When we think of the “classic” haircut, the bob comes immediately to mind. No matter what your age, a bob can look chic, sophisticated, mysterious, sexy — all of the adjectives apply. But the best thing about a bob is that it can be customized to suit your face shape, features, personal style, and how you’re feeling that month. There’s a bob for every one. But when it comes to the most flattering bob haircuts, hair expert Justin Hickox has broken it down into five amazing bob styles:
Here’s what you need to know about each bob haircut to determine which one is right for you.
Lob
Even though it’s not exactly a bob, the lob shares the same style and feeling as the bob, but it is longer and sits somewhere around the collarbone or shoulder. Lobs work best on medium to thicker hair types and people with a longer neck and longer neckline. If you have at thinner hair texture, however, this shape and style can make your hair feel and look thinner and limit you in terms of how you style it. One thing to be aware of with the lob is that it may be higher maintenance because if it grows too much it will no longer look like a lob style. It can also make a longer face look more elongated.
Chin-Length Bob
A chin-length bob is what it sounds like: it lands around your chin. If you have a longer face, this length works amazingly well because it adds the illusion of width to your face. If your hair is thinner, this style can also make your hair look thicker. However, if your face is fuller or your hair is on the thicker side, you’re going to want to make sure that you layer this cut to remove some of the bulk.
Graduated Bob
This is a bob that has a graduation of layers around the nape or back of the head. This style can work on nine out of 10 people, according to Hickox, because layers can give your face lift and give your hair major style and movement. However, it’s important to work with your stylist and customize layers to suit your personal hair type and the features that you want to emphasize.
One-Length Bob
A bob that lacks layers can look chic, but it’s not for everyone. This shape is great if you have a medium to thicker density. If you have curly hair, it’s a style that may not work well for you because layers help emphasize a curl pattern really well, while one layer can leave your hair flat.
Bixie
The bixie is a hot style you’re seeing everywhere. It’s a combination of the bob and pixie — but Hickox says the mere fact that these two styles are so different brings up a concern with this one. The unique length of this one allows stylists to cut more shape in to the hair and it’s ideal if there are facial features you want to bring into focus. You can remove volume from areas where you don’t want to and add hair where you want to bring the focus.
One downside to the bixie is that it is more high maintenance. You’re going to need to get a more frequent cut to maintain its shape.
If you’re in love with one of these bob variations over all others, don’t just run to your salon and blurt out the words “graduated bob” and expect your stylist to understand your expectation. Stylists may have different interpretations of each of these cuts. The best thing you can do is bring lots of photos of the bob haircuts you love most so that you and your stylist can discuss beforehand what works the best for your hair type and face shape.
