Long Live the Long Cut

Jul 22nd, 2024

This piece explores the most trending cuts for long hair, what celebrities they may be coming from and goes to seven industry experts on long cuts to bring you the best tips out there.

Courtesy of Kattya Marcela Hernandez

When it comes to cuts, it seems we see more insight and tutorials on short cuts on social media and the web, but I am here to tell you long cuts need love too! We all have plenty of clientele coming in and asking for us to freshen up their long locks, so why not brush up on the best tips and looks for long hair? This piece explores the most trending cuts for long hair, what celebrities they may be coming from and goes to five industry experts on long cuts to bring you the best tips out there.

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'70s and '90s Long Cut Influence

In 2023 and into 2024, we saw short cuts such as the Bixie, French bob, Pixie, textured bob and more getting a lot of attention. However, with them came a number of long looks such as long layers, '70s inspired cuts, lobs and more. We reached out to stylists to see what they are getting requests for behind the chair.

The most requested long cut that Caterina Leuzzi (@glamcatt) sees in Melandre Salon in Nutley, New Jersey is the "butterfly" cut. According to Caterina, "The trend for long cuts I’ve been seeing this year is a lot of layers with a wispy curtain bang and finishing with a bombshell blowout."

Further south in Orlando, Ellie Stommel (@thebangsbabe) is seeing a tie between the bob and face framing with bouncy layers. She also adds, "For me personally, bangs or some sort of curtain pieces are always a request too." But, Ellie and many other stylists are seeing a return of '90s inspired long layers. "I’m seeing a lot more requests for fullness and density in their long lengths rather than the more textured mermaid looks that I’ve been doing the past few years. I think the current cultural obsession with the '90s is the main source of inspo for these looks, and tools like the Airwrap or blow dry brushes have clients feeling more confident to grow out their hair and style it."

Jennifer Agadier (@jenniehairartist) is seeing the same '90s looks return. She adds, "The most requested long cut right now would definitely be the '90s supermodel cut, which is really just a long layered cut. People are loving bouncy, healthy and shiny hair right now. The clean girl era is still dominating with everyone focusing on self care." She echoed Ellie's note that clients are becoming confident in their ability to style their long hair with advancements in tools. She furthered, "Clients are also so much more open to learning to do their own hair. People want to master blowing out their own hair and going beyond just loose waves with a curling iron." Her clients often customize their long cuts with a curtain bang or a whispy short fringe.

Up in New York, Jacob Lee (@jacobleehair) is getting requests for wolf cuts, modern mullets, hush or hime cuts behind the chair. Like the stylists above, his clients often want curtain and wispy bangs as well. He haircuts have also taken a turn for more dramatic layers and leaner looks. "What I’m calling the modern mullet is super trendy right now. Since the layers are more dimensional and dramatic, it goes well with the current fashion trends. With the popularity of K-pop and K-beauty and accessibility of social media, these trends are easily accepted by Gen Z," adds Lee.

Kattya Marcela Hernandez (@dreamhairbycelaa) also recognized the "butterfly cut" as one of the most popular long cuts right now. Her most requested long cut is a v-shaped cut with layering, a heavy face frame, band and finished with a bouncy blowout.

Celebrity Long Cut Influence

We all know that when it comes to inspo picks, celebrities are utilized more often then not. So, are celebrities still fueling long cut inspo, and if so, which ones? Leuzzi actually finds that inspo from other stylists' pages are being brought in as inspo.

Sabrina Carpenter's hair is the inspiration behind many of the inspo looks that Stommel sees. She also gets requests for Sydney Sweeney's layers or her latest bob. "I love any celebrity hair influences. That’s how I became a hair dresser, trying to mimic my own hair in similar styles," she adds.

The inspo for long cuts coming into Agadier is often of Kim Kardashian. She, of course, has to remind her clients that Kardashian often will utilize extensions for her long looks. As far as the 90s looks resurging, Agadir adds, "People reference Pam Anderson, Jennifer Aniston and Cindy Crawford. Look at them now; still so timeless."

Lee's clients are inspired by South Korean actress and model Bae Suzy, Hanni from NewJeans and actress Go Min-si. Hernandez's clients take it back to the '70s with '70s images of the incredible Farrah Fawcett. She adds, "Her style is an inspiration to stylists across the board who try to embody the voluminous and feathered blowout."

1. Don't be afraid to cut.

Though most clients with long hair are nervous before the chop, the client's fears are only half of the battle according to Leuzzi. "I feel a mistake stylists make is being nervous to cut to much off and not creating enough layers in the hair."

Stommel agrees that stylists can be afraid to cut too many or too little layers. She explains, "Taking in to account your client's density and head shape will help tailor the cut to your client's overall look. I always make a point to ask in the consultation with long cuts 'do we like a more tapered skinny look on the ends or a fuller bottom?' Most people feel pretty strongly one way or another!"

2. Give yourself enough time.

Just because a cut is for longer hair doesn't mean it is more simple and will go faster. Agadier furthers, "I believe the biggest mistake some stylists may have is thinking longer hair is easier than shorter hair and maybe not giving those clients as much time or detailed work as short hair clients. With long hair, I keep in mind how their hair will look in a messy bun or a ponytail. I want their hair to look just as good in those styles as much as just down."

3. Utilize the consult.

Just as with color, the consultation is key. Stylists going into the long cut must make sure that they look at inspo photos and ask lots of questions — but also ask the right questions. Lee adds, "Getting the right length can be tricky. Sometimes clients think they want to take off length but really they only want to remove weight either by layering or texturizing. [This is] why the consultation is super important."

Leuzzi agrees with this, furthering, "Have a very thorough consultation to make sure this cut best suits their hair texture."

4. Think about shape.

Though hair is longer, it should still have shape, according to Hernandez. She adds, "A mistake that I’ve seen in longer haircuts would be lack of shape. As stylists, we need to look out for how we can enhance our clients' natural beauty. Always keeps the eyes, nose, chin and forehead in mind when curating a beautiful silhouette."

6. Make it interesting.

Even though a long cut may not seem as detailed or interesting as a short cut, that doesn't mean it has to be. We love Strommel's advice that "a cut is only as boring as you make it!" So, what will you make of your long cuts? Strommel adds, "I think that the simplicity of long layers can be a missed opportunity — it can still be interesting! Some invisible weight removal or soft face-framing pieces hidden under the front can make a traditional cut so much more exciting."

If you want to try something different with your long hair client, Agadier says you should ask during the consultation. "Always ask if your long hair clients want to try something a little different. Changing up the the perimeter to a rounded or V-shape, adding a few face framing layers or even, on fine haired clients, giving them a few light surface concave layers can inspire and excite them. Those clients will more likely stay loyal knowing you are consistent with respecting their long hair, yet you are open to changing it up for them if needed."

7. Dry cut first.

Don't be afraid to do a little exploration of the client's hair before you create the final look. Lee recommends doing a dry cut before the wash. He explains, "This way I’m able to see what the personality of the client’s hair is like. We can leave it a bit longer so the client and I can decide if we need to go shorter or leave it."

8. Get educated.

If you are new to cutting long hair or even feel like your long cut skills could use a little work, there is a lot of great education out there to help guide you.

Stommel recommends starting online, where there is a myriad of affordable online education on the subject. She adds that there are so many talented stylists out there offering education. Agadier also recommends going online to see what affordable education you can find. She explains, "I get inspired from watching stylists all around the world! Russian stylists are so mind blowing — how they can manipulate the hair into crazy sculptures and textures. Anh Co Tran has amazing classes, and he’s definitely a mentor of mine when it comes to the art of dry cutting."

Both Lee and Hernandez note that Sassoon Academy has great cutting education. Lee says, "If you’re a beginner stylist, Sassoon ABC is a good start point. You’ll get all your basic cuts and techniques there." Hernandez references both Sassoon Academy or Tony & Guy for precision cutting.

There is also the option to go to classes locally, which Strommel finds especially beneficial. "I love learning from those who I’m personally inspired by and naturally try to dissect their cuts, so I definitely encourage supporting smaller artists and learning directly from who inspires you. Some of my favorite classes have been ones I’ve taken locally at different salons."

Of course, some of the stylists featured here offer cutting classes. Check out Leuzzi or Hernandez, who both offer in-person classes.

9. Practice

What would this article be if we didn't mention that practice is important to perfecting the long cut? Strommel started out offering free cuts to those donating hair to give herself practice. "They weren’t all going super short. Most of the time they grew it out so long they had room to still have a longer cut. Most of these donors also had very thick healthy hair. It gave me a great canvas to refine my long cuts," she explains.