Short hair is having a moment, and our social feeds are flooded with bobs, lobs, and various cuts above the shoulder. Equally trendy is the butterfly cut, a voluminous, layered approach to shaping (typically medium-length or long) strands. So, it only makes sense that people would eventually seek ways to achieve the butterfly cut on shorter hair.
We tapped celebrity hairstylists Alex Brown and Sarah Potempa to give us the scoop on all things butterfly haircuts for short hair, including how to achieve and style the look. Read on for everything you need to know.
Meet the Expert
Alex Brown is a celebrity hairstylist and owner of SPACE by Alex Brown, a private hair studio in Chicago.
Sarah Potempa is a celebrity hairstylist and co-founder of The Beachwaver Co.
"Butterfly cuts are all the rage right now on TikTok, and for good reason," says Brown."This chic style gives the hair a lot of volume at the roots and movement throughout, which makes it really easy to style and maintain." Though the butterfly trend gained traction on longer haircuts, it's starting to transition to shorter styles. "[It's] versatile and adaptable for almost all hair types and lengths," says Potempa, due to the cut's weightlessness, volume, and movement—traits many of us desire, regardless of hair length.
We all know a change of season can be a fun opportunity to switch things up, haircuts included. "With fall right around the corner, a lot of are women cutting off their long, dry summer locks and rocking something short and chic to compliment chunky knits and turtlenecks," Brown points out."The butterfly cut on shorter hair is super effortless and a perfect way to transition those longer butterfly cuts into the fall months."
How to Achieve a Butterfly Cut on Short Hair
While the key to achieving a butterfly haircut on any length is usually lots of face-framing layers, the secret with shorter lengths is thinned-out ends: You want to keep things light and feathery. Thinning the ends of the layers to help remove weight creates that butterfly effect on shorter strands, explains Potempa. "Too many layers on short hair can create the look of thin hair where we want the hair to look full and voluminous," she tells us. "Taking weight off your [layered ends] will help lift the hair to create fullness."
"To do this cut yourself at home, the ponytail method is a great option," Potempa says. "It allows for clean, easy sectioning that can be easily replicated if you decide to go back in for a more drastic cut."
What You'll Need:
A comb
Two elastics
Sharp hair-cutting shears
Potempa's Step-by-Step Guide:
Beginning with wet hair, create a line with the comb across the top of the head just behind the ears. This will give you a front and back section.
Using the comb to keep the hair smooth, bring the front section to the center of the forehead and secure it with a hair tie. Make sure this ponytail is tight, to begin with—you don't want to tug at the hair and risk creating unevenness.
Use the comb again to smooth the back section up into a high ponytail close to the line created for sectioning.
Holding the front ponytail tight, cut a few inches off. Make sure you are using the natural direction of the ponytail as a guide. The over direction of the hair will help create layering while maintaining more length than you might think.
After taking a few inches off the front section, slightly over-direct the back ponytail forward and cut the same amount of hair.
For shorter hair, since the same layering techniques we see done on long hair may end up looking more chunky and less light and blended, I recommend going back through the hair with thinning shears and, about two inches from the ends, thinning the layers out to help achieve the butterfly cut effect.
Don't lift the hair in your ponytail up or to either side. That will create chunky or uneven layering.
How to Style a Butterfly Cut on Short Hair
To style a butterfly cut on short hair, the goal is to get that desired airiness to start at the mouth and thin out at the ends, creating a tapered look. "This tapering gives that wing-like effect when blow-dried away from the face," says Brown, who recommends a round brush or hot brush similar to the Dyson Airwrap ($600).
Apply a volumizing spray or mousse to the roots of damp hair.
Rough dry 50 percent of the moisture out of the hair upside down to lift the roots off the scalp.
Use a blow dryer and round brush or blowout brush attachment (like theBeachwaver Blow Brush, $189)to create big, bouncy, blowout waves directed off the scalp and away from the face.
Finish with a texturizing spray throughout for volume and hold.
For added volume around the face, Brown suggests adding a curtain bang starting around the corner of the eye or cheekbone.
If you have a naturally wavy texture, this cut and length can be styled simply by adding the right product—like Potempa's favoriteMe & My Curls Creamy Curl Mousse($25)—and air drying to get movement.
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While the key to achieving a butterfly haircut on any length is usually lots of face-framing layers, the secret with shorter lengths is thinned-out ends: You want to keep things light and feathery. Thinning the ends of the layers to help remove weight creates that butterfly effect on shorter strands, explains Potempa.
If you have short hair without a lot of body, a butterfly haircut is a great way to fake volume. You can also add some choppy bangs for a shaggy, textured butterfly haircut with bangs.
Many of the butterfly technique videos appear to end successfully, leaving users with the desired result. However, there are a fair share of self-proclaimed failures, which usually say their error was cutting off more hair than they'd planned to.
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.
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.
If the butterfly cut is left curly, the top shorter layers would become too round. Similarly, those with very fine hair would have a hard time styling this cut as it would likely look stringy.
While the cut takes inspiration from shaggy '70s and '90s haircuts, influencers like Matilda Djerf and celebrities like Sydney Sweeny and Kaia Gerber have brought the style back into the spotlight.
Heavy face frame (usually, you'd like your bang to not be far from the start of your face frame, so there's not a big disconnect. everything flows together!)
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. These shorter, face-framing layers slightly resemble butterfly wings, hence the cut's cute name.
Frequently Asked Questions. Which short haircut is best for thin hair? There's no one right answer, but many stylists recommend a blunt bob to make the ends look thick and full. A lightly layered pixie, bob, or shoulder cut can also add volume to thin hair.
How to Achieve a Butterfly Cut on Short Hair. While the key to achieving a butterfly haircut on any length is usually lots of face-framing layers, the secret with shorter lengths is thinned-out ends: You want to keep things light and feathery.
If your hair type supports this kind of structured, layered hairstyles, you should definitely give it a go. The butterfly haircut works best with thick hair as it will need lots of volume to maintain plump and body in your mane even after such an elaborate layering work.
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.
The butterfly cut features shorter face-framing layers that cascade like wings with longer layers through the length of your hair. Since the goal is to remove weight, not length, ask your stylist for face-framing layers with wispy ends that begin at the chin and longer layers throughout the rest of your hair.
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. It can be styled on the conservative side or worn carefree and wild!
The butterfly cut can complement oval or heart-shaped faces, as the layers at the sides can add balance to facial proportions. However, with the right adjustments in layer length, it can also suit other face shapes.
Introduction: My name is Arline Emard IV, I am a cheerful, gorgeous, colorful, joyous, excited, super, inquisitive person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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