If you’re grappling with lifeless locks and seeking to boost your hair’s volume this fall, your search ends here. We consulted top hairstylists about the latest buzz in hair trends: the butterfly layered cut, as popularized by celebrities like Sydney Sweeney, and the kitty cut, favored by stars such as Jennifer Aniston. For those with thin or fine hair, enhancing volume can seem like an intimidating task. From dry shampoos to blow-drying techniques, volumizing your hair may feel overwhelming—but worry no more!
Hair experts highly recommend the ‘butterfly cut,’ a style introduced by stylist Sunnie Brook. This cut features shorter layers within long hair to create the illusion of shorter, fuller, and more buoyant locks without losing length. Meanwhile, the ‘kitty cut,’ as described by stylist Raven Hurtado, is a more understated version of the wolf cut. With longer layers and subtle texture, Hurtado believes it’s perfect for all hair types, especially for those looking to grow out a shaggy cut or bangs. This style involves cutting long layers throughout and trimming face-framing strands to jaw length.
We reached out to additional professional hairstylists to gain further insight into why these cuts are so chic and flattering for achieving voluminous hair. 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.
How The Trendy Butterfly Layers Can Add Volume To Fine Hair
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.
“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.
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.”
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.”
How The Celeb-Fave Kitty Cut Can Bring Life To Finer Tresses
Rivera agrees with the aforementioned points, and dubs that the kitty cut look (a layered lob as seen here on Jennifer Aniston) is also 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 ‘kittycut’ is “so natural” that the layers being longer “makes it a very low maintenance cut with little upkeep,” giving volume for days.
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.”
It is also important to not “over-cut into the length, making the bottoms too wispy.” If care is taken when cutting layers to maintain lengths, and the haircut is finished with a nice blunt line to thicken up the ends, this haircut is a “great option for thinner or thinning hair when long hair is still desired.”
Ultimately, by bringing your goals, detailing your needs and being communicative with your stylist, Rivera says that obtaining this look is an easy and timeless way to bring more life to previously flat or weaker tresses.
