Curtain-bang layered cut

Read this out: “Shoulder length with layers; curtain bangs parted centre, longest at the cheekbone.” That's 4–6 in (10–15 cm) on top with a rounded neckline, recut every 6–8 weeks. Your own barber card adjusts it for your part side and texture.

The curtain-bang layered cut and the lob (long bob) share medium length, which is why they get mixed up. The curtain-bang layered cut is cut as “Layers; curtain bangs cut longest at the cheekbone”; the lob (long bob) as “Blunt or light long layers; bevel the ends under or out”. The neckline differs too: rounded against blocked. On texture, the curtain-bang layered cut takes 1B–2C hair, plus 3A with adjustments; the lob (long bob) takes 1A–3A hair. Our engine scores both against your own texture, density and hairline, so the free check tells you which of the two ranks higher for you. Full spec: lob (long bob).

Yes: our catalog lists the curtain-bang layered cut as a women's cut, so it comes up when your check is set to women's cuts, and not in the men's list. That is where gender stops counting: the shape is decided by your hair and your proportions. The spec wants 1B–2C hair at medium to high density, and it still works with no recession. The free check measures your texture, density and hairline, then ranks the curtain-bang layered cut against every other women's cut.

It's best on 1B–2C hair and possible on 3A with adjustments. On 3C–4C hair the shape doesn't hold, so our analysis rules it out.

Not as a first pick: the catalog allows medium to high density, because the shape relies on bulk that thin hair doesn't have. Nothing else in its spec marks it down for fine strands or low density. Density is measured in the free check, and our thinning hair guide lists the cuts our engine favours for thin hair.

A trim every 6–8 weeks: 7–9 cuts a year, about $210–$270 at $30 a cut, plus 5–10 minutes of styling a day.

3C–4C hair (curly and coily): the shape depends on a texture it can't hold, so we rule it out. Low-density hair: the cut relies on bulk that thin hair doesn't have. A hairline past Norwood 1: at stage 2 it's shown with a caveat; beyond that we hide it. Barbers also flag: A very round, short face (end the bangs below the cheekbone); a front cowlick.

On proportions alone, our engine places it in the top 3 for heart and triangle faces. Proportions are the smallest part of a real score; texture, density and hairline count for more, which is why the free check looks at your hair first.

“Curtain bangs” is one of the names people use for it. Ask for it by the spec above rather than the name, since names vary between barbers.