Looking for a hairstyle that combines retro drama with modern ease? The shaggy layered haircut is back! Full of movement and soft texture, this haircut will make your style stand out. We have compiled 15 shaggy layered haircut ideas to help you style this cut. There is a shaggy cut designed for you no matter your hair type. Thin, thick, curly, or straight, we can help you remove the hesitation and help you enhance your natural beauty and express your individuality.
Most of my clients are surprised at the different ways people can interact and what results they get with a shag haircut. Just last month, a woman came into the salon with a picture of her college roommate’s haircut, and I had to explain to her that the reason her friend’s haircut looked so good was because of the natural wave that did about sixty percent of the work. The result is determined primarily by what your hair wants to do. This is a good thing because layered shag cuts are extremely versatile and can be a lot of fun!
This year, I have been gravitating towards shags, as they offer a lot of versatility for texture. For example, blunt bobs need a precision cut for shape, and long-layered cuts need structural volume at the root. On the other hand, shag cuts thrive off a little bit of roughness. They also work really well for air drying. If your hair tends to bend and move in an air-dried way, then great! You won’t even have to touch a styling tool. Of course, if your hair is pin straight, very fine, or straight, there are still options for you. All of this is to say that these are the looks I hope to walk you through with these fifteen examples.
#1: Shaggy Layers with Bangs That Actually Do Something
I like this one the best because the bangs have purpose; they are doing some serious architectural work on the face. The long layers give that effortless swing when you move but it is the bangs that really draw attention to the eyes and cheekbones that make this a complete haircut and not just a layered trim. If your hair is medium to thick, this will sort of style itself with a texturising spray scrunched through damp hair. The graduated colour running through the lengths is a nice touch and gives a dimension that reads as natural depth rather than a highlight appointment.
#2 Soft Face-Framing Shag for Finer Hair
I typically suggest this version of the shag style to clients with fine hair. I appreciate the layers, as they provide volume without excessive thinning, and the intentional framing pieces look great! The balayage really helps combat the flat look fine hair can take on, because it offers a lot of depth and dimension. To be honest, you will need to do some styling to achieve and maintain that piece-y look. A lightweight volumizing mousse applied to the roots while damp really helps with achieving that thing. mid-afternoon!
#3 Tousled Shag with Natural Wave
If your hair is wavy or has bends, you might love this new haircut. You will leave the salon wondering why you didn’t do this sooner. The layers will make the waves stand out even more. You will find this look very difficult to pull off with straight hair. Also, the look works well with oval and heart-shaped faces. Just remember that with soft layers, more than with blunt cuts, the layers will lose their shape and purpose after some time. Expect to come in every six to eight weeks to maintain this look.
#4 Rich Chestnut Shag That Keeps Its Shape
Due to how this warm chestnut hue interacts with light, it adds more dimensionality to these layers than they may have otherwise. Because the layers are long enough to give some weight to the ends, they should be fine for maintaining a good range of movement in the mid lengths. The gentle wave provides an energetic youthful touch that’s not too much. Of all the shags, this is one of the simplest to grow out. However, it will require maintenance to keep the ends from splitting and to avoid a muddy shape.
#5 Textured Shag with Soft Waves
If you are looking for a shag of good quality and want to minimize time on maintenance and upkeep, this cut will work for you. With airy effects and a feeling of no loss of hair, while subtle layering is offset by the softness of the waves. This works best on fine to medium density. This cut is perfect for oval faces as it adds volume in the desired spots and doesn’t make the face look wider. I don’t have much more to say. It’s a great cut and requires little effort.
#6 Shoulder-Length Shag with Cheekbone-Framing Pieces
I love how the face-framing pieces hit right at the cheek bones. It really adds to the overall look of the cut. For oval and heart shapes, it really emphasizes that part of the bone structure. The subtle colour change is great as it adds some variety so the hair doesn’t look boring. This is a lovely everyday cut. She looks modern with out being too trendy which is great because she won’t feel dated in six months. It does need some maintenance. Shoulder length shag cuts that have grown out with out trims tend to lose that layered look and start to look a bit shabby.
#7 Wavy Bob with Soft Fringe
This one is a bit shorter than most so it’s more in bob territory than a true shag, but the fringe and the textured layers push it into the same family. If your hair has a natural wave, this should be super easy to style, almost wash-and-go. If thicker hair, you might need to use some smoothing cream so it doesn’t end up too bulky on the sides. I think it’s a really nice length on a lot of people and the fringe stops it from being too conservative which is nice.
#8 Shoulder-Length Shag with Soft Bangs and Highlights
My favorite type of cut is this one because it’s the type of shag that actually gets kept. Not every client wants something editorial, most want a cut that looks nice while they go about their day, and this is the type of cut that does that. The bangs are soft enough that they’re not a commitment, unlike blunt bangs, so you can choose to sweep them to the side or let them fall and either way it works. The highlights give depth without being the focal point. This look is best suited for medium density wavy hair.
#9 Modern Shag with Subtle Highlights and Easy Movement
I love this color! The highlights are so well placed around the face and upper layers. This way every time the hair moves you get a great flash of dimension that isn’t stripy or overdone. For someone who wants brightness around the face without having to spend three hours in foils, this is the way to go! The cut is a pretty standard shag medium length with nice face framing layers. On fine hair it will appear thicker which is a plus, but it will take a bit more styling than someone with natural texture to keep the movement going.
#10 Warm Brown Layers with Face-Softening Movement
It is clear that I am obsessed with soft warm brown tones and subtle highlights and this picture is no exception. It is the perfect combination of colors that brightens your face without announcing “I just had my hair done!” The layers give a soft flowing movement that ages well. I mean this is a cut and color combo that is appropriate and gorgeous for 30 to 55 year olds. The face framing layers do all the magic. They soften and draw attention to everything I love! With this haircut regular trims will be a must as the shape is soft and any overgrowth will look intentional.
#11 Curly Shag with Soft Fringe
The shaggy trend is coming to life with this style. Shag haircuts are all about letting your curls do their thing. I particularly like chin-length shag haircuts because the curls really bounce up rather than being weighed down. The bangs that blend into the face-framing layers seem to sit pretty loosely. I do have to say that if you have finer hair this cut probably won’t look like what you see here. It’s the medium to thick hair that creates the volume and definition, and that’s not something you can just fake with product.
#12 Layered Shag with Dimensional Highlights
This shag cut has been executed well and simply. The waves are natural and promote movement, the highlights provide just enough dimension, and the face framing layers are well positioned. This one is simple and is a cut that works for most face shapes and hair types with a few adjustments. For fine hair, dry texture spray at the roots will give that lived-in volume. Otherwise, this is as low effort as a layered cut gets.
#13 Tousled Shaggy Layers with Bangs and Balayage
This balayage is being smart and subtle, adding brightness throughout the layers without clashing with the cut. The bangs have a nice casualness to them, not super precise or chunky which makes them more forgiving as they grow out. I think this cut looks best on medium to thick hair as the layers require enough density to give that ‘messy’ separation. With thinner hair, the pieces tend to clump together rather than fall apart in that ‘messy’ manner. This is a good cut if you want something that looks effortless but still has a clear direction.
#14 Brunette Shag with Wispy Bangs
The layered hair cut on the model is taken to another level with the addition of some wispy bangs. Rather than looking childish, they create a look that is fun and playful. They would also be a great bang option for heart or round sufaces as they provide a forehead narrowing effect and they also serve to frame the face nicely. To achieve this look as its best, the hair should ideally be thick and wavy as this is what gives the cut the body and fullness. If you have thick hair that needs volume, this is a style you should consider as the layers will help manage the bulk of your hair. Keep in mind that with these types of bangs, you will have to get frequent trims. Because they can go from looking soft and wispy to scraggly in no time.
#15 Soft Layered Shag for Natural Curls
Rather than fighting with natural curls, this haircut takes them as part of the overall design. The layering is intended to create more volume in the curls and the framimg layers that sit in the front soften the overall look without concealing too much of the face. The length being above the shoulders means that the curls will weigh the hair down and stop the cut from losing its shape. This cut would give a new lease of life to people who have straightened their wavy/curly hair for years. For fine and straight hair this cut is not recommended as it will work against the cut and the look is intended to work with the cut rather than against it.
#16 Mid-Length Shag with Bangs for Fine to Medium Hair
This shag style works great for fine to medium hair, especially this hair type. The layered bangs are fun and they add more volume to the style. If you take lots of photos this style is great, but if you don’t want to put in a lot of work to style it you can still just let it go. This really is a great cut! The light layers give an effortless look that is put together. The good thing about layered styles is that they do need to be maintained more. In fine hair, grown out layers can look thin and not intentionally textured. The look is best maintained with trims every 6 weeks.
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