- Women's cut
- Long
- Soft
Butterfly cut
A long, soft women's cut with 6–8 in (15–20.5 cm) on top and a fringe, finished with a rounded neckline.
Also asked for as: butterfly haircut, butterfly layers, 90s blowout layers, butterfly cut long hair
- Top
- 6–8 in (15–20.5 cm)
- Best on
- 1B–2C
- Recut
- 8–10 wks
- Styling
- 10–20 min
Traditionally suggested for
Long hair with volume; round faces (framing lines lead the eye down), square faces.
Stylist convention
Who it fits
Hair comes first: these decide whether the shape can hold.
- Best on 1B–2C hair (straight and wavy).Hair physics
- Medium to high density.Hair physics
- Holds up through a Norwood 1 hairline.Barber consensus
- Holds up through Ludwig stage 2 thinning.Barber consensus
- Scores higher if you have a narrow forehead.Stylist convention
Who should skip it
Any one of these moves it down your list, or off it.
- 1A, 3A–4C hair (straight, curly and coily): the shape depends on a texture it can't hold, so we rule it out.Hair physics
- Low-density hair: the cut relies on bulk that thin hair doesn't have.Hair physics
- A hairline past Norwood 1: at stage 2 it's shown with a caveat; beyond that we hide it.Barber consensus
- Thinning past Ludwig 2: it would draw attention to the part line.Barber consensus
- Helmets, hats or daily swimming: they flatten the volume the shape needs.Hair physics
- A humid climate with wavy or curly hair: it needs a blowout to hold.Hair physics
- No heat tools: it needs a blow-dryer to look like the reference.Stylist convention
- Less than 10 minutes a day for styling: it needs 10–20 min a day.Your preference
- Scores lower if you have fine hair.Hair physics
- Scores lower if you have low-density hair.Hair physics
Barbers also flag: Fine low-density hair, 3C+ hair, no heat tools (it needs a blowout).
What to tell your barber
The catalog spec, in barber terms. Your own card adjusts it: part side from your crown whorl, curl notes for your texture, and a QR code your barber can open.
Read this to your barber
“Keep length; short face-framing layers from the cheekbone; long layers; for round-brush blowouts.”
- Sides
- Short face-framing layers from the cheekbone
- Top
- 6–8 in (15–20.5 cm)
- Fringe
- Face-framing layers starting at the cheekbone
- Neckline
- Rounded
- Technique
- Keep the length; long layers; cut for round-brush blowouts
- Product
- Heat protectant, volumising mousse, round brush
- Recut
- Every 8–10 weeks
Upkeep and yearly cost
Priced at $30 a cut. Your results use your own local price.
- Trim every
- 8–10 weeks
- Per year
- 5–7 cuts a year, about $150–$210 at $30 a cut
- Daily styling
- 10–20 min a day
- Product
- Styling product every day
- Heat tools
- Blow-dryer needed
Proportions, by face shape
Where the butterfly cut places in our engine’s geometry-only top 10 for a textbook face of each shape: a top-3 pick for square, heart and triangle. Proportions are the smallest part of a real score; your hair counts for more.
Related cuts
- Long layers (V or U)Long · 2A–3A
- Long one-lengthLong · 1A–2A
- Curtain-bang layered cutMedium · 1B–2C
- Long pixie / bixieShort · 1A–2C
See the butterfly cut on your own face before you sit down.
Free analysis first. Previews only change your hair, and if one doesn’t look like you, the redo is free.
Check it on my face