliding your favorite hair straightener through the ends with a round brush.
Minimalist Waves
You can also easily enter the world of layered hair with a look like Simone Ashley’s. Her soft, expertly blended layered look works great with all hair types and textures.
Wispy Layers
Balance out your bangs (how cute are these on Jenna Ortega?!) with some wispy layers. The combo gives your fringe that effortlessly cool, just-woke-up-like-this feel—less polished, more perfectly undone.
'Marquise' Layers
Yet another buzzy layer trend, marquise layers take inspiration from the shape of a marquise-cut diamond. They taper from the cheekbones down to the ends for an elongated silhouette that’s equal parts subtle and glamorous. Sydney Sweeney is our ultimate muse for the look.
Polished Updo
Focusing on layers toward the front of your head while getting a haircut is an ideal plan of action for anyone who loves an updo. Like curtain bangs, short layers instantly up the ante on any bun or ponytail. The singular left-out layer from Priyanka Chopra's textured cut adds so much dimension.
Short and Sweet
If your hair texture falls on the wavy side, take a page out of Florence Pugh’s playbook. A choppy cut can add a little extra bounce to your texture, especially when you're working on growing it out.
U-Shaped Cut
U-Shaped Cut
Widely known as the U-shaped or V-shaped haircut, this style is longer in the back and shorter in the front. It's a great option for those with thick, full hair (I'm looking at you, J.Lo). It helps keep structure but doesn’t disrupt natural texture.
Barely-There Layers
Make like the lovely Brenda Song, and add a little personality to your simple style by playing ever-so-slightly with the length of each strand. This look is especially great for thin or medium hair types on the seemingly never-ending search for texture.
Sleek Styles
Oh, Rihanna. This look pairs long, eyelash-grazing side bangs with sleek blonde layers for a straight and sexy finish I wish we’d see on repeat. But knowing RihRih, it was probably a one-time moment of greatness.
Voluminous, Vibe-y Layers
Cardi B is our queen when it comes to all things glam. Here, she rocks the most voluminous blowout. Each layer seems to add another inch to her style vertically and horizontally—and there are a lot of layers.
Side Swept Bangs
Featuring a heavy side bang and soft layers that play with different textures (there's even a braid in there!), Taylor Swift epitomizes the tortured poet aesthetic—which is exactly what she wanted at the time.
Lengthy Side Part
Want to give your long layers a more dramatic vibe? Change up your part and immediately shorten how the front pieces fall. Jennifer Lawrence is an expert at this (see how much shorter that first section looks?).
Wavy Bob
Bobs are everywhere right now, and there are so many ways to play with them. Here, short, choppy layers give a wavy, above-the-shoulder bob a jaunty bounce for America Ferrera.
Graduated Layers
Molly Sims showcases a single mezzanine layer that skims the collarbone, with snippy ends that keep the look modern. Genius.
Gentle Waves
"Effortlessly tousled waves give a relaxed, carefree vibe that complements layered hair beautifully," notes Heaps. Miss Hailey Rhode Baldwin Bieber, the most effortless trendsetter we have (what does she need to do besides paint her nails to start a movement?), is an excellent example of the trend.
Half-Up, Half-Down
Another perk of layers? Unless you go super shaggy, it's still easy to keep your hair out of your face. See Gigi Hadid's style above: while the front pieces are pulled away, you can still see the artistry of the cut as it falls behind her shoulders.
Layered Ringlets
With swishy layers and natural texture, Ciara's layered cut is perfectly bouncy. I especially love how the middle part makes each separate section shine. By piling shorter pieces on top and around the face like she did here, tighter curls have a more defined shape and need less styling.
Razored Bob
Jennifer Aniston is layered hairstyle royalty (hello, "the Rachel"), but this short hairstyle is iconic, too. A bit longer in the front, her strands are razored up and in throughout for a style that looks almost mono-length and is anything but.
Long, Long Layers
Layers need not hit you square in the face. In fact, they should do just the opposite and float away to meet their full face-framing potential. Here, you can see Blake Lively's lengthy layers drifting gently away from her gorgeous smile, thereby highlighting it even more.
Face-Framing Layers
This Barbie wears her hair in face-framing layers. Pro tip: To recreate Margot Robbie's soft, loose waves, make sure you have a great sea salt spray on hand.
Medium-Length Layers
Megan Fox makes a strong case for medium-length hair, wearing hers with soft layers that start just below the chin. The cut (the work of celebrity hairstylist Dimitris Giannetos, FYI) spotlights her sharp jawline while adding playful movement.
Wavy Layered Bob
Hilary Duff went for a choppy layered bob with a not-so-subtle hint of wet-look wonderment. Her hair looks even fuller thanks to her hairstylist's addition of texture and a little volume (courtesy plenty of hairspray).
Romantic Updo
Here, Emma Stone plays the role of "woman with perfect romantic updo." Letting a few of her layers fall around her face, she'd look right at home at a ball held under the stars or in a field of flowers with her long-lost love.
Choppy Lob
Jazz up a classic lob with a fun balayage hair color, like Mandy Moore's warm brunette shade and layered ends that give it a slight curve and movement.
'70s Layers
To achieve a classic '70s-inspired look like Cindy Crawford, subtly layer the front of your hair and curl the strands away from the face for a feathered curl effect.
Curly Layered Mane
Layering naturally curly hair is the perfect way to achieve additional volume. Here, Ellis Ross' bangs are just slightly layered to keep the look full but not too heavy.
Fabulously Frizzy Curls
A little frizz and humidity won't harm a good layered hairstyle, as Shakira's natural curls clearly demonstrate. In fact, it'll only make it more amazing—with layers, the more volume, the better.
Face-Framing Curls
Zendaya is a great actress, but even if she wasn't, she'd probably be able to make a career out of her ability to rock every hairstyle. Cutting your curls may seem scary, but we promise you that curly bangs will not be a mistake. Layers will give your natural curls *so much* definition.
Brushed-Out Waves
Brushed-out curls and layers will add fullness to any layered hairstyle—not that Julia Roberts needs any help in that department.
Feathered Lob
Modernize Farrah Fawcett's famous feathered hair with a center part like Keke Palmer. Parting your layers straight down the middle is a classic trick to accentuate your facial features, and her makeup artist's killer eyeshadow didn't hurt the situation either.
Asymmetrical Pixie
Short hair serves layers well with lots and lots of volume. Kate Mara's wispy side-bangs add a layer (ha!) of eccentricity to this choppy style.
Subtle Texture
Nicole Kidman advice for keeping a haircut from falling flat? Cut many long layers that start at the jawline and gradually thin out toward the ends. Want to recreate the look? Lightly curl random sections around your head, raking through the curls while they're still warm to add even more body and definition.
Layered Bangs
Wispy bangs that blend seamlessly into soft, cascading layers bring definition and balance to Dakota Johnson’s long waves. (It's no wonder she's kept her fringe around for so long.)
Glossy Curls
Thick hair can weigh down your face. Try Gabrielle Union's solution: thin out the bulk of your strands with feathered layers that fall softly around your cheeks and over your shoulders.
Waterfall Layers
Thicker hair plus longer layers make the perfect opportunity to curl your locks out in cascading mermaid waves. And Chrissy Teigen is never one to pass up an opportunity for cascading mermaid waves.
Wispy Waves
When you've got piece-y layers like Sienna Miller, achieving this adorable, wispy style is as simple as wrapping hair lightly around a straightening iron for subtle waves.
Windswept Cut
On finer hair with super subtle layering (as seen here on Rashida Jones), add some body by spritzing some gritty texturing spray throughout your hair and scrunching at the roots.
Layered Braids
Known for being a hair chameleon, Halle Bailey chose braids of various lengths for this particular style to add dimension and movement.
Dark Roots
Camila Cabello makes this layered look even more striking with bold dark roots that create contrast and dimension and, thus, draw attention to her face-framing fringe and soft, flowing lengths.
What Face Shape Looks Best With Layers?
Anyone can make layers work for them—as long they have the right stylist. “I always say, go to a professional. Talk to them, let them see [what they’re working with],” says hairstylist and dpHUE founder Justin Anderson. But as a rule of thumb, he suggests that those with round faces opt for longer layers, as it elongates the face, and those with more oval face shapes go with shorter, face-framing pieces.
Where Should Layers Start?
According to Heaps, the starting point for layers varies depending on factors such as face shape and hair texture.
"Generally, layers can start anywhere from around the chin to the ends of the hair, with the goal of enhancing volume and adding dimension to the hairstyle," she says. "It's best to consult with a hairstylist to determine the most flattering starting point for layers based on your specific features and hair type."
Who Shouldn't Get Layers?
Heaps notes that individuals with very fine or thin hair may want to avoid layers, as they can sometimes make the hair appear even thinner. "Additionally, people with extremely curly or coarse hair may find that layers disrupt the natural texture of their hair and cause it to become frizzy or difficult to manage," she adds.
Meet the Experts
Laurie Heaps is a Los Angeles based celebrity hairstylist.Heaps is mainly known for her work on "Girl Meets World" but also for her work on celebrities such as Rowan Blanchard, Danielle Fishel, Sabrina Carpenter, Miranda Cosgrove and Barbie Ferreira.
A native of Southern California, Justin Anderson grew up near and in the water, surfing with his parents and siblings. His fascination with the way ocean water and the sun naturally lightened hair, led to his interest in hair color as a profession.
Graciano is a seasoned product development professional with over a decade of dedicated experience specializing in the dynamic realm of hair care. Throughout her career, she has been instrumental in collaborating with a diverse range of entities—CPG giants, pioneering startups, and established brands—to sculpt and refine hair care products that transcend industry standards.
