When it comes to thin or fine hair, finding ways to amp up your look and add volume can feel daunting. From dry shampoo to blow-drying techniques, if you’re finding the task of volumizing your tresses to be overwhelming— look no further! Expert hair stylists swear by the ‘butterfly cut,’ a style first coined by stylist Sunnie Brook that involves using shorter layers in long locks to give the illusion of shorter, bouncier and more voluminous hair without sacrificing your length.
We checked in with hair experts and stylists to learn more about the ‘butterfly cut,’ how it can bring life to flat strands, and what to ask your hairdresser when you head to the salon. Read on for tips, suggestions and insight from Ghanima Abdullah, hair expert and cosmetologist at The Right Hairstyles, Melissa Franco, professional hair stylist and owner of EmberRose Salon, and Gina Rivera, celebrity hairstylist and founder of Phenix Salon Suites.
@anyazofiax 90s vibes #butterflyhaircut #90s #redhead #hairtransition ♬ sos – evie
First Off, What Is The Trendy ‘Butterfly Cut?’
Brook, the stylist who first coined the term, ‘butterfly cut,’ explained in a recent Popsugar interview that the look is a “very layered haircut on hair below the shoulders” that’s cut in a way that the “top layer can be separated from the bottom and easily pinned under to look like a short haircut.” While channeling classic turn-of-the-century blowouts and sky-high hair of the 90s, the look is popular on TikTok and with our fave celebs for many reasons, fellow stylist Abdullah explains to us.
@sukhmanikhokhar #blowout #hair #hairstyle #hairtutorial #90s #haircut #rollera #butterflycut #foryou #fyp #hairhack ♬ Kaun Tujhe X Better – Aditya Maurya
“This style is the epitome of the 90s blowout, styles come back, and this one I’m glad to see,” Abdullah notes. She adds that this haircut can “double or triple your volume” because short layers are used on the top of the cut to “make the hair really stand out.” Then, slightly longer layers are “used from the mid-lengths to the bottom, to encourage the hair to fall just right.” This cut works great, especially for “long hair, and it’s great for adding volume if your hair is thinning,” Abdullah suggests.
@novablonde The trick to the butterfly cut, is cutting round layers at the crown at a 90° then concave layers on the side at a 90°, face frame from the eyebrows down to the perimeter and traditional curtain bangs, comment if I should do a tutorial on this #butterflycut #blondespecialist #hairtok #hairstylistsoftiktok ♬ Butterfly – Crazy Town
Franco says that the ‘butterfly cut’ works so well because, frankly, it is a new name for an old haircut. “It’s an old classic, the shortest layer is in the front,” she points out. “It can be as short as a longer bang, and as long as below the chin, giving it tons of versatility. After determining the shortest layer, all the hair is pulled to that length and cut to be gradually longer from there.”
View this post on Instagram
This, she continues, naturally “allows both layers and lengths to get longer towards the back, often creating a V or U shape in the length at the end.” As for where this look derived from, Franco recalls it drawing inspiration from Cindy Crawford’s blown-out tresses from the 90s and the current popular ‘wolf cut’ from TikTok. The ‘butterfly cut’ “allows wearers to easily shift from a polished, flippy blow-dry to a shaggy rugged look, and back to a glam model,” she notes, “without so much as looking at a pair of shears.” Also, she says its popularity is increasing because it is “essentially just a longer version of the wildly popular wolf cut that was all the rage last year.”
View this post on Instagram
How It Works For Thin or Fine Hair
Rivera agrees with the aforementioned points, and dubs this look to be an excellent choice for many hair types. “This is a great haircut for thicker and fuller hair,” she says, also noting that “it works beautifully for wavy and curly hair.” If your hair tends to be thinner or finer, Rivera says that you will want to “consult with your stylist” as this look can “still be a go, but you may have to make some modifications to the amount and length of layers.” As an added plus, Rivera explains that the ‘butterfly cut’ is “so natural” that the layers being longer “makes it a very low maintenance cut with little upkeep,” giving volume for days.
View this post on Instagram
Franco concludes that this ‘do is effective in creating volume, due to the “undeniable loss of weight, and its ability to easily style its many layers.” For fine or thin hair, Franco has several tips to keep in mind before heading to the salon with your favorite celebrity reference photo. Firstly, she says that layers are “massively important when cutting thinning hair so that it doesn’t sit flat to the scalp.” Not having enough layers, she warns, will “expose and exaggerate any thinning by showing the scalp.”
