Glamour

Hair

25 Long Haircuts That Are Layered Perfection

 

Texture and movement have entered the chat.

Committing to growing your hair out takes patience and dedication—but certain long haircuts are absolutely worth it. Long layered haircuts are everywhere this year, and there’s one made for every hair texture, face shape, and styling preference.

Why are long layered haircuts trending?

Some of the top hairstyle trends of 2025—like the return of mermaid waves and bombshell updos—work best with long layers. While shorter cuts may make it easier to retain root volume, we’re seeing an uptick in product-heavy styling, and more attention to textured lengths and ends. Long layers achieve the best of both worlds, with both flattering face-framing pieces and enough length to experiment with.

Why opt for long layers?

Whether you’re after swishy movement, untethered curls, or effortless texture, there are so many ways that layers can maximize your long haircut. Dhiran Mistry, owner of luxury hair salon The Carriage House, says long-haired clients are asking for wispy pieces and bangs that make even even on-the-go ponytails feel elevated.

Below, find the best expert- and editor-approved long haircut ideas to inspire your next salon appointment.

Layered Shag

Shags are still going strong, and they’re especially great if you want to skip hair appointments and extend time between trips to the salon. “Those growing out their shags (or getting a haircut that gives the appearance of growing out a shag) have a lot of layers and texture that give the hair a beautiful undone, natural finish that looks extremely healthy,” says Ky Wilson, a hairstylist based in London. “This look also can give a luxurious ’90s-supermodel vibe depending on the cut. The key is to make the layers seamless, oozing fluidity. Ask your stylist for freehand placement of layers and texture—think freehand placement just like we do with color.”

Breezy Waves

Chicago hairstylist Alex Brown expects to see lots of long hair paired with long, breezy layers. “I’m loving natural-looking waves with long layers around the face that add movement, and you can even add cute baby braids,” she says. To get the look, “ask your stylist for face-framing layers starting below the chin.”

Textured Waves

According to celebrity hairstylist Rossano Ferretti, ethereal textured waves will be seen everywhere this year. Think romantic XXL mermaid waves with superlong layers. “This style offers a dreamy, undone look that’s effortlessly chic. It’s all about embracing natural texture and enhancing it with soft, flowing waves that aren’t overly styled,” he says. After curling your hair with a waver or curling iron, finish things off with a texturizing spray to get natural volume and lived-in wavy hair.

Medium-Length Lobs

If short haircuts aren’t your style, the uber-popular bob isn’t going to do anything for you. Opt for the slightly longer lob (a long bob) instead, which remains one of the top hair trends this year. Sure, it’s not the longest haircut, but if you want to get in on the trend, this medium-length look is a great place to start. Plus, there’s good news: “They can be so varied and can suit any hair texture, density, face shape, and personal style,” says Olya Iudina, a hairstylist at IGK.

Birkin Bangs

Curtain bangs are flattering, face-framing shorter bangs that feature a middle part. According to Helen Reavey, celebrity hairstylist and founder of Act+Acre, we should be paying attention to retro styles, like Daisy Edgar-Jones’s Jane Birkin–inspired curtain bangs. Style them with a blow-dryer and round brush to help zhuzh up even thin hair.

“We’re seeing a resurgence of Old Hollywood and vintage-inspired haircuts because there’s a craving for timeless elegance and glamour,” she says. “With the fast pace of trends today, many are drawn to these iconic styles that evoke a sense of nostalgia and sophistication. It’s versatile and polished while still standing out.” Proof that sometimes the best hairstyles are the classics.

Rock-and-Roll Fringe

Do you have thick hair and want choppy bangs that stand out? “Heavy fringes are back for a standout style,” says Amy Abramite, creative director and stylist at Chicago’s Maxine Salon. “A dense triangular bang is carved out on the head for maximum thickness and cut into a strong squared outline.”

Abramite says that a full fringe like this is best for thick, wavy hair to maximize body, density, and texture. “At the salon, request a fringe without layering or texturizing for the design line,” she says.

Multilength Layers

Can’t choose how long you want your hair? Try a little bit of everything, incorporating different lengths as you go down the strands. “Gwen Stefani is trendsetting with a three-tiered look that mimics a short bob, a lob, and long layers,” says Abramite. “The lines are sharp and unblended for a choppy layered effect that is best worn on long, thick straight hair to show off the strong angled shapes.” Into this look? Take it a step further with a jellyfish haircut.

’90s Layers

“Think super-layered styles with a lot of volume,” says Nunzio Saviano, owner of Nunzio Saviano Salon. The subtle layers are what make this hairstyle an amazing look for any hair length, but especially longer hair. Think Jennifer Aniston in Friends, Alicia Silverstone in Clueless, and Cindy Crawford.

Octopus Haircut

The octopus haircut became popular thanks to TikTok, Saviano shares. It’s a stylish evolution of the shag and the mullet, creating a silhouette of an octopus’s tentacles. The layered cut looks great on longer hair, adding texture and shape to your strands.

Ask your stylist for shorter layers with shaping around the face. You’ll want to get some weight off your hair, as well, especially if your hair is on the thicker side, to fully get the effect.

Butterfly Haircut

Another style full of layers, the butterfly haircut is meant to emulate the shape of a butterfly’s wing. The fun thing about this style is, depending on your hair type and desires, you can get a variation of different levels of volume.

“The short layers on top are blended through to longer layers on the bottom, and the shorter layers fall at or below the chin and the longer layers fall just past the shoulders,” says Maxine Salon hairstylist Jenna Spino.

Bombshell Blowout With Soft Layers

Rugetti recommends a volumized bombshell blowout with soft layers if you’re looking to make a statement. To create a fuller appearance, use extensions to get even more volume. Velcro rollers are ideal for getting that bouncy ’90s-supermodel effect.

Soft layers aren’t as dramatic as some of the more choppy layers that are trending, which could be a good starting point if you want a cut that’s a bit more subtle.

Blunt Bangs

“I love a blunt bang for a more dramatic look,” says celebrity hairstylist Laura Rugetti. Brianna Dunning, cofounder of Unsubscribe, agrees, adding that those who have very long hair (we’re talking almost-touching-your-butt long) can add some fringe to switch up their look.

Face-Framing Layers

“This look adds a ton of body and movement to the hair and can be worn with bangs or no bangs,” Saviano explains. Similar to the butterfly and octopus haircuts, there are layers and a lot of volume in a face-framing layered cut.

Dunning says that this style is good for people with finer hair who still want to maintain heaviness at the bottom. “The cut is also good for people with heavy density in their hair who want to feel like they have much less hair without losing length,” she says.

Fairy Cut

For a long, layered look with major styling range, there are few cuts more fun to dress up than the fairy haircut. “It’s midlength and has loads of layers,” says celebrity hairstylist Marc Mena, who gave Ariana Greenblatt the cut. “And you still have all the fringe to frame the face. It’s just so versatile.”

When requesting for a fairy cut at the salon, Mena suggests asking for lots of midlength layers and a face-framing fringe. “Ask for most of the layers to be around the face frame,” he says. “And always, always bring pictures of what you want so everyone’s on the same page.”

The (New) Rachel

Jennifer Aniston’s latest cut gave “The Rachel”—the wildly popular ’90s cut inspired by her Friends character—a 2025 update. This version brings in more length but less maintenance: The tiered, waterfall layers can easily be flipped out with a round brush and restyled on non-wash days.

Without the emphasis on the root volume that characterized the original Rachel (which takes some serious skill to achieve and maintain), the latest iteration is much friendlier for every day wear.

Ultra-Sleek Layers

Layered haircuts often go hand in hand with volume and texture, but straight, shiny layers also create beautiful intrigue in a long haircut. If you’re looking for long haircuts for thin hair or a way to add some movement to your fine hair, try adding some subtle, swishy layers starting at your midlength.

Tapered Ends

For a shag effect on hair with less natural texture, focus on creating the shape of the rock-star cut: Ask for tousled layers and play up your root volume when styling, and opt for wispier, tapered ends over heavy, blunt ones.

High-Gloss Texture

Lots of long layered haircuts lend themselves to tousled, dry texture, but they can also work beautifully with a sleek, shiny finish. If you’re a gloss-treatment regular, adding some length variation and soft curls will show off your shine from every angle.

Ghost Layers

Layered long haircuts for thin hair can feel risky, since adding layers inherently removes volume from your hair. Ghost layers are a sneaky solution, pro hairstylist Hollie Rose Clarke tells Glamour. “This is a technique where only the very top horseshoe section of the hair is layered or sliced into, to create the perfect tailored-to-you movement,” says Clarke. The ends are left blunt to “give the illusion of even thicker hair and a soft, delicate movement on the surface,” she says.

Face-Focused Layers

Modern long haircuts tends to favor blunt, sculptural layers; they can often look like a few haircuts fused into one. Suki Waterhouse’s latest cut channels a French bob with her choppy face-framing layers, while her softer, cascading length balances out the boldness.

Coily Curtain Bangs

Styling strategies may differ, but curtain bangs are flattering on every hair type. If you’re growing out your curls, consider adding a curly fringe to mix up your shape and frame your face.

Air-Dried Texture

Styling trends for long hair are leaning away from impossibly perfect blowouts and toward natural textures: “The most current take is hair that has a very effortless feel,” celebrity hairstylist Davey Matthew tells Glamour. Adding a few chunky layers here and there—plus a little texture spray—can help emphasize organic movement for a fresh-out-of-salt-water look.

Marquise Layers

If you want to add some movement and texture to your long hair, but choppy, shaggy layers aren’t your thing, marquise layers are designed to maintain fullness. The style favors longer, softer layers that create soft, blended volume when blow-dried, says Zoe Irwin, a top hair-color and styling-trend forecaster: “It feels thicker and the layering seems to happen in the last few inches of the haircut, so this suits somebody who wants a little bit more swing in the hair.”

Cloud Curls

Hairstylist Tom Smith, who named the trending “cloud curls” look, recommends this cut if you’re looking to maintain the “curved, light, and airy texture of [your] curls.” The approach is especially for preserving lightness and bounce in long haircuts for curly hair. By strategically adding layers around the face to remove weight, this cut forms “a halo of gentle volume.” Smith says that this overall look is “ethereal and floaty” and “less about defined ringlets and more about diffused texture and natural expansion.”

Wispy Side Bangs

If skinny jeans came back, we should have known that side bangs weren’t far behind, and Zoë Kravitz’s are inspiring our modern long haircuts. Her styling leans into her natural texture and gives off an effortless energy, opting for a low-maintenance, almost-wet look rather than feathered volume.