30 Best Butterfly Haircuts with a Side Part for Women in 2026

Not everyone wants that Gen Z look that comes with a butterfly cut – a middle part. A side part makes the whole look different.

Last month I had a client who had been straight across the middle of her hair for years because she believed that was the only way to do a butterfly cut because of TikTok. When I moved her part about an inch and a half to the left, her face opened up so much she went quiet for a second and smiled. Those are my favorite moments. A side part can accentuate your cheekbones, jawline, and all the softness that’s been buried in your hair, if you have medium to thick hair with a lot of layers. Many people don’t know that the depth of your part can make a bigger difference than the cut itself. For an oval face, a soft part that isn’t too deep is ideal, but for round and square faces a deeper part gives a lot of drama and contour. If you have thinner hair, let your stylist know you want shorter layers at the crown so you avoid that deflated by lunchtime look. I’ve found some great inspiration that you can take to your appointment.

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#1: Soft Layered Butterfly at Medium Length

This is one of those cuts that falls and moves in all the right ways. The soft layers blend together seamlessly. They do not take the light in a way that appears distracting and that is always a plus because who doesn’t love a healthy hair illusion? What really makes this length is the versatility. It hits that perfect length where it is easy to pull back into an updo, but it is also designed to look good worn down. The subtle highlights give a bit of dimension to the overall look and helps to avoid the effect of looking too one-dimensional. Overall, this is the perfect wash and wear cut especially for anyone with fine to medium hair as it gives that effortless hair requires a ton of work illusion.

#2 Warm Copper Butterfly with Soft Movement

Let me start with the color! Achieving a warm, coppery color like this one that looks alive and not like a box dye situation takes real skill from your colorist. Whoever did this nailed the warmth without letting it go brassy. The shoulder length layers are also the perfect canvas for this type of color because you get enough surface area to really see the dimension without the weight pulling everything straight. If you are considering going copper, know that it does ask more of you in terms of upkeep. A good color-depositing shampoo is going to be your best friend, but once you see how the light hits those layers, you won’t mind the extra step!

#3 Long and Easy Butterfly with Face-Framing Pieces

This look is great because it doesn’t look overdone. It seems like she just has great hair on a great day. The face framing layers accentuate the features she wants to draw attention to. The rest of the hair looks nice, but it doesn’t look like it was styled to death. The mid length of the hair has a slight wave which also helps. This leads me to believe that she has naturally good hair, or a good stylist who knows how to texture spray. The side part adds some nice asymmetry, and makes the face look nice without people really noticing.

#4 Sun-Kissed Butterfly Layers with Soft Texture

This color work will make people think you just got back from vacation! The sun-kissed look of the highlights is a technique that is difficult to master. The butterfly layers also contribute to that lived-in bounciness. The crown area is a perfect blend of short and long hair so that when the shorter pieces are above the longer pieces are below. This is the perfect blend of fine hair volume without making it clear you backcombed anything. This style has very low commitment and will keep you from panicking after a grow out period of six weeks. The shape will still be intact and your grow out will look good.

#5 Shoulder-Length Butterfly with a Balayage Whisper

The balayage in this style is subtle but helps to break up the layers so it doesn’t look too flat. I also like the shoulder-length cut because it will dry quicker, will be easier to style, and will still look soft and feminine. That’s just ideal for Wednesday mornings when you have twelve minutes. The good thing about the waves here is that they are soft enough that if your hair has any natural bend, you could do this look just by using your fingers and some air drying.

#6 Airy Mid-Length Butterfly with Gentle Texture

With this style, you can easily layer your hair. It allows for that flowing look and avoids that thin, cut up look that may happen with fine hair. The entire look is very light, giving an almost floating look to the hair and those soft highlights help that look. The face framing is softer with no heavy curtain bangs that take over the whole forehead, just little wisps at the bangs that soften the look. Not gonna lie, you may want to put some lightweight mousse to the mid lengths when it’s damp to keep the waves defined throughout the day.

#7 Tousled Auburn Butterfly at Shoulder Length

That light auburn color has warm and cool tones that are dependent on the light, and here it is doing something lovely. Her tousled finish gives a vibe that she ran her hands through it, walked out the door, and I think that is the vibe most of us are going for whether we admit it or not. At this length, the butterfly shape is subtle, but it is more noticeable when the crown layers lift away from the longer pieces underneath to create fullness without the bulk. This is going to look great with heart-shaped and oval faces because of the volume in all the right places, but honestly, the real selling point is how easy this will be to manage in between appointments.

#8 Feathered Butterfly Cut in a Cool Tone

This gives off such a nostalgic vibe! The texture is created using an old classic technique, but instead of blunt cut ends, they have been updated to look softer and more natural. That will give you nice movement as you move your head around. The color is one of my favorites as I think it will look even better if you have a pink or neutral skin tone and I think it brings a more modern and fresh look to the overall cut. This is one of those ‘less is more’ styles for sure. If you have fine to medium density hair, it will look really effortless. For those with very thick hair, your stylist will need to do a lot of internal layering to avoid a puffy look.

#9 Long Butterfly with Caramel Dimension

Those caramel highlights are perfectly placed, framing the face, and through the lengths where they do something instead of hiding underneath the hair. The overall density is working in her favor here, as medium to thick hair holds this kind of long layered shape really well. The volume sustains itself and the layers keep it from looking like one heavy curtain of hair. I always tell my clients that a cut like this is an investment in trims though, because once those layers start growing out unevenly the whole thing loses its magic, so you will have to budget for a reshape every eight weeks or so.

#10 Long Textured Butterfly with Soft Face-Framing

I like to spend a little extra time on this type of haircut because the face-framing layers have to be perfect. If they’re too short, they can stick out at all kinds of weird angles. If they’re too long, they can be pretty useless. The way these layers are falling really helps create a nice softening effect around the jawline. The natural, uncomplicated texture throughout the length of the hair gives me the impression that her stylist used a razor to create that soft, slightly frizzy look at the ends. This haircut is pretty manageable if your hair is finer. The layers are light enough to create movement without it looking too thin. To be honest, some balayage would really make this look wonderful.

#11 Natural Highlights on a Textured Butterfly

I like how the natural highlights blend with the texture of the haircut, and I like that the highlights don’t look like obvious chunky stripes. They are woven throughout the hair so that they are visible or hidden as the hair moves, which gives a more natural look. The loose wave gives just enough interest without crossing into the “I obviously curled my hair this morning” territory. This is a very nice mid-length haircut that will look good throughout the week. If you keep your hands out of your hair, you can wash it on Sunday night, and it will look intentional all the way to Wednesday.

#12 Butterfly Cut with Gentle Waves and Natural Body

I think quality butterfly cuts are a bit underappreciated when it comes to elevating hair that just kind of… sits there. The layers in a butterfly cut create movement, even in fine hair. The soft waves created add volume to the hair without adding too much weight, and the soft touch from the framing layers around the face is flattering without being too fussy. If you want to take it further, a balayage would be a gorgeous addition and honestly, a single tone works just as well because the cut is doing enough on its own.

#13 Short Curly Butterfly with Playful Volume

This hairstyle is playful; however, I’ll be sincere here—few stylists are versed in executing a butterfly cut on short hair curls like this. If you’re using this image as a reference, be sure to tell your stylist that they need to have worked with hair that has some texture, because the layering will have to be done differently compared to hair that is straight. The defined curls create a lively and bouncy look (which I adore) and the style is especially flattering for square and oval face shapes since the volume is up and out as opposed to being draggy down. This look is extremely fun for a good hair day, though you might need to use an anti-humidity product to keep the frizz under control, especially in the heat.

#14 Clean Textured Butterfly with Straight Layers

Not all haircuts need curls or waves. Straight hair can look just as nice with gentle layering done throughout the haircut. You can see some gentle layering technique here. The individual pieces aren’t thick or obvious, and the blending is so smooth that the shape and movement overpower the layering technique to the point where you can’t tell where the layers begin or end. In my opinion, this is the sign of an exceptional haircut. I like that this is the kind of design that is polished enough for an office job but is also pretty relaxed for the weekend, and I like that it holds its shape really well between washes. To be honest, that is more important to me than how it looks in photos.

#15 Textured Butterfly with Soft Playful Waves

The waves of your hair have just the right amount of character. They aren’t too ‘clean’, or too ‘messy’, but just at the sweet spot to create that look that your hair just miraculously looks good without having to ‘force’ it. The side part is the one I like the most because it gives that touch of sweeping across the forehead, and is way more interesting than a dead centre part. Lastly the layers are creating waves and adding so much more texture to the look. If you have naturally wavy hair and have been flat ironing it, maybe look at this and consider letting your hair do its thing, because this look is a result of working with your hair instead of flat ironing it.

#16 Voluminous Butterfly with Bouncy Body

Gone are the days when achieving the look of freshly blow-dried hair would take an hour with a round brush as you can achieve the same look in 15 minutes with a good haircut and large barrel curling iron. The butterfly layers add volume height to the crown without the need for teasing. That’s the point of a good butterfly shape; it does all the volumizing for you. With a warm caramel color, I can really see this capturing light in all the right places that would compliment and elevate the look from pretty to something really special. This is totally achievable with the right cut if your hair is fine to medium.

#17 Medium Butterfly with Quiet Layering

I call this “quiet layering” because it adds texture and movement to the hair without it being overwhelming and obvious. It works very nicely on straight and wavy hair since it gives a nice frame to the natural texture. The medium length is also forgiving enough to where you don’t have to worry about it looking weird as it grows out. The internal shorter layers create volume at the crown, which a lot of people forget to ask for and are left disappointed when their hair is flat on top. So when you take this to your stylist, be sure to mention that!

#18 Long Flowing Butterfly with Elegant Movement

This style really showcases the time and commitment that must have gone into growing hair out to this length while keeping layers that are more than just random. It also demonstrates the artistry of a stylist who isn’t just doing cut and dry trims, but has sculpted the layers to create some nice movement and flow. The longer hair that is layered and pulled back out of the way, gives the overall style that beautiful, elegant, flowing look. The side part is also a nice touch for asymmetry so it doesn’t feel too polished or bridal. I also think she is either extremely fortunate to have great genes or is very, very diligent with her leave in conditioner.

#19 Wavy Butterfly at Medium Length with Easy Texture

I find myself suggesting this style most often for clients who say they want something that looks nice, but aren’t looking to spend more than five minutes on their hair in the morning. The natural waves do most of the work, along with the cut. Fine to medium hair has this lightness to it, and the butterfly layers accentuate that perfectly. The face-framing pieces sit right where they should to flatter without it feeling like bangs. If your hair is on the finer side, you might want to keep a dry texture spray in your bag for the afternoon refresh. But otherwise, this is genuinely wash-and-go territory.

#20 Rich Chocolate Butterfly with Bouncy Curls

The chocolate brown color looks rich and warm, and not too dyed (which I think is the sweet spot most people are looking for when they ask for something more dramatic). The curls are bouncy and definte, framing the face like a portrait. And the layers are cut to not fight the curl pattern, but to encourage it. This is a great example of a color/cut combo. The warm brown hue captures the light at the high points of each curl and creates the dimension that you typically would need highlights for, but you don’t need it here because the shape is doing it all.

#21 Chin-Length Layers on a Bouncy Butterfly

I appreciate the new layering technique it starts at the chin area because it helps to frame the face, and avoids the top heavy mushrooming look that can happen with shorter overall lengths. Also it’s important to note the bounce in this cut is from the layering, so this is not heat or product induced bounce. This will look like this day 2 and 3, not just immediately after you style it. Your base color is neutral enough to play well with subtle highlights down the road if you wanted to go there, but I think it looks great as is. Sometimes with a great cut on healthy hair, it doesn’t even need color to be interesting.

#22 Long Copper Butterfly with Flowing Layers

The thing I like most about this style is the warm cinnamon copper color. I could probably talk about this color for days. It is beautiful in the sunlight and doesn’t get that muddy tone that a lot of indoor reds get. That shows me she knows what she’s doing, and my colorist is spot on with the formula. I also appreciate the long layers. It’s a subtle detail, but it adds a lot of movement without losing length, which is a common concern for clients with long hair. This particular style works best for oval or heart face shapes because of how nicely it complements those shapes. People (rather irritatingly) love to run their fingers through silky hair like this and I actually consider that a nice compliment. Overall, the layers and face-framing give the hair a touchable and really satisfying finish.

#23 Medium Wavy Butterfly with Modern Framing

The waves are a timeless look that will always be in style. This is a cut that will still look good in five years. It is based on good technique and not what is currently trending on social media. The medium density is great. There is just enough hair to create movement without being too much. The side part creates an asymmetry that is more modern and sophisticated than a center part on most people over twenty five. It will need some product to helps those waves look like waves and not just wavy, but that won’t be a long process. It is only a few minutes of diffusion.

#24 Long Butterfly with Subtle Dimension

Not many people discuss how butterfly haircuts age over time. On wash day it looks fresh and all the layers look great, but by day 3 or 4 the layers start to blend together. Sometimes the haircut is still nice looking or sometimes it isn’t. This haircut looks like it would hold up. The face framing layers are nice because they won’t go wild, and the medium thickness looks really good because it’s not too heavy but still full. For long hair you definitely want to avoid split ends so keeping the ends trimmed is ideal.

#25 Side-Swept Butterfly with Warm Rich Tone

Soft side-swept bangs are nice because they don’t involve the full bang commitment that some people do daily with styling. These only involve a little sweep over the forehead to add softness to the entire cut. The warm and rich color is adding a lot of depth to the layers that would be lost with a cooler tone. This is great because it is a low-maintenance option that looks great even if you haven’t done anything to it. That’s the highest form of praise you can give a haircut, that it still looks good even when you don’t put in any effort.

#26 Copper Butterfly with Defined Bouncy Waves

My guess is that the waves were done with some skill, because they are so uniform and not just curling iron perfect. I actually think this is a combination of good layering with good styling, some curl defining cream on damp hair, and a diffuse. nnThe copper color is super vibrant and makes the whole cut feel energetic and youthful. The shoulder length is also smart because it keeps the volume focused at the face rather than spreading it over a longer length where it might get lost.nnAchieving this is easier than you think if your hair has some natural wave and is medium to thick. The cut is designed to work with the texture instead of imposing it.

#27 Icy Blonde Layered Bob with Soft Texture

Here’s a hair opinion I have that might be controversial: The icy blonde trend might be the hardest hair color to upkeep, but it is the easiest to mess up. It is incredible how people can get better than average icy blonde hair. The money they spend on it looks worth every penny when you get a great cut as well. When you have white blonde hair, the only thing you should have to do is use a purple shampoo every few weeks to fight the brass. The cut will require minimal upkeep and will stay looking great with only a few touch ups. The cob bob style is flattering on fine hair. With a good cut, the hair will respond to the cut more instead of looking heavy or ”helmet-y” so the movement will look more textured. The hair will also look thicker because of all the layers added. Overall, the color will not require as much upkeep in the future, but the cut will require more at first.

#28 Voluminous Butterfly with Glowing Highlights

This volume is amazing ! The hair layers give volume from root to tip, not looking thinner or thicker in any area. The highlights are placed to capture movement, revealing a new pattern of light and dark when the hair sways. This gives hair a dynamic look. The described technique is perfect for fine to medium hair. The illusion of density is created by the layers, and the highlights help to bolster that illusion, meaning that even if your hair is not naturally thick, it can look like it, and that is honestly half the battle.

#29 Butterfly Cut with Soft Face-Framing Bangs

I always love it when a client brings a photo with bangs, because that means I know they are ready to make a commitment, and these face-framing bangs are a really good first step if you’ve never had bangs before because they are soft enough to blend back in to the layers as they grow. You’ll never be stuck in that awkward phase where you are pinning them back and hating your life. The cut falls just below the shoulders so you have enough length to still feel like you have long hair. You’ll also get all the benefits of the butterfly layering and fine to medium density here is wearing it beautifully with lots of air and movement through the lengths.

#30 Rich Chocolate Butterfly with Flowing Soft Waves

I’ve loved this cut so much, and it’s one of the reasons I fell in love with this profession in the first place. This is hair that can be considered an art form. It makes all components work together—cut, color, texture, etc. The shade of chocolate hits the sweet spot. It has that glow that makes good hair look even better. Butterfly layers are soft and create an amazing, undulating form. Here, hair thickness is an advantage, as it keeps the wave pattern all day without needing to be restyled. Thin and subtle layers are the secret to avoiding a heavy look with thick hair. This style achieves that balance perfectly.