Asian woman with wavy butterfly haircut

Butterfly Haircut Ideas to Help You Revive This Retro Look

Learn more about the hair trend that's all the rage in TikTok.

If you love retro hair trends, check out the butterfly haircut. It consists of feathered layers that are usually styled away from the face, mimicking butterfly wings. It was a popular look in the 1970s. Now, it’s making a strong comeback, with #ButterflyHaircut having 1.1 billion views on the social media platform TikTok.

The butterfly haircut works best on shoulder-length and long hair. The length allows you to add spaces between your layers to create volume, movement, and dimension. The shortest layers often fall by the cheekbones or chin. Longer layers then follow, resulting in a soft, flowy look.

Butterfly Haircut vs. Wolf Cut: What’s the Difference? 

The butterfly haircut has voluminous, feathered layers and is often parted at the center. On the other hand, the wolf cut combines long and short, choppy layers that make for a tousled look. Also, the butterfly haircut looks soft and flowy, while the wolf cut exudes an edgy vibe.

Top 10 Butterfly Haircut Ideas We Love

1. Butterfly Haircut on Long Hair 

Asian woman with a long butterfly haircut
Love long layers? Try the butterfly haircut. Credit: Natasha Estelle

Keep your long hair from looking plain and flat with this trendy haircut. To style your layers outward, wrap each section around a curling iron and move it away from your face. You can also use a round brush and a blow-dryer and brush each section outward while blow-drying. Finish with a few spritzes of hairspray to make your hairstyle last.

Cream Silk Triple Keratin Rescue Ultimate Straight

Editor’s tip: Don’t let frizz get in the way of rocking this haircut. Use Cream Silk Triple Keratin Rescue Ultimate Straight Ultra Conditioner after shampooing. It has keratin relaxers to help straighten and smoothen your hair, keratin serum to keep your hair moisturized, and keratin essence to add shine and help revive hair from intense damage.  

2. Long Butterfly Haircut With Beanie 

Asian woman with long butterfly haircut wearing a white beanie
Look hip and chic with a beanie over long, layered hair. Credit: Roland Hechanova from Unsplash

Add a hip, street-chic vibe to your butterfly haircut with a beanie. You can also wear other head coverings like berets and bowler hats to jazz up your long, layered hairstyle.  

3. Medium-Length Butterfly Haircut

Rock butterfly haircut on medium-length hair. Credit: @lllaken on TikTok

Butterfly haircut on shoulder-length hair may have fewer layers, but it still has the haircut’s signature flowy, bouncy look. You can even jazz it up with blonde hair color and dark roots to add depth to your look.

4. Butterfly Haircut With a Two-Tone Hair Color

The stark contrast between each side of your hair can make anyone do a double take. Credit: @zezyav on TikTok

Speaking of hair color, try this look: a butterfly haircut with black and ash gray sections. Its edgy vibe suits a moody or grunge aesthetic. Plus, the two-tone hair color adds more personality to this trendy haircut.

5. Scrunched Shoulder-Length Hair

Woman with layered shoulder-length hair
Look effortlessly chic with this scrunched hairstyle. Credit: Renthel Cueto from Pexels

No time to style your layered medium-length hair? Scrunch your hair to fluff it up and give your layers definition. You can also style your hair this way to look chic and laid-back while working from home

6. Long Layered Hair With Curled Tips

Asian woman with long layered hair wearing a black vest and a white long-sleeved blouse
Slay with this day-to-night hairstyle. Credit: Bach Tran from Unsplash

Give your long layers a blowout for bounce and volume. Then, curl the tips of your hair to glam up your hairstyle even more. It’s a versatile look, too. You can wear this ‘do at the office or when going out with your friends for drinks.  

Bottle of TRESemme Keratin Smooth KERA10 Shampoo

Editor’s tip: Keep your hair smooth and easy to style with TRESemmé Keratin Smooth KERA10 Shampoo. It has KERA10 Protein Complex that penetrates your hair up to 10 layers deep to nourish it. It also gives your hair 10 salon benefits in one wash. These include making your hair soft and shiny, calming frizz, taming flyaways, detangling, strengthening, and providing heat protection.  

Bottle of TRESEMME Keratin SMooth KERA10 Serum Conditioner

Pair TRESemmé Keratin Smooth KERA10 Shampoo with TRESemmé Keratin Smooth KERA10 Serum Conditioner. It has KERA10 Protein Complex and oleo serum to moisturize and nourish your hair deeply.  

7. Ombré Layers

Asian woman with blue-and-green layered hair wearing a hat
Make your butterfly haircut unique with this blue-and-green hair color combo. Credit: Natasha Estelle

Add character to your butterfly haircut with blue-and-green reverse ombré hair. It’s equal parts edgy and playful. Try this look, and you’ll definitely turn heads wherever you go!

8. Butterfly Haircut With Face-Framing Layers

Face-framing layers are flattering for women with round face shapes. Credit: @caneteandrea on TikTok

You can blow-dry or iron your short layers inward to frame the face, while longer ones are styled outward to resemble a butterfly’s wings. This styling hack gives the haircut a modern twist. Plus, the face-framing layers can help give balance to a round face shape.

Bottle of Dove Keratin Tri-Silk Serum Intense Repair Shampoo

Editor’s tip: Coloring and bleaching can cause extreme hair damage. Use Dove Intense Repair Keratin Tri-Silk Serum Shampoo to help nurse your strands back to their healthy-looking state. This shampoo has keratin, fiber actives, and serum ingredients that instantly repair damage, nourish and protect your hair deeply, and leave it extra beautiful. Its Keratin Repair Actives also nourish and repair damaged hair from its core to its surface. 

Tube of Dove Keratin Repair Conditioner

Pair Dove Intense Repair Keratin Tri-Silk Serum Shampoo with Dove Keratin Repair 1 Minute Serum Conditioner for best results. This conditioner has keratin-infused serum capsules, which go deep into your hair to repair damage from within. 

9. With Long, Wispy Bangs

Layers make thick hair look chic. Credit: @eggdressesup on TikTok

Wispy bangs complement the feathered layers of a butterfly haircut. And if you have thick hair, try this look to showcase your hair’s natural volume in style.

10. Butterfly Haircut With Bobby Pins

Asian woman with long layered hair accessorized with colored bobby pins.
Want a cute and charming hairstyle for school? Try this ‘do. Credit: Pixta

Accessorize your butterfly haircut with hair clips or colored bobby pins to create a playful look. Add see-through bangs, too, to give your hairstyle a trendy, K-pop vibe.

Styling and jazzing up a butterfly haircut depends on your personality and lifestyle. If you think this hair trend is for you, book an appointment at your favorite salon now and let a trusted professional give you these gorgeous, flowy layers. When done right, the butterfly haircut can up your style game and give you the transformation you’ve always wanted.