Do you want to lose the grandma haircut? You’re in luck! A short edgy haircut is contemporary and spunky. In this article we will go through 25 edgy short haircuts to help distance yourself from grandma hair.
People often do not think about this enough. If an over 60 woman sits in front of me and says she wants something different, I know right away that she has the same boring round set and forget style that she has probably had for years and is finally fed up with it. I understand it. At some point someone told her short hair, or conservative hair cuts, and she just went along with it. That is the biggest problem here.
A couple years ago I had a client who was a retired teacher. She came in with a picture of her daughter’s haircut and before I said anything she commented “I know this is too young for me.” It was not too young. It was an attitude filled pixie cut and she looked incredible. She was literally crying in my chair. These cuts have that impact. And no, it’s not about trying to look younger. It’s about looking like you still care, and that’s attractive no matter your age. Let’s dive into the 25 short haircuts that actually have some spirit. You deserve more than “age appropriate.”
#1: The Asymmetrical Bob That Makes You Look Like You Have Somewhere Important to Be
An asymmetrical bob will always have a special place in my heart. Styles at this length that have this much structure and edge while still being feminine are few and far between. This one has a shorter back and a front that is longer and swoops. The highlights are beautiful. They brighten the area and still remain understated. If you’ve got fine hair and have struggled with flat bobs, this graduated shape will create the illusion of a lot more thickness. Achieving this look only requires a flat iron and ten minutes. Considering how intentional this cut is, that’s pretty good.
#2 The Silver Pixie That Proves Layers Are Everything
This is the type of pixie cut I try to convince people to get when they are nervous about cutting their hair shorter for the first time. Here, the layers do all the work; they provide movement and volume, making it look like you effortless woke up and styled your hair. Plus, the silver color is gorgeous! If you are going gray, this looks much better than having to fight it with box dye every six weeks. You will have to get trims every four to five weeks to keep it from going shapeless, but that’s a small price to pay.
#3 Fluffy Choppy Crop for When You Want Volume Without Trying
You don’t need to mourn the loss of volume in your hair anymore! This haircut is a solution to the problem! This cut is full of fluffy, choppy layers which will really give the illusion of volume in your hair. The light gray color also give the entire look a softness that I love. A little texturizing spray and you’re good to go! This haircut looks high maintenance but is surprisingly low maintenance, which is my favorite type of haircut to style on people!
#4 Silver Spiky Pixie for the Woman Who Doesn’t Do Boring
I love the fact that this look takes some confidence to wear. While some women might think the playful, spiky texture is a bit too young for them, they can absolutely pull it off! This look will definitely give you some volume since the layering at the crown will keep short, fine hair from looking flat or wispy. This cut is going to take some styling, and I won’t lie, you will need some pomade to define and separate pieces; however, the extra three minutes is totally worth it!
#5 Soft Volume Pixie That Looks Good on Literally Everyone’s Mom
I’ve done this cut on so many women I could probably do it in my sleep, and that’s a compliment to this cut, not an insult to my attention span. The volume on top with the tapered sides is flattering in a way that most pixies aren’t, and it is just so easy to wear. You don’t even have to be a styling genius to make it look good. If you know you know! A little lightweight mousse and finger dry. What people don’t realise is that after about five weeks it will start to grow out and lose its shape so just keep your standing appointment.
#6 Clean-Edged Pixie for the Woman Who Likes Things Precise
Women each possess their individual sense of style, and this applies to the second woman. The nape line is sharp, the sides are clean, and the crown volume is nice enough to avoid reading too severe. I enjoy this look on someone who is more structured with their style and nice earrings because it really elevates the whole thing. The upkeep is a real commitment, those clean lines will look fuzzy in a few weeks so I’m not really mad about how frequently you’ll be in my chair.
#7 Feathery Textured Crop in the Most Wearable Brown
My favorite cut for clients that want something modern, but aren’t ready to go fully pixie is this one! It’s the perfect length to keep you feeling safe while keeping you looking modern and on trend. The feathery layers add movement, but not messiness, and that warm brown with soft highlights is the type of color that brightens up your complexion. It’s hard to pinpoint what it is, but you look more radiant! Low commitment and high reward. That’s the whole pitch.
#8 Highlighted Pixie That Knows Exactly What It’s Doing
The soft highlights around the face really work. They create an illusion of brightness without having that obvious striped effect. The cut is just above the ears with enough texture on top to give it movement. If your hair is thinner, a volumizing powder will be necessary right at the roots to keep it from going flat by lunch. For this shape, straight hair works best as it allows the layers to lay cleanly.
#9 Wavy Textured Crop for the Natural Curl Girls
This haircut will work with your texture and waves instead of fighting against it. That’s really rare for shorter cuts. The volume and texture from your waves is a huge advantage. Women with straight hair have to fake volume and texture with product. The layers around your face will soften your features in the best way possible. This is the ultimate wash and go hair for the right texture and if that’s you, I’m a little jealous.
#10 Silver Pixie with Just the Right Amount of Edge
The silver color is amazing! The color looks bright and fresh, and it’s clear that you didn’t just stop coloring and hope for the best. The added textures look great, and they add movement to the color and prevent it from looking like a helmet. That’s the main complaint I hear from women who have had awful pixie cuts. This silver tone will look gorgeous on you if you have a cool undertone to your skin. If you have a warm undertone, we would have to shift the tone a bit, but the cut is solid either way.
#11 Lavender Pixie for the Woman Who Says “Why Not”
In general, I like the clients who describe the color as lavender without a second thought. These clients are the best, so unpredictable, and lavender truly looks amazing on the right person! Textured layers will modernize the looks. There is definitely a risk of looking costume-y with fashion colors and short hair, but I will say, with very fine hair, a volumizing mousse is an absolute must to keep those layers ‘bouncy’, and if you wash your hair with sulfate shampoo, the color will fade way quicker than you are expecting, especially with how fresh it is. But for now, it’s definitely 100% worth it.
#12 Silver Crop with Crown Volume That Defies Gravity
The lift from the crown is everything! It adds structure to the whole cut and makes the face look longer and more lifted. This is something many women start to prioritize more as they get older and things go south, to be frank. The silver is sleek and contemporary and the shape is adaptable enough that you can wear it smooth one day and textured the next. A round brush and a blow dryer are really all you need to get this going in the morning.
#13 Side-Swept Silver Pixie That Looks Expensive
The classy look of this cut is highlighted by the elegant silver color and the accurate separation of layers. With this cut, the hair is short at the back, and the side-swept bangs give hair a certain character. People may think you visit an expensive salon, and while you might, you are not paying a lot for the work the cut is doing. This cut is beneficial for hair that is fine and more cleanly lays. You cannot skip out on trim appointments as the cut will lose that polished look.
#14 Tousled Pixie with Highlights That Actually Look Natural
I wish more colorists would do these highlights. They are subtle and give a natural feel rather than yanking the client out of the chair screaming, ‘I got my hair done last Tuesday, come check out my fresh highlights!’ The way the layers are tousled really creates that look that people want but very few achieve. If you have fine hair, the texture from those layers will be your very best friend. You’re basically done after a little bit of dry texture spray, and some finger styling. At the end of the day, it’s sophisticated and sassy, a hard combination to get right.
#15 Soft Layered Cut That Frames Everything Perfectly
This is a gentle type of cut that can show delicate layering work around the face, but if your stylist is a bit more on the rushed side, it won’t be as good as an example cut. A length just above the jawline gives enough weight to sit and move nicely, while still feeling light and fresh, and the highlights woven through the layers catch light in a way that, believe it or not, makes the complexion look so much more radiant than other highlight jobs I have seen. If you are moving away from a longer style, and are nervous about making the leap to short too quickly, this length is a great stopping point.
#16 Silver Bob with Bangs That Actually Behave
When bangs are done right, They can look really chic and great, and in this case, they definitely look wispy and chic. The bangs look really soft and go along really well with the lines of the bob, and the silver hair color is done beautifully and looks great. It’s very obvious the colorist knows what they’re doing. The length is above the shoulders which is versatile. This means you can tuck your hair behind your ears, pin one side back, and and do other things with your hair that most shorts cuts don’t allow. Using a lightweight leave-in conditioner at the ends of your hair will prevent them from looking dry and will do all of this without adding weight.
#17 Cropped Silver Cut That Somehow Looks Both Casual and Polished
The way that the silver highlights have been placed really shows an understanding of the technique. Unfortunately, poor placement of highlights to a short hair cut is something I see regularly. This is the complete opposite. The short hair cut that is clean, above the ears, and surprising to most women, really is a freeing length once you get used to it. The texture on top is enough to keep the hair style interesting without it being too complicated. If you have been in a rut with your hair for a while, it is true that this style is different enough to feel like a real change, but not so extreme that you will panic when looking at the style in the mirror.
#18 Warm Choppy Layers for the Woman Who Wants Effortless
Our model showcases hair that has a beautiful warm tone that enhances the skin tones of the clients. It also adds to the relaxed feel that blends perfectly with the accident leave in the cut. Grows out hair is often left in bed and to sleep. Jennifer gets that sometimes, a look is done by doing less. The subtle edges contrast the strong, and create a smoother look. A less choppy, the aggressive and can be professional and light opinion of an employee. Looking edgy is the opposite.
#19 Soft Pixie with Highlights Placed by Someone Who Knows What They’re Doing
This particular style has a layered finish which adds volume and movement to the hair, making it appear almost double in thickness. For women with fine hair, this is practically a holy grail. Highlights have been woven through just the right amount to create some dimension, so in three weeks you won’t be looking at a grow-out obvious. This is a style that actually looks great while air-dried and also styled, and I do not say that lightly, because it seems like most stylists say that way too much. It does need regular trims to keep the style looking intentional and not grown out, but honestly, it is pretty low maintenance in between appointments.
#20 Soft Volume Crop with a Little Attitude
This one has playful volume at the crown, and it’s what gives the whole cut an energy that flat, close-cropped styles just don’t have. If fine to medium hair is your case, this shape is going to work really well for you because it’s designed to maximize what you’ve got without a lot of product or heat. The subtle highlights also add dimension that keeps it from looking flat or one-note. Now, if thick hair is the case, we’d need to have a different conversation because this airy, lifted shape is harder to achieve with that much density. But for most of the women I see, this would be a really good fit.
#21 Platinum Spiky Pixie for the Boldest Woman in the Room
I also appreciate the courage it takes to go platinum. The spiky layers add even more character, and the short cut means you won’t have to deal with an excessive amount of damage from the bleaching. It is an obvious statement cut and if you like being the center of attention, this is the cut for you. Plan on doing some color upkeep since you’re going to want to be bringing purple shampoo to your appts. I’m sure you’re going to want to touch up the color more often than you think, but for this look it is absolutely worth it.
#22 Curly Short Cut That Celebrates What Your Hair Actually Wants to Do
I would like to see women with natural curls and waves stop straightening their hair and get styles that work with their natural hair texture like this one! Defined bouncy curls at chin length are amazing! They also frame the face much better than a blunt bob at the same length. If this is your texture, the only thing that would take a lot of effort would be to use a diffuser. Everything else is just curl defining cream and scrunch. The only thing to really worry about would be humidity and frizz, but with the right products that problem can be solved. I love this cut!
#23 Layered Gray Bob with Wispy Bangs for the Woman Who Wants Easy Elegance
I would call this a Bob Gateway. For those types of women who want to keep some length, this is a compliment, as it is a stunning ‘transitional’ cut. The soft layering here is just enough for movement without looking too over-textured, and the bangs are just the right amount to add some personality. It is over the shoulder length, and you can still pull it back if you need to, which is a comfort thing that means more than people think. The gray here looks so natural and elegant, and lightweight mousse will be your best friend to enhance the texture without the crunch.
#24 Layered Crop with Soft Bangs That Take Years Off
Bangs can definitely have a big impact on your overall look. In this case, the bangs create a younger look, especially since they are blended with the other layers instead of sitting heavy on the forehead. When bangs are cut more edgy, they can look a bit more obvious and disconnected from the rest. The extra soft volume in the layers along with the highlights create a spread out “just got back from a vacay” look. This is a haircut that will depend on the stylist’s skill as the bangs will require a lot of maintenance and touch ups every couple of weeks. With this haircut, it does take maintenance, but it does look great and is not surprising that my clients with this cut don’t mind the upkeep.
#25 Layered Gray Bob with Volume That Moves
Bob hair cuts can use all kind of tricks to add volume to your hair; product, backcombing (also known as teasing), and all those other methods that can make hair feel full, but end up leaving your hair feeling crunchy and gross. What this haircut does is take advantage of sectioned layers in a way that actually feels soft and smooth. Sitting just below your jawline, this cut effectively displays your neck and jawline, while still being long enough to maintain some softness and femininity to the look. The natural looking gray with a hint of color is a beautiful compliment. Then the well-placed layers result in a cut that has movement, so it never goes stagnant. In fact, this is one of those styles that can take you from doing chores in the day to going out in the evening with no alterations, and honestly, that’s the whole point of a good hair cut in my opinion.
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