Andy JonesLayered hair is easy, lovely, and timeless. If you like to wear your hair long, some strategically placed layers can make the difference between “meh” and “wow!” A long hairstyle with layers has movement, texture, volume, and keeps women’s layered haircuts from falling flat or looking too plain. If you’re looking for great hair ideas you’ve come to the right place!
Of all the types of haircut you can have with long hair, a great long haircut for women is rarely without some strategically placed feathered layers that compliment both her hair texture and thickness and her personal style. If you’re thinking to yourself, “ok, but layers are layers, right?” You’re in for a treat! There are so many beautiful looks built upon the basic layering technique – the tough part will be choosing one. Here’s some helpful advice to spark your long hairstyle idea…
47+ Fresh Layered Hair Looks to Update Your Cut
If you don’t have a blunt cut – meaning a cut where all of your hair is exactly the same length – then you’ve got some layers. The type, shape, and placement of your layers are what makes them unique.
In any long haircut for women, short vs. long don’t refer to the length of the hair, but rather to the height of the layers. Having “short layers” means that the distance between the shortest layer and the longest ends isn’t very much (maybe 1-2 inches). Long hair, on the other hand, are more dramatic, with several inches between the shortest layers and the longest ends of the hair. Generally speaking, the thicker your hair the “longer” the layers that you can get away with. Fine-haired gals should stick to shorter layers.
Besides the short and long hair you’ve also got to think about placement. “Face-framing layers” (made ubiquitous by the likes of Jennifer Aniston and Farrah Fawcett) are when you have layers that get progressively shorter toward your face. This is a beautiful way to make a long hairstyle show off your facial features. All over layers, on the other hand, are when you have layers throughout the hair from front to back. Some classic examples of all over layers are Kate Middleton or Kerry Washington. Thick or curly hair can benefit from all over layers, while normal to fine hair is better suited to the face-framing type (with the exception of a textured bob which can make all over layers on fine hair look amazing).
Finally, texture. Cutting layers with a scissor or a razor will make them fall and look different. Scissor-cut layers tend to have a cleaner finish. Razor-cut layers, on the other hand, tend to be more wild and free. Sometimes a stylist will be totally devoted to one technique or another, so talk to yours to see what he or she recommends.
Let’s get inspired and find your long hairstyle idea for the year!
1. Honey Brown Curled Light Ended Hair Layered Haircuts
If you have light brown hair, but still want a beautiful balayage you can still accomplish the look. This honey-brown style with a dark root blends perfectly into a lighter colored brown. Down towards the ends of the hair, brighter colors of blonde are present. This overall look will add dimension to the hair. Curling the hair also helps the colors to blend together.
2. Blonde Babylights with Brown Underlayer Hair Layered Haircuts
Blonde hair colors can still have all the dimensions you are looking for. The baby lights of this hairstyle are tiny little highlights that go all the way up to the root of the hair. However, pieces of brown hair are also incorporated, along with a brown under layer. This is perfect for a softened look.
3. Dark Brown Hair Root with Honey Blended Hair Layered Haircuts
Bored with your short blonde hair? This short bob haircut style features a dark root as the base of the style. The hair is then blended out with a honey brown color. The hair is cut shoulder length to give it a glamorous look with the bangs swooshed to the side. This allows for your hair to still look great, but it will remain manageable and out of your eyes.
4. Strawberry Blonde Layered Bangs Hair Layered Haircuts
If you are a blonde and you want to change up your hairstyle, a great way to go is to add red to your hair. This can help to create a beautiful strawberry blonde hair color. For this hairstyle, the bangs are choppy and pushed to the side, creating an effortless look.
5. Caramel and Nutmeg Colored Hair Layered Haircuts
This dark caramel hair color base provides a great layer to build color upon to add dimension. The delicate brown highlights are placed all throughout the hair, from the root to the ends of the hair. This darker coloring is perfect for the winter months if you normally have blonde hair in the summer.
6. Very Long Cut with All Over Layers Layered Haircuts
This is a beautiful, natural look that uses long pieces for the face-framing pieces and gently transitions to shorter layers as it goes around to the back. The overall length of this cut will be rather heavy, so the layers give it nice movement and also bring out the hair highlights.
7. Lots of Face Framing Layers Layered Haircuts
This cut is gorgeous for ladies with thick, wavy hair. The dramatic face-framing layers go back further than normal, giving a dramatic, romantic look that goes perfectly with waves or curls. If you have fine hair, you should try short hairstyles for fine hair and you shouldn’t cut the layers around the face so far back because they’ll start to look thin.
8. Blunt Bangs with Short Layers Layered Haircuts
This is a super cool haircut. The blunt bangs are very modern and highlight the face. The contrast between the short bangs and the long cut is so feminine and pretty, it’s a cute hairstyle that also manages to be sexy. On this cut, the ombre tips are set off with short all over layers with a total “I woke up like this” vibe.
9. Beautiful and Wild Hairstyle for Long Hair Layered Hairstyles
When you’ve got a gorgeous fiery red color like this your cut had better do it justice! The long hair here are cut throughout the hair, lightening up the thick texture and adding dimension to the color. If your hair is this thick then layers are really a must to prevent your blunt ends stacking on each other creating the dreaded “triangle head.”
10. Low-Maintenance Easy Hairstyle for Long Hair Shoulder Length Layered Hair
If you want a cut that can go from bun to boardroom in a snap this is the one. The shortest layers start at around shoulder length, about 5-6 inches above the longest ones. This allows for a quick up-do without any stray pieces and falls nicely when worn down.
11. Layered Cute Hairstyles for Girls Layered Hairstyles
This is a nice hairstyle for girls and teens who don’t spend a whole lot of time on their ‘do. More layers toward the front of the cut frame the face, while short layers in the back let the hair fall naturally into a pretty shape. Who doesn’t love a good low-maintenance beauty hack?
12. Boho Chic Layered Ombre Waves Layered Hairstyles
If you’re a born fashionista then this is one of those trendy layered haircuts that is just perfect for you. The cascading face-framing layers sweep back just so, and they break up the ombre color which looks like the sun kissed the hair as it grew.
13. Easy Everyday Shoulder Length Shag Layered Hairstyles
Long hair is a lot of work! If you like the convenience of shorter hair with the look of long hair this haircut idea is a win-win. The longest layers hit just past the shoulders with all over shorter layers, including a dramatic side-swept bang. This cut has a ton of organic movement and is easy to style with ombre nails.
14. Modern Hairstyle for Long Blonde Hair Layered Hairstyles
This style combines dramatic length, all over layered hair, and precision highlights to create a perfect shade of blonde and the perfect layers to show it off. The layers are all long enough that you could put them up in a ponytail, but why would you if you had locks like these!
15. Simple Face Framing Layered Hair Medium Length Layered Haircuts
This is a classic layered cut that can work on thicker or thinner hair textures. If you looked up “face framing layers” in the dictionary this might just be what you find. A cute easy hairstyle with simple, single length in the back and even layers in the front going from chin-length down to the rest of the cut. Lovely!
16. Highlights and Big Sweeping Layers Medium Length Layered Haircuts
This hair is fit for a princess. If you have a lot of hair but the strands are fine and silky then this cut would work perfectly. The highlights around the face really punch up the color, and long, allover layers make the style bouncy and feminine.
17. Dramatic Brunette All Over Layers Medium Length Layered Haircuts
When your hair is all one color (i.e. no highlights, ombre, etc), strategically placed layers can provide an amazing amount of dimension. Long, dramatic layers from front to back give contrast throughout the cut that shows movement. This goes to show that you don’t have to follow trends to have a great style, the right classic cut and your natural color are all you need!
18. Modern Feathered Ombre Long Layers Medium Length Hair
Probably the most trendy layered haircuts here, this is full of trends that come together nicely into a single style. You’ve got ombre color. You’ve got dramatic face-framing layers. You’ve got a nod to 70’s feathering with a thoroughly modern twist. Fashionistas will love this look.
19. Long Layered Hair in Bouncy Curls Medium Length Hair
Ultra long hair gets infused with life and movement with these dramatic layers. These layers are long. Very long. You’ve got the shortest ones at chin length and the longest down to the waist. If you don’t have thick hair skip to the next. For those with the length and texture to pull this off, the curly hairstyle really highlights the layers and the shape of the cut.
20. Modern Choppy Haircut with Layers Medium Length Hair
These crude layers for thin hair perfectly offset the beach blonde color and style. This is a pretty modern hairstyle that is trendy without being harsh. There are about 5-6 inches of layering all around this hairstyle for thick hair, and the choppy pieces are ideal for the wavy styling.
21. Sexy Modern Shag for the Season Medium Length Hair
The shag haircut had its moment in the sun many decades ago, but this modern version is worth a throwback. The face-framing layers start with long bangs parted down the middle, and the longer choppy layers with loose waves keep the cut fresh and modern. Also, look at the before picture in comparison. They didn’t add too much color, they transformed her hair just by adding layers!
22. Long Side-Swept Bang and Layers Medium Hair
If you have thick, long hair doing layers like this from a long bang and around the crown can lighten up the bulk. This style employs a beautiful side-swept chin length bang. It works so well with the texture of the hair, making styling effortless.
23. Fringy Bangs and Long Wavy Layers Medium Hair
The long, choppy layers on this wavy style would be pretty all on their own, but the fringy bangs make the cut really unique. Bangs can give you a lot of versatility with long hair, especially when they’re on the longer side. Just imagine how this cut could look totally different with the bangs swept to the side or pinned back.
24. Medium Length Layered Flow
If you’ve managed to grow healthy, beautiful hair this long then you deserve a gorgeous cut like this! Super long hair without layers can look flat or even stringy. Adding a slight circle shape to the bottom and cutting in about 8 inches of layers all around make this style absolutely stunning.
25. Medium Length Layered Picture Perfect Layered Brunette Curls
This is a modern take on the traditional coifed curls. They’re perfectly undone and the short layered hair from front to back gives the curls natural movement and style. This is a simple, classic cut but with the right styling, it is super glam. Because the layers are short it could work for both thick and fine hair.
26. Medium Length Layered Simply Gorgeous Long Layered Haircut
This look is simple and elegant. Long face-framing pieces are blended into long pieces in the back. A blowout is the best way to rock this type of cut. With a cut like this, once you get your styling routine down its easy peasy and always beautiful.
27. Long Feathered Blonde Layers
This style has a LOT of long, feathered layers from shoulder length down to the ends. This is one of that super girly princess looks that isn’t for everyone, but if you like this look and have the round brush to do it, then go ahead! These layers could also be curled down for a totally different appearance.
28. Medium Length Layered A-Symmetrical Choppy Haircut
This cut takes layers in the opposite direction. Traditional face-framing layers are inverted, with the longest pieces in front and the shortest in back. Blunt cuts on the short layers give the cut a nice choppy texture and loose curls finish the look nicely. This is a cool haircut for anyone who wants to update a long hairstyle.
29. Long Tousled Beach Blonde Waves
Choppy, shoulder-length layers meet platinum hair highlights in this pretty hairstyle fro thin hair. This look is cool, quick, and easy to master. Just blow dry and follow with some texture spray and a curling wand, making sure to leave the ends out. Finally, finger comb your waves and put a little more texture spray in your palms to rub on the ends and piece out the curls.
30. Long Luxurious Diva Layers
Some caramel hair highlights and wispy layers from the face to the shoulders are always in style. This is a beautiful hairstyle if you have very long and medium layered hair to thick hair. The highlights will fatten up the strands and give the cut more dimension. Unfortunately, if your hair is very fine a cut like this can appear stringy with so many layers.
31. Medium Length Layered V-Cut Front to Back Layers
Most long hairstyles are cut in a soft “C” shape at the back, but this has a unique “V” shape that creates layers of its own as it goes from shorter in front to longer in back. This cute hairstyle could work well for fine hair because, while the cut has layers its also more or less even length (instead of shorter pieces over top of longer ones) which will keep the hair looking thick and full.
32. Fine Texture Hairstyle for Long Hair
This cut is really pretty for fine hair. If your hair doesn’t have much thickness or volume, this long layered haircut uses just a handful of long hair to give the hair volume and movement while keeping an overall uniform length that will add some bulk in the right places. This is also a really natural, easy hairstyle for those who prefer a low-maintenance style.
33. Medium Length Layered Hairstyles Lovely Buttery Blonde Layered Hair
Long layers starting at shoulder length give this style plenty of volume and bounce. The buttery blonde highlights on top of a warm honey blonde base provide dimension and shine that compliment the shape of the cut. This type of cut adds a lot of volumes, so its best for hair that’s medium layered hair thickness.
34. Simple Long Layered Haircut for Straight Hair
The layers on this look for thin hair are subtle, but they lighten up the ends and add a pretty shape. There are a couple of face-framing layers in the front that can be swept back. The layers toward the back start around the shoulders and move down to the ends where there are light 3-4 inch layers that give some movement to the cut. This can be a fun hairstyle for girls who want to play with their personal style.
35. Shoulder Length Hairstyle for Thick Hair
This is a great cut for super thick hair and curly hair. The shoulder-length cut is long enough to have enough weight that it doesn’t get puffy. There are a couple of short layers around the face, then the rest of the cut has razor-cut choppy layers about 3 inches from the bottom. This style will give the cut a nice shape whether it’s work curly, wavy, or straight.
36. Pretty Long Hair for Perfect Curls
If you like to style your hair in curls then layers are a must. Layers break up the bulk that can happen when curls stack onto each other. These long layers are a perfect example of the type of cut that works beautifully for curled styles – and best of all its easy to do!
37. Choppy All Over Layers for Thick Hair
This cut is perfect for ladies with nice thick hair. The cut of the layers is also a little choppy which gives the style a nice modern look. The waves and hair highlights add dimension which, combined with the cut, keep the thick hair from looking bulky.
38. Long Strawberry Pink Layered Hair Style for Straight Hair
If you’re daring with your color like this pretty pink ombre style, then layers can really show it off. This cute haircut is nice and simple: long, shoulder-blade length hair with 5-7 inches of soft layers cut throughout. If there was a way to make pink hair look classic this would be it.
39. Lots of Hair, Loads of Layers Straight Hair
Do you just have a lot of hair? Well, 1. lucky you, and 2. this is your haircut. This style takes full advantage of an abundance of hair with layers upon layers. There are shorter pieces around the face and a few nape-length pieces around the crown. Then the layers continue evenly from shoulder-length on down to the ends. The effect is shiny, bouncy, and beautiful.
40. Long Layers for Thick Hair
Many true redheads are blessed with both beautiful color and exceptionally thick tresses. This is a great cut for both hair texture. It starts with your basic long haircut and then adds some subtle yet thick layers from shoulder length to ends that strategically break up the cut and add to its natural wave.
41. Silky Shoulder Length Layers
If you like your long hair a little on the shorter side then this is a great cut for you! This style will work best for those with naturally straight hair. There are evenly cut layers from front to back that is as short as chin-length and as long as the shoulders. Styled back from the face (as in the photo) you can see the symmetry and hair texture of these layers.
42. Moody Modern Long and Wavy Layers
The layers on this hairstyle are so subtle you could miss them, yet they make all the difference in the style. There are just a couple of wispy face-framing layers in the front. In the back, there are between 2-4 inches of layers around the bottom that break up the waves and thickness of the hair just so.
43. Thick Ashy Blond Layered Hair and Highlights
This is a really pretty hairstyle that is so on-trend but doesn’t look trendy. The base color is a cool ash blonde hair and the subtle highlights bring that out beautifully. The shoulder-length cut has some short layers throughout the back that really make the color and overall style come to life, especially when done up in big, loose waves.
44. Wavy, Lovely Layers Haircut
This look is so soft and romantic and simply gorgeous. Nearly waist-length hair is brought to life with long (8-10 inch) wispy layers. The softness of the cut is ultra-feminine and styling it with a soft curl gives it bounce and movement.
45. Long Ultra-Straight Layered Hair
This is one of the best hairstyles if your hair is thick and stick-straight. It works with your texture with layers that not only break up the hair but train it where to fall, so you’re always styled. There are “Lob” length face-framing pieces that go from front to back, plus 4-6 inches of layering at the very bottom. When matched up with the right hair texture, this cut will be incredibly easy to maintain.
46. Dramatic and Wavy Layered Long Hair
Lots and lots of hair? Check. Princess-level waves and curls? Check. Perfectly placed layers to pull it all together? Check. If your hair has a natural wave to it this cut will set you up perfectly. You’ve got super-long length with long layers cut through from front to back. This is also a cute hairstyle for girls with loads of locks.
47. Simply Pretty Shoulder Length Layers
This cute easy hairstyle could work well on medium layered hair or fine hair textures (thick haired gals may want to take a pass on this one as it could be too bulky). A subtle c-shaped bottom is cut just below the shoulders with short layers all around the bottom to break up the ends and lend a little volume.
48. Long Hair with Long Layers
This is one of those perfect hairstyles for girls because it’s pretty but simple. Long hair plus long layers equal one easy hairstyle that is cute to boot. You don’t have to have waist-length hair like the photo to get along layers haircut like this, either. Anyone with hair at or below the shoulder blades can easily rock this cut.
49. Long Hair, Face-Framing Layers and Side Bangs
This is one of those layered haircuts that lets fine-haired gals in on the layering fun! This cut uses uniform length and heavy highlights to add bulk to fine strands. It gets its high style from a long, side-swept bang that breaks up into a few face-framing layers. This is one of the best hairstyles to give you the best of both worlds (length and layers) when your natural texture isn’t thick.
50. Easy, Sexy, Cool Long Layers
This style for thin hair is one cool number! You’ve got dramatic long layers that go from chin length down to the shoulder blades. If this cut were styled straight you’d see near uniformity and a feathering effect because there are so many layers. With the modern hairstyle trend of loose waves and balayage highlights, this thoroughly layered cut gets an update!
51. Cute and Sexy Bangs and Waves Layered Haircut
You won’t find a single highlight on this woman’s head, but it hardly matters since this is such a cute haircut! This style has long choppy bangs that frame the face, plus some short layers within 2-3 inches of the ends of the cut to break it up and give it volume in all the right places. The soft wave style is just perfect for this cut.
52. Sun Kissed Layers and Highlights Layered Haircut
If coloring and styling have left your hair dry and in need of some TLC, this cut is a great “recovery” style. The all-over layering starts on the face and gently sweeps back to the ends. This can allow you to trim off damaged ends and give your hair a natural shape that doesn’t strictly require heat styling day in and day out.
53. Long, Wavy Bedhead Layered Haircut
This cut will work perfectly for those ladies who have the desirable combination of silky soft strands and a lot of them. Swooping layered haircut in the front give way to long layers through the back. The wavy style looks perfectly undone, but can easily be swept up into a ponytail or bun.
54. Flipping Out Over Platinum Feathered Layers Layer Cut
Just couldn’t resist the hair pun! Silly jokes aside, this striking style for thin hair combines one of the boldest color choices – platinum blonde – with attention-grabbing long choppy layers that start around the jawline and evenly blend down to the ends. This could easily be transformed into multiple looks by adding waves or turning the ends under instead of out. You are sure to turn heads with this cut and color!
55. Ethereal Color and Fairytale Layered Long Hair
This style is for the risk takers of the bunch! There is a lot going on here. The ombre color goes from dark natural roots to a tawny peach to smoky rose ends, and it’s stunning! You could hardly pull off such bold color without this kind of length. The long choppy layers from shoulders to waist styled in big, loose curls give the cut a romantic vibe.
47+ Gorgeous Layered Hair Cuts to Compliment Your Personal Style
There you have it! 50 beautiful hair ideas to wear layered hair for every personal style, length, and texture. Which types of haircut do you like best? Long layered hair? Choppy layered hair? Curly or wavy? Which unique haircut idea will you make your own? Want something more edgy? Try the pixie cut!
