If you’re doing your daily TikTok scroll and come across a creator with ridiculously bouncy layers, chances are high that they have a butterfly cut. “More and more clients are asking for a butterfly haircut, and they’re all learning about it on TikTok,” says Drea Dettmers, a hairstylist at Tallulah East Collective in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Like most “trends” circulating the internet, the style isn’t new. Hairstylist Sunnie Brook, coined the cut 15 years ago when she had an influx of clients wanting to switch up their hairstyle without chopping off all their length. “The name ‘Butterfly’ embodies transformation,” says Brook.
If you look back to ’90s glam — with Rachel from Friends as the prime example — you’ll see the face-framing, voluminous layers that make the butterfly cut what it is, says Teryn Tucker, a hairstylist at Alchemy Salon in Orlando, Florida. While the cut takes inspiration from shaggy ‘70s and ’90s haircuts, influencers like Matilda Djerf and celebrities like Sydney Sweeny and Kaia Gerber have brought the style back into the spotlight.
Below, experts share everything you need to know about the butterfly cut and why it might be time to book your next appointment at the salon.
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What is a butterfly cut?
A butterfly cut (also known as an octopus haircut) is a haircut that falls between a shag and long layers. What makes this style different from every other layered cut is that the butterfly cut has two distinct sections: long layers that fall below the shoulders for length, and short layers that hit two to three inches below the chin to frame the face and add volume. “It allows for an illusion of short hair while maintaining length, offering a safe space for change,” says Brook.