Butterfly haircut: Mastering the latest long hair trend
Giving a sexy Seventies look a modern update, the butterfly cut is incredibly flattering.
A major celebrity hair trend that will be continuing into 2025, this long, layered haircut has been seen on a diverse range of famous faces from Sabrina Carpenter and JLo to Sydney Sweeney and Ayo Edibiri.
”The butterfly haircut is a long hairstyle with lots of layers that usually start from around the face, but can include bang pieces on top,” says Matilda Marshall, director at Paul Edmonds London.
“It's all about having a lot of shape around the front and a nice amount of layers through the back.”
The name comes from the curved shape created by the graduated layers of hair with a middle parting, which reflects the silhouette of butterfly wings. Inspired by 1970s haircuts, the voluminous butterfly cut gives the Farah Fawcett look a 90s twist.
“In the 70s they had it so the hair would flick back off the face. The difference now is that instead of it all flicking in one direction, the hair bends in all different directions, due to how it’s blow dried,” Matilda explains.
She’s a big fan of the butterfly look, which can be modified to suit different face shapes and hair types: “You can tailor the amount of layering and the shape depending on the thickness of the client’s hair, so even clients with fine hair can have a softer version. They can still have bounce and body to add movement and excitement to a haircut.”
Wondering if the butterfly cut could be your new look for 2025? Here, Matilda explains everything you need to know about the trend to help you decide…
WHICH FACE SHAPES DOES THE BUTTERFLY HAIRCUT SUIT?
“The good thing about the butterfly haircut is that because you're tailoring the layer depth and height, it can suit every face shape,” Matilda says.
“I would say if anyone has a rounder face, I wouldn't start the layers just below the jawline, because that's only going to round it more. I would cut some shorter bangs to enhance their cheekbones, or starting the shape a little bit lower down, kind of collarbone level, so that it elongates their jawline.
If you’ve got a heart-shaped face like Sabrina Carpenter the classic butterfly wing shape is ideal, while people with a longer face shape would benefit from shorter layers: “I would create the layering so that it just touches their jawline and rounds their face more, as opposed to if you start the shape too long it elongates everything.”
DOES THE BUTTERFLY CUT WORK ON DIFFERENT HAIR TYPES AND LENGTHS?
Using a bespoke approach, your stylist can create a butterfly cut that works for almost any hair type or length, provided the hair is long enough.
“You can do a medium-length cut, but essentially the butterfly shape starts around your jawline, so if the hair falls too close to the jawline you've not got enough room to add shape. The hair needs to be at least 50% longer than the length of your face,” Matilda explains.
For finer hair types, she says: “They could still have face-framing layers but I wouldn’t layer through the back as much as I usually would with a butterfly haircut. They would still have the illusion when they bring their hair forward that they've got the butterfly shape.”
The graduated look works particularly well for curly hair too, she adds: “A lot of curly-haired clients want a very round look with their curls, they want body and bounce, so by having that amount of layers and face-framing shape it rounds their hair nicely.”
HOW DO YOU BLOW DRY AND STYLE A BUTTERFLY CUT?
You could leave your butterfly cut to dry naturally for a laidback look, but to create bouncy, voluminous waves it’s essential to blow dry or heat style your hair with the right products. Start by applying mousse to wet hair.
“Davines Volume Boosting Mousse is great because it's more powdery as opposed to sticky,” Matilda says.
“Next, add a serum or leave-in conditioner to get the shine to the mid-lengths and ends, followed by Davines Curl Building Serum or Oribe Creme for Style on the ends helps to hold the bounce and give heat protection.”
but also helps to hold the bounce and the body in the ends of the hair. And what you're going to do is if you are competent, blow drying your hair, you can set it in either large rollers or pin curls.
If you’re confident with curlers, blow dry your hair with a round brush then set it in sections with larger rollers or pin curls.
“Setting the hair is what's going to really give it that hold as opposed to just using a round brush or a hot brush such as a Dyson or a Shark,” Matilda says.
“If you're only confident using a tong, not blow drying, I would still suggest tonging it and then putting it in rollers in sections, starting from the top to create body.”
To finish, add a spritz of hair spray or texture spray: “Davines Dry Texturizer spray or Oribe Dry Thick Finishing Spray are really nice. They can be sprayed all the way through to the ends to really fluff the hair out and show off the shape.”
The butterfly effect
It’s easy to see why so many stylish celebs have adopted the voluminous butterfly haircut - it’s sexy, stylish and can be customised to suit any face shape.
By chatting to your hair stylist you can work out the best variation of the butterfly look for you and embrace a fabulous layered look that makes the most of your hair type and flatters your features.
Ready to jump on the butterfly bandwagon? Book your next cut at Paul Edmonds London.
