30 Short Haircuts for Women That Are Trending Now

How to Choose a Short Haircut That Suits You

Five decisions matter more than any single photo:

• Save photos of your own texture. A pixie on thick, straight hair behaves nothing like the same cut on fine waves. Bring two or three photos of people whose hair looks like yours, plus one cut you dislike.
• Test how short you can go. Hold a pencil level under your chin and a ruler upright from your earlobe. If they meet at about 2.25 inches or less, cuts above the jaw usually sit well; if the gap is bigger, start with a bob that reaches the jaw.
• Match the cut to your mornings. Pixies and crops take about 5 minutes. Most bobs need 10 to 15 minutes with a round brush or flat iron, while shags and wolf cuts air-dry best.
• Ask about the trim schedule. A pixie loses its shape after 4 to 6 weeks. Bobs last 6 to 8 weeks, and shaggy cuts can stretch to 10.
• Leave with one product. Pick a matte paste for pixies, a smoothing cream and heat protectant for bobs, a sea salt spray for shags or a curl cream for curls.

1. Blunt Jaw-Length Bob

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This is where most first short cuts begin, and for good reason. A single, solid line at the jaw makes fine hair look much thicker, since every strand ends in the same place.

Keep the edge crisp with a trim every 6 to 8 weeks. Smooth it flat with an iron, or flip the ends out slightly for a playful 60s feel.

Ask your stylist for: a one-length bob cut on dry, straight hair at the jawline, with no layers and no thinning.

2. Full Italian Bob

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The Italian bob is the fuller, softer cousin of the blunt bob. It sits just below the jaw, with heavy ends and a bouncy, lived-in shape that looks better a little messy.

Medium to thick hair fills out the shape best. Blow-dry it with a large round brush, rolling the ends under, then add a side part and a mist of texture spray for that rich, slightly undone volume.

3. Lip-Length French Bob

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Shorter than most bobs, the French bob ends around the lips and usually pairs with a soft fringe. The ends are cut a touch uneven, so it looks tousled even on day one.

Let it air-dry with a little styling cream scrunched through the lengths. Then aim a blow-dryer down over the fringe for 30 seconds to smooth it.

Best for: straight or wavy hair, oval and heart-shaped faces, and anyone who wants a bob with attitude.

4. Glass Bob

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Shine is the whole point of the glass bob. It is a sharp, one-length cut at chin level, styled pin-straight so light slides off the surface like a mirror.

Healthy ends matter here, so expect your stylist to remove any split hair first. To get the finish at home:

1. Apply heat protectant and blow-dry with a paddle brush, nozzle pointing down the hair shaft.
2. Run a flat iron set around 350 degrees over thin, 1-inch sections.
3. Finish with two drops of hair oil on the ends only.

5. Butterfly Bob

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Borrowed from the long butterfly cut, this version stops at the chin. Short layers around the face flip outward like wings, while the back stays longer and full.

Heavy, straight hair that tends to hang flat gets instant movement from those layers. Use a medium round brush to flick the front pieces away from your face.

6. Air-Dried Wavy Bob

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Natural 2A or 2B waves can do all the work with this cut. Your stylist leaves it slightly longer than the chin and adds hidden internal layers, so the waves never stack into a triangle.

Scrunch in a foam or wave spray while your hair is soaking wet, then leave it alone. Touching waves while they dry is the fastest route to frizz.

Styling time: 5 minutes, plus air-drying.

7. Stacked Inverted Bob

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Short, stacked layers at the back build a rounded shape at the crown, while the front angles down toward the chin. You get lift where hair often goes flat and a clean line at the neck.

Blow-dry the back with a small round brush, lifting at the crown. The front only needs a quick pass with a flat iron.

Best for: fine to medium hair, women over 50 who want volume without curling, and anyone who loves a tidy nape.

8. Debulked Bob for Thick Hair

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Thick hair can turn a bob into a helmet. The fix is internal layering, sometimes called carving, where your stylist removes weight underneath while the outside line stays clean.

This bob swings when you walk instead of puffing out at the sides. Bonus: it dries faster, often in under 10 minutes.

Ask your stylist for: weight taken out of the underneath sections at the back and sides, with the outer edge kept blunt.

9. Chin-Length Curly Bob

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Curls need their own kind of cut, best done dry and curl by curl. A stylist who works this way can shape a bob that stays round and full, instead of flat on top and wide at the bottom.

Apply a curl cream to wet hair, scrunch and diffuse on low heat. For more shapes built around your curl pattern, see our guide to short haircuts for curly hair.

10. Cheekbone Micro Bob

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The micro bob is the shortest bob on this list, ending at the cheekbones or the tops of the ears. It looks bold and graphic, especially with a center part.

Straight or slightly wavy hair holds the blunt line best. Oval and heart-shaped faces wear it most easily.

Stylist tip: ask for the line a quarter inch below where you want it to land. Hair springs up as it dries, and a micro bob that ends too high is hard to fix.

11. Feathered Short Shag

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Layers, layers and more layers. The short shag is cut with a razor or point cutting so the ends look feathered, and the crown gets the shortest pieces for height.

Wavy and thick hair suit it best, because the texture fills in all those layers. Rough-dry with your fingers, then wrap a few front pieces around a 1-inch curling iron.

12. Short Wolf Cut

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The wolf cut crosses a shag on top with mullet-like length at the back. In its short version, the longest pieces stop around the jaw and the crown is heavily layered for a messy, rock-and-roll shape.

Because it is meant to look undone, it forgives a lot of rushed mornings. A sea salt spray and a quick scrunch are usually enough.

Best for: thick, wavy or straight hair with body, and anyone ready for a bit of edge.

13. Soft Modern Mullet

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Forget the harsh 80s version. This modern take keeps short, textured layers on top and at the sides, with a little extra length falling to the base of the neck.

Blended layers make the change in length gentle, so it reads as a cool shag rather than a costume. Wavy hair with some body suits it best; rub a matte paste through dry hair to separate the pieces.

14. The Mixie

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Half pixie, half mullet, the mixie is one of the most talked-about short cuts right now. The top and sides are pixie-short, while the nape is left longer and wispy.

It grows out gracefully, because the longer back gives you options. Thick, straight hair shows off the contrast best.

Ask your stylist for: a textured pixie on top with the nape left 2 to 3 inches longer and point cut at the ends.

15. Classic Bixie

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The bixie sits right between a bob and a pixie, usually grazing the ears. Compared with a bob it is shorter and more layered; next to a pixie it looks longer and softer.

Growing out a pixie, or nervous about going really short? This is your cut, and fine hair loves it, since the layers add volume without thinning the ends.

Styling time: about 7 minutes with a blow-dryer and a dab of texture paste.

16. Long Layered Pixie

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A first pixie feels less scary when the top stays 3 to 4 inches long. Here it sweeps to one side, while the back and sides are tapered close to the head.

You can push it forward, slick it back or tuck the front behind an ear. For more versions with a fringe, browse these short haircuts with bangs.

17. Piecey Textured Pixie

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This pixie gets its personality from point cutting, which leaves separated, slightly spiky ends. It looks modern and a little undone.

Thick hair works especially well, because each piece holds its shape. Here is the 3-minute routine:

1. Rough-dry with your fingers until your hair is almost dry.
2. Warm a fingertip of matte paste between your palms.
3. Pinch and twist small sections at the crown and around the face.

18. Asymmetrical Pixie

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One side is clipper-short, while the other sweeps down toward the cheekbone. That diagonal line draws the eye up and across, which flatters round and square faces.

Keep the long side smooth with a flat iron or a small round brush. The short side needs nothing at all.

19. Soft Silver Pixie

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Gray and silver hair is often coarser and drier, and this pixie works with that texture. Soft, blended layers keep the shape rounded and full instead of spiky.

A purple shampoo once a week keeps yellow tones away. Finish with a light cream rather than wax, which can make silver hair look dull.

Best for: women in their 60s and 70s, gray or salt-and-pepper hair, and anyone who wants a short cut with a soft finish.

20. Airy Pixie for Fine Hair

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Fine hair often looks fuller when it is short. This pixie keeps the crown layers short and choppy, so they stand up instead of lying flat against the scalp.

A root-lift spray and a quick blow-dry with your fingers are all it takes. If thinning is new or sudden, see a dermatologist as well as your stylist.

21. Crown-Lift Pixie

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Hair at the crown often gets thinner over the years, and this cut is built to lift it. The top layers are left about 2 inches long, then blow-dried up and back.

Tapered sides and a neat nape keep the shape tidy between appointments. Past 60, it is one of the easiest ways to get height without any teasing.

Stylist tip: blow-dry the crown in the opposite direction from how it falls, then flip it back. The roots stand up on their own.

22. Tapered Curly Pixie

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Short sides and longer curls on top give curly hair a clear, sculpted shape. The curls stay 2 to 3 inches long, so they can coil properly instead of shrinking into a puff.

Rake a curl gel through soaking wet hair and let it dry untouched. Once it is fully dry, scrunch out the crunchy cast with your hands.

23. Undercut Pixie

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Very thick hair can make a pixie puff out at the sides. An undercut solves that by clipping the hair underneath short, so the top layer lies flat over it.

Nobody sees the clipped section unless you tuck your hair behind an ear. Lift the top, though, and you reveal a bold edge.

Ask your stylist for: a number 2 or 3 clipper guard under the top layer at the sides and nape, with the top left about 3 inches long.

24. Gamine Crop

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The gamine crop is very short all over, with a tiny wispy fringe and close-cut hair around the ears. It puts your eyes and cheekbones front and center.

Straight to slightly wavy hair holds the shape best. Expect a trim every 4 weeks to keep it sharp.

25. Slick-Back Pixie

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Comb a longer pixie straight back and it turns sleek and polished. The top needs about 3 inches of length so it lies back without sticking up.

Work a medium-hold pomade through damp hair and comb it back with a wide-tooth comb. It looks sharp with blazers and big earrings.

Styling time: 3 minutes.

26. Tapered TWA

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A TWA, or teeny weeny afro, is often the first cut after a big chop. Tapering the sides and nape gives it a clean, sculpted outline that grows out evenly.

Define the coils with a leave-in conditioner and a sponge brush, or twist small finger coils. Wash days get much shorter.

Best for: 4A to 4C natural hair, transitioning hair, and anyone after a wash-and-go that takes minutes.

27. Curly Top With Faded Sides

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An inch or two of coils on top, with the sides faded almost to the skin, makes a cut that is bold and very low-maintenance. Your barber or stylist can place the fade high or low to suit your head shape.

Color makes it even more striking. Honey blonde or copper on the coils shows off the shape from every angle.

28. Velvet Crop

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Longer than a buzz but shorter than most pixies, this crop leaves about an inch of hair all over. Run your hand over it and it feels soft, almost like velvet.

It is the easiest way to grow out a buzz cut, and it shows off the shape of your head. A drop of hair oil adds a healthy sheen.

29. Soft Buzz Cut

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A buzz cut takes about 15 minutes in the chair and almost no time after that. Choosing a longer guard, around a number 4, keeps the look soft rather than severe.

Oval faces and strong cheekbones suit it best. Big earrings and a bold lip make it look polished instead of plain.

Styling time: none, beyond washing.

30. Platinum Buzz Cut

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Bleach a buzz cut and you have the boldest look on this list. Short hair takes color evenly and grows out in weeks, so it is a low-risk way to try platinum.

Book a colorist who uses a bond-building treatment during lightening. Toning every 4 to 6 weeks keeps it bright instead of brassy.

How to Style Short Hair at Home

Short hair is quick, but a few habits make the difference between flat and finished:

• Dry the roots first. Lift your roots with your fingers while you blow-dry, and the ends will mostly sort themselves out.
• Use less product than you think. A pixie needs only a fingertip of paste. For a bob, use a dime-size amount of cream, worked in from the ends up.
• Switch your part. Flipping your part to the opposite side gives instant lift where the hair has been lying flat.
• Refresh instead of rewashing. Mist bedhead with water, then blow-dry for one minute. Dry shampoo at the roots buys an extra day.

Not sure which length suits your face shape? Our guides to short haircuts for round faces and short haircuts for oval faces narrow it down.