Long layered curly hair creates the fullness and volume that most women with curly hair are looking for. The cut enhances the shape and texture of the mane, adding life and bounce to its natural form.
The classic long curly hair often sits flat and looks dull, so layered pieces are beneficial. Stylist Jennifer Golden of Amsterdam, NL sets down the perks of having this trendy chop.
According to Golden, “Layers can make the curls sit nicer and swirl better. If the cut is one-length, the weight of the hair can pull the curls down.”
The #1 rule to achieve the optimum result is to cut your hair dry. Otherwise, it’s impossible to visualize how short the curls will look. It’ll even be challenging to blend the layers.
“If the curls are cut wet, they might sit shorter than intended. The result might look very disconnected and shelf-like,” Golden warns.
A common misconception about cutting textured hair is that it can be cut the same way as other hair types.
Golden suggests cutting the curls with a lower elevation or with lots of over-direction to maintain the length. Understand that different curl types require specific haircut techniques.
Make sure to look for a skilled stylist that knows a lot about this concept. It’s crucial to ask for tips on styling your locks and maintaining the chop.
Flaunt your natural hair texture with pride! Here are the images of the most popular cuts and styles for long layered curly hair.
#1: Long Curly Layers with a Center Part
Long curly layers with a center part create a beautiful frame that elongates the face and creates a more oval face shape. Many hairstyles for long layered curly hair can be versatile and worn in different ways depending on the desired outcome. For more volume and dramatic styles, a deep side part can be effective, but for more day-to-day easily maintained styles, a middle part works phenomenally.
A middle part adds the illusion of more symmetry which curly hair can oftentimes lack, resulting in an unbalanced shape. A middle part will also create a vertical line for the eye to follow which can form the illusion of less width and bulk in the hair, and in turn, can make sure the curls do not overpower the face.
#2: Long Bouncy Curls with Shorter Layers
Long bouncy curls with shorter layers have the potential to create a very unique overall shape to the haircut. A long layered hairstyle for curly hair is a great way to keep the volume at the ends of the hair, but creating shorter layers with long curly hairstyles brings the volume up and causes a weightless effect. Bringing more volume up to the face and less weight towards the ends has a bigger and more bouncy effect on the curls and makes them super easy to style and care for. Remember to always protect and moisturize your curls to keep them healthy, bouncy, shiny, and easy to manage.
#3: V-Shaped Layered Curls with Wispy Bangs
V-shaped layered curls pair perfectly with wispy bangs to frame the face with a weightless, uplifting effect. To have massive volume around the face and bring out the desired facial features while establishing an oval face shape, v-cut long layered curly hair is a staple technique.
V-cut layers focus on keeping the volume near the top of the cut, which allows the eye to be drawn up towards the face and helps accentuate facial features that you want to be highlighted. Petite faces can tend to get lost in massive volume and curls, so long layered curly hair with a fringe is a great option to frame the face in a way that draws the eye back in towards the main focal point of the face that you want to be featured.
#4: Modern Shagged Curls with Thick Bangs
The trend of the modern shag is definitely one to try this year, but take it one step further with modern shagged curls and thick bangs. A shag is a great haircut for long layered naturally curly hair because the messy, lived-in layering enhances the movement of the curls. Shag haircuts utilize a combination of long and short layers and lots of texture, which builds the perfect foundation for curly haircuts because the shorter layers reduce bulk and the longer layers can truly shine and keep the length. Adding thick bangs to shagged curly layers frames the face and helps form the illusion of an oval face shape.
#5: Shaggy Layers and Short Bangs for Curly Locks
Create a bold frame for your face with shaggy layers and short bangs that work with curly locks. Shag is an iconic way to achieve the best long layered curly hairstyles with bangs and create a bold and easy-to-care-for lived-in look. Bangs are always a bit more maintenance, but rocking a short bang can give more time between bang trims and allow you to play with different styling techniques to create different effects. The combination of short bangs with shag is beautiful with any hair type, but with curly hair textures, it just creates a little bit extra edge to the look and has a more dramatic effect.
#6: Layered Haircut for Big Curls
Big voluminous curls are a show stopper when accompanied by a great style and a layered haircut specifically for big curls. When creating layers for big curls it’s important to pay attention to the curl pattern and work with it rather than against it. Big curls make big volume and when styled properly, can perfectly frame a face and draw the eyes in towards facial features that you want to be accentuated.
For minimal frizz and maximum shine and definition, avoid touching curls as much as possible, especially when drying and styling. Use a diffuser on dry hair and use the plop method where you flip hair over and let gravity do the work. The curls will rest on the diffuser and create volume while drying and you don’t even have to touch the hair.
#7: Long Layered Haircut for Highlighted Curls
Tight curly hair with ringlets makes for a perfect base to add dimension with highlighted curls and a well-shaped long layered hairstyle. A long layered cut that works with highlighted and curly mid back-length hair is a great way to brighten up the face and frame it beautifully.
Curly hair is more prone to dryness and damage so with highlighted curls, it’s extremely important to have great hair care and protection regime as highlighted hair that gets too damaged can become very frizzy and can even lose the curl pattern if not taken care of. Color maintenance with highlighted curls will depend on the tone and effect you want individually and should be discussed with your stylist before the appointment to ensure the best outcome and maintenance plan.
#8: Long Layers and Beach Curls
Long layers and beach curls are a great way to brighten your look year-round. It’s important that long layered curly blonde hair is well-maintained and cared for as the combination of lightened hair and curls is prone to become dry and damaged more easily. When styling long blonde curls avoid heat as often as possible and when lightening the hair it’s always better to go low and slow to prevent damage to the curl pattern. Smaller and more frequent lightening sessions are ideal for curly hair to keep the curls healthy, bouncy, and shiny. A great rule of thumb to keep in mind with curls is the healthier they are, the easier they are to style and manage.
#9: Layered Curls with a Thick, Curly Fringe
To release weight from the bottom of long curly hair, try layering the curls and adding a thick curly fringe. Long layered curly haircuts with bangs can be altered to work with each individual face shape to create the look of an oval face shape. The thick curly bangs and face-framing layers are important since these are what hang around your face when you style your hair in a ponytail. Also, you can keep the ends full and voluminous without having excessive weight to diminish the curl pattern.
When cutting long curly hair, especially with bangs and face-framing layers, it’s extremely important to work with the curl pattern and cut the layers as the hair would be worn.
#10: Long Side-Parted Hairstyle for Defined Waves and Curls
When considering a long layered haircut for curly hair it’s extremely important to consider the overall volume of the hair, styling times, maintenance regime, and how you like to wear your curls. For example, for big volume, a long side-parted hairstyle is great for defined waves and curls with maximum volume with minimum effort.
Long layered curly wavy hair can be intimidating but when you know the basics and a couple of extra tricks, these will become easier to style. When styling curls, less is more, too much manipulation causes frizz and too much product will weigh down the curls and make them uncooperative as the product breaks down between washes.
#11: Tousled Layers for Thick Curls
Tousled long layers for thick curls is a great way to reduce bulk if you have thicker hair. Tousled layers keep the length but reduce bulk and weight, which allows your curls to bounce up and frame your face. A petite face or body can become lost in a thick head of long curly hair, so it’s important to keep face shape and structure in mind when creating layers that frame the face. With big hair, it’s important to create layers that open the face and draw the eye in toward the face to avoid the hair overpowering the person.
#12: Very Long Loose Curls with Blended Layers
For women who have very long loose curls, layers that blend seamlessly are a perfect way to enhance the curl pattern while keeping the length. Haircuts for semi-curly hair utilize blended layering to help prevent wavy hair from being weighed down and losing its curl pattern.
With soft curls or beachy waves, weight removal is an important part of strengthening the curl pattern. Because long wavy hair tends to have less volume than very curly hair, keeping density is important, so to remove weight without reducing thickness, blended layers are a great solution.
#13: Waist-Length Layered Cut for Kinky Hair
Embrace the kinky hair with an iconic waist-length layered cut. Waist-length hair is a true sign of patience and the best way to show it off is to embrace the kinky hair texture and rock big volume. The tighter the curl pattern of the hair, the bigger the volume so it’s important to add layers in the cut to reduce bulk and weight which drag the curls down.
Layers allow for the curls near your face and head to bounce up and frame the face, rather than dragging features down with strung-out curls. Waist-length hair is a bold way to wear afro-textured hair, but because the longest hair has the most exposure damage, it’s really important to keep your hair well maintained with a great hydration and protection regime.
#14: Long Blonde Curls with Layers
They say blondes have more fun, but curly blondes have the most fun by far. Long blonde curls with layers create a bright and airy frame for faces with lighter undertones. Long layers for curly hair are a staple in creating the ideal shape, movement, and volume of the haircut. With big voluminous curls with lots of volume, lighter hair can have an expanding effect, creating the illusion of even more hair and volume.
A petite face can get lost in the masses of volume, so make sure when you are discussing layers with your stylist to find a way to frame the face and draw the eyes in, this can be achieved easily by adding curly face-framing layers.
#15: Side-Parted Curls with a Tousled Texture
For curly-haired women who do not like a middle part or bangs, try side-parted curls with a tousled texture for long layered, fine, curly hair. The best way to achieve maximum volume is to get choppy layers for curly hair.
Minimize the frizz in your curls by putting the product in while the hair is wet or damp, then diffuse the hair with minimal touching. Long layered fine curly hair can look stringy if there is not much styling or volume, so the side-swept textured style is a really good go-to technique to avoid stringy weighed-down curls and keep them lifted and fluffy instead. Try Verb Dry Texture Spray for soft touchable texture and weightless, buildable volume and hold.
#16: Middle-Part Style for Thick, Curly Hair
A middle part is a great style for thick, curly hair because it keeps the volume balanced. Curly hair can get big, and the more it’s touched or played with, the bigger and fluffier it gets. So a side part can make the face look and feel unbalanced with curls. A middle part creates that perfect u-shape face frame which turns any face shape into the ideal oval face shape. For soft, touchable curls that have high shine and definition, use Redavid Orchid Oil Curl Creme on damp hair and air dry without touching, or diffuse with minimal touching.
#17: Long Natural Curls with a Deep Side Part
For big volume rock your long natural curls with a deep side part. Utilizing the natural hair texture to achieve volume is a great way to prevent damage to the curls from styling. Make sure you use great products and keep frizz down with minimal touching. When styling curly hair, less is more, as too much touching can overwork the curls and make them frizzy.
Curly hair is unique in that it’s much more important to prevent the frizz from the beginning rather than try and tame it after when overworked curly hair can seem to just get bigger and bigger. So when styling curly hair remember to try to ‘set it and forget it’ whenever you can.
#18: Voluminous Long Layered Haircut
A voluminous long layered curly hairstyle is a great way to bring life back into sun-kissed natural curls. Naturally, curly hair tends to get dry and damaged easier due to the texture of the hair strand itself, so as curls are exposed to sun, styling, and heat damage, the ends can become frizzy and uncooperative.
To keep the lightened sun-kissed ends without the frizz, layers can be a really great way to show off more of the color while removing dry ends. Always make sure you wear a protective leave-in moisturizing product to reduce dry ends and frizz. Try MorrocanOil Protect & Prevent Spray for protection against damage from everyday exposure.
#19: Long and Curly Black Tresses
Spiral curls are beautiful and a great way to style long and curly black tresses. When considering black hair, keep in mind that dark colors, while creating very dynamic contrast, can have a receding effect and can have a very harsh look on some skin tones. Very pale skin tones can look washed out with such a stark contrast, while olive skin tones are warmed up and perfectly complemented by the dark contrast. Dark colors can make the hair look thinner as well, which can give the illusion of less bulk or can make thin hair look more thin and stringy.
When choosing a color to compliment your luscious curls, remember to consider factors like skin tone, hair texture, and the ideal undertones to compliment each other.
#20: Curly Shag with Piece-y Bangs
A curly shag is a great cut to keep curly hair manageable and easy to style. Try framing the face with some piece-y bangs to finish the look. Long layered curly hair with bangs makes for a quick and easy styling routine. Curly hair needs more care than naturally straight hair as it becomes dry and damaged easier due to the actual makeup of the hair strand. Haircuts that work with your natural texture allow for longer grow out and less styling damage.
#21: Layered Shag Cut for Naturally Curly Hair
A layered shag is a staple for naturally curly hair. The combination of curly hair with bangs and layers is famous for breathing new life into dull and drab curls. The blended layering on curly hair creates shape and bounce to normally weighed down curls, and the addition of curly bangs reduces bulk and frames the face perfectly. Try using a curl cream in damp hair, then diffusing the hair for bouncy shiny voluminous curls.
#22: Retro Shag with Curtain Bangs
Try a groovy retro shag with curly curtain bangs to create an ideal face shape and add volume and pure style to your curls. Long layered curly hair with curtain bangs works well together when they are done with a retro shag – they make for an iconic style that stands above the rest. Shag styles and curly layers are easy maintenance because they work best with the more authentic, lived-in, texture. Try adding some dry texture spray for more lived-in volume.
#23: Layered Cut with Bangs for Tight Curls
A glamorous layered cut with bangs is a lifesaver for tight curls. Long curly hair can start to look like a triangle and drag the curls and overall appearance of the face down, but by cutting layers and bangs you can completely revitalize your hair.
Long curly hair with layers creates shape and bounce while bringing the volume back to the top of the head. Having more volume near the top creates a more lifted and weightless effect while drawing the eye to the beautiful face being framed. Layering also reduces overall bulk and allows the curls to be more bouncy and springy, giving them a healthier feel and look.
#24: Curly Layered Hair with Curly Bangs
Enhance curly hair with a long cut that works with the natural texture of your hair. Curly layered hair with curly bangs is an easy way to really show off your curls and keep them healthy too. By working with the natural texture rather than working against it, the hair becomes easier to style with less maintenance. Try Redavid Orchid Curl Creme in damp hair, diffuse to about 70% dry then let it air dry for perfect bouncy and shiny curls.