My favorite shag cuts are the ones that didn’t look overly planned. Rather, the cut looks like it has a bit of effort put into it. Stylist’s creativity has to complement the cut while retaining that focus. That’s what I consider great style, and I think that is also why so many shag cuts flop. Some stylists lack confidence and commit to just an average cut with some bangs. Others go too far and over cut the style leading to a look that is thin and sad.
Years ago, I had a client who showed me a picture of Stevie Nicks from 1977, and her hair was pin-straight and fine like silk. Every stylist and colorist she had been to before told her that a shag wasn’t going to work for her texture, and that she needed more body and more waves. I disagreed with them back then, and I still do. What I consider modern shags, the texture does not come from your natural curl pattern. It can come from the cut, how the weight is removed, where the shortest layers are, and how the ends are finished. A lot of the more interesting shags I see these days are on straight hair, wavy hair, curly hair, fine hair, and thick hair. The most interesting thing about it is that the cut adapts, and that is why women keep coming back to it even as other trends cycle through.
#1: Copper Curly Shag Transformation
I love this before and after because it highlights exactly what I was saying in the intro! In the before photo, her gorgeous natural curl is lacking in shape and structure, and is dragging her features down. The shag cut totally re-distributes the volume upwards and around the face, and all of a sudden those curls have purpose and direction. The copper color reflects light differently now that the top layers are shorter and the curl pattern is tighter, creating more surface area for light to bounce off of. Whoever did this really understood curly shag architecture!
#2: Bright Copper Long Curly Shag
I could go on and on about this copper colour . It really is one of the hardest shades to get right and they nailed it. It’s bright without being orange and warm without being brassy. It has a great finish with variation from root to tip that looks like enhanced natural redhead hair as opposed to completely manufactured. There are curls that go from waves to defined spirals in sections, and the shag layering allows every curl to do their own thing instead of forcing them all into the same shape. The wispy bangs are perfect here becasue a heavy bang on curly hair can look like a hat sitting on top of your head, and these totally avoid that.
#3: Long Jet Black Wavy Shag
The individual face-framing pieces on this one are cut shorter than the bangs, creating a super nice layered curtain effect around the cheekbones. The jet black color is rich against her skin tone, and the wavy texture helps it to not appear too heavy or goth despite the dark color and volume at the crown. It is a simple and well-done dark shag.
#4: Golden Honey Short Shag
Even though this golden honey tone is probably a single process with some face-framing highlights, it has that slightly warm, slightly muted quality that gives off an expensive look. The short shag shape allows the texture to define the style, and the longer pieces in front create an asymmetric look without being an actual asymmetric cut. It’s a shag that is low commitment and low maintenance and grows out nicely, which is one of the most important things to think about when choosing a cut like this.
#5: Curly Dark Pixie Shag
This is probably my favorite in the collection so far for how confident it is. It is the shortest shag and I think that really works for it. I love how they’ve applied shag principles to more of a pixie length, with enough length and texture on top to feel shaggy and the sides and back are cut super close. The natural curl provides all the texture you could want and the dark brunette color also helps keep it from being too harsh at this length. Not everyone could pull this off, but when it works it really works!
#6: Bright Ginger Shoulder-Length Shag
This is the type of ginger that people bring in reference photos of, and I have to explain that to achieve it you would have to lift to a very precise level and then deposit an exact amount of warm copper formula, and even then, it is very difficult to get this clean and this bright. Whether this is her natural shade or a result of color treatment, it’s a stunning example of how a true ginger works with a shag because the warmth and reflectiveness of the color make every single layer visible and distinct. The shoulder-length is the sweet spot for this shape, long enough to have movement, but short enough that the layers don’t lose their impact.
#7: Deep Cranberry Red Shag with Baby Bangs
The way this cranberry red is saturated, it goes deeper and more complex than most vivid red shades for dark hair that tend to fall flat and become two-dimensional. It seems to have been done over a pre-lightened base that got to the right underlying pigment before the red was added, because instead of murky darkness that occurs when red dye is just slapped onto virgin dark hair, you can see warmth and life in the color. The baby bangs and the layered flipped-out shape retrofuturism that matches the richness of the shade really well.
#8: Strawberry Blonde Wavy Shag
I would say this is a natural strawberry blonde, and if it’s been enhanced in any way, it was done with a touch of remarkable restraint. The lighter pieces around her face are where the sun would naturally lighten the hair, and the warmer copper tones through the lengths and underneath the hair feel completely organic. The shag shape is pretty chilled with longer layers and soft, wispy fringe that parts naturally. It’s the kind of haircut that looks totally right on the second day without any restyling.
#9: Tousled Brunette Curly Bob Shag
Here’s a great option for a super low-effort shag that allows your natural curl to do the work! The bangs are cut specially for the curl shrinkage so they land just at mid forehead when dried, and the overall shape has that effortlessly messy look that so many people try to achieve with a few flat iron moves and sea salt sprays. But with the right haircut, curly hair gets all that for free!
#10: Plum Brown Curly Bob Shag
When looking at the various colors and textures present in layered hairstyles, it brings me great joy to see a color shift in the brown that leans toward plum. This is best observed in the profile view where the light hits the curls at a certain angle. The brown lighter strands throughout the middle of the curls are not average highlights, but rather different tones of the same color that help give the curls clarity and definition. The bob-shag is full and rounded with plenty of internal layering so that the curls do not come together to form a single solid mass.
#11: Chocolate Brown Long Wavy Shag
This shag looks like it has been growing out for a couple of weeks past its freshest point, which is actually when I think shags look the best. The layers have softened, the bangs have grown an inch past their cut line, and there is an overall settled quality to the shag that you cannot get on a freshly cut head. The chocolate brown color has some warm sun-kissed highlights and the length gives her a ton of versatility to play around with styles.
#12: Wavy Black Chin-Length Shag
Short wavy shag style hair typically poofs out. The right techniques to remove weight will help eliminate this issue. This style has good shape. The chin-length base creates a solid foundation and enables the shorter upper layers to provide the right amount of lift to keep things from becoming unruly. At this length, the black color appears fuller and more substantial than it actually is. This will be a relief to anyone concerned that a shorter cut will make fine hair look thinner.
#13: Golden Blonde Curly Shag with Curtain Bangs
These blonde golden tones are buttery and warm and the natural curl pattern is really helping the shag layers create the rounded, bouncy silhouette. The curtain bangs have slight waves that blend perfectly into the face-framing layers so there are no harsh lines. This color is one of those shades that looks like a natural dark blonde base lightened with a few baby lights added to the top, just enough to brighten everything without full commitment to an all over blond.
#14: Warm Caramel Long Shag with Bouncy Curls
The warm caramel color does that thing where it changes based on how far she’s standing from the window, and I love that about warm brunette shades with this much copper underneath. The curled ends give it a more polished look than most shags in this roundup, showing that a shag doesn’t have to be undone to look good. The bangs are full and sit at the brow line, right above her lashes while the length goes past her shoulders, and the volume stays throughout. If you have thick hair and someone has told you that you can’t do a shag because it would be way too big, look at this photo and disregard that advice.
#15: Ink-Black Curtain Shag with Flipped Ends
This haircut includes some nice details on both the color and layer work, although this is a bit challenging because it’s a single solid shade. The jet black color reads really deeply, so the movement from the flipped-out ends is needed to keep it from looking flat. The curtain bangs aren’t the main focus here, which I liked especially because a lot of shags are too biased towards the bangs. In this case, the true artistry resides in the layering around the mid-lengths. This is what creates the volume around the jawline that shapes the entire cut when she moves.
#16: Vivid Magenta Wavy Shag
Many people would probably panic about the dark roots growing into the vivid magenta pink, but for this type of color, it is actually a sweet spot. The shadow root provides depth and texture making it look intentional rather than a growing out all over fashion color, and it means less upkeep at the salon because you aren’t battling against regrowth every four weeks. The shag layering and wavy texture make this color shift and move between hot pink and deep fuchsia depending on the light, which is what vivid colors should do.
#17: Ash Brunette Feathered Shag
I quiet shag styles can be really impressive and this ash brunette example shows why. The feathered layers are so smooth and gradual from the crown to the shoulders, so you can’t even tell where the transition is. The bangs are straight, as well as slightly parted, which keeps it looking modern instead of old fashioned. For those who want the shape and texture of a shag without the crazy, this is a great version.
#18: Burgundy and Copper Layered Shag
This is the perfect color combo and it deserves a big thumbs up. Burgundy with copper-red is truly amazing and proves that different color variations will make any red stand out even more. Every single layer of the shag cut is taking the sunlight and reflecting it slightly differently due to the variations in color saturation. In more direct sunlight, it will look even more beautiful and almost as though it is glowing. If you love this look, be prepared for a lot of commitment as red hair does fade really quickly so be sure to have a color safe shampoo and a color depositing conditioner that will keep your ends as vibrant as this hair appears.
#19: Curly Dark Shag with Bangs
Curly shag styles require specific understanding in dry cutting, which this stylist clearly has. The bangs hit perfectly right above the eyebrows and avoid the annoying “curl shrinkage” surprise. The layers fall beautifully through the length, and the curl definition is all natural (no curled ends to falsely replicate that texture)
#20: Sleek Dark Shag with Curtain Layers
Shags can work on straighter hair textures as shown in this profile view, and it’s all about how the layering is done. The crown layers that are shortest provide elevation without producing that mushroom effect. Also, the curtain fringe pieces make a nice seamless blend with the face framing. This cut has length that is retained in the back and sides while the top is where all of the personality is. It’s more subdued than most of the shags you see on social media, and it will honestly age much better than the more exaggerated shags.
#21: Long Black Shag with Heavy Fringe
There is so much going on with this fringe. I love the thickness, fullness, and straight across cut (that still has enough texture so it doesn’t look brutal). The layers are beautiful as well, I love how they get longer and more wavy as they go down, it creates that cascading effect. It adds so much movement on dark hair, where you would lose a lot of dimension. The dark brown-black color remains playful with the way the light hits the contrast of dark and light on the textured surface. This is exactly the type of thing that I think of when someone with a single process dark shade asks how to make their hair look less flat without adding highlights.
#22: Brunette Micro Shag with Baby Bangs
The fully embracing the short shag takes commitment, especially with the baby bangs and all the crown length just touching the jaw and the amount of texture at the crown. . This gives a kind of indie vibe that if it doesn’t resonate with you, speaks to you or not at all and a cut that short and textured is all or nothing. On finer hair this would need some help from a dry texture spray to keep that piecey separation from falling apart over the day.
#23: Dark Textured Bob Shag with Wispy Bangs
This shag does a great job of working with the hair’s natural texture instead of against it. The wave pattern is a bit uneven and unpredictable, and the cut embraces that instead of trying to tame it into uniformity. The bangs are thin and kept slightly separated, which also helps them from looking too heavy with a shorter length like this.
#24: Peach Sorbet Choppy Bob Shag
Let’s discuss this color, as it is accomplishing something quite specific and beautiful. This is a true peach color. It is not trying to be peach as a rose gold, and it isn’t a faded pink that ended up peachy by accident. It is warm and richly colored, and it is placed perfectly in that warm coral-apricot family. It looks stunning with her cool skin and blue eyes. The conventional wisdom would be to go for cooler toned colors with fair skin. However, this color choice completely debunks that. The shag choppy bob shape means that it won’t read as too sweet or too costume-y, which is what I was concerned about, and then the full blunt bangs really ground the whole look. With time, this color will fade gorgeously into something softer that will be reminiscent of that creamsicle look, and I actually think it will be even prettier.
#25: Warm Bronde Wavy Shag with Soft Fringe
The color here is the perfect in between dark blonde and light brunette which people pay a lot of money for and it look completely natural on her. What I appreciate about this shag in particular is that it doesn’t try to be dramatic. There are moderates layers, the bangs are soft, and the wave pattern does the styling for you. This is the type of cut that looks like it takes a while in the morning and it probably does, but all you have to do is work a little texturizing spray in and scrunch it and you’re good to go.
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