The 10 Celebrity Haircuts Everyone Is Asking For — and Which One to Actually Get

By Lewis Thomas, Founder, Partners Hair · Reviewed by Shahida, Precision Cutting & Short Hair Specialist, Partners Hair Blue Route · September 2026

Every few months a haircut goes around the world on one famous head and lands in my salons a week later, usually as a screenshot. Some of those cuts are brilliant. Some of them suit about four people, and the four are on a red carpet. After forty years behind the chair, here's my honest guide to the ten everyone is asking for right now — what each one actually is, who it works on, what to say to your stylist, and how it behaves once the South-Easter gets hold of it.

Key takeaways

• A celebrity haircut is a starting point for a conversation, not an order. The cut that suits your face beats the cut that's trending, every time.
• Bring the photo — then let your stylist translate it to your hair density, texture and how much time you'll give it in the morning.
• Most of these cuts live or die on maintenance. A bob needs a trim every six weeks. Curtain bangs need one every four. Know that before you commit.
• Humidity changes everything. Blunt, heavy cuts hold up in Cape Town; fine, wispy ones need a plan.
• If you're not sure, go one step less dramatic than the photo. You can always take more off.

1. The Italian bob

The cut: A one-length or very softly graduated bob sitting between the chin and the collarbone, blunt at the ends, with weight and movement rather than layers. Glossy, full, expensive-looking.

Associated with: Hailey Bieber, Kendall Jenner — the polished, slightly-below-the-jaw bob that dominated the last two years.

Who it suits: Medium to thick hair, straight or lightly wavy. Oval, square and heart-shaped faces. It's the most flattering bob on the list because the length is forgiving.

What to ask for: "A blunt bob at the jaw or just below, no layers, ends left heavy so it swings." Say whether you want it tucked behind the ears — that changes how it's cut at the sides.

In Cape Town: Excellent. The weight in the ends is what keeps it smooth in humidity. Fine hair can do it too, but ask for it a fraction shorter so it doesn't go flat.

2. The butterfly cut

The cut: Long layers through the length with a set of much shorter, face-framing layers that stop around the cheekbone or chin. From the front it reads as a shag; from the back it's still long hair.

Associated with: Jenna Ortega, and half of TikTok — long hair that looks like it has a second, shorter haircut layered on top.

Who it suits: Long, medium-to-thick hair with some natural movement. Round and oval faces. It gives fine hair the appearance of volume but needs blow-drying to show it.

What to ask for: "Long layers with short face-framing pieces around the cheekbone — I want the length kept, but lift and movement at the front." Show the photo from the side as well; the front layers are where it goes wrong.

In Cape Town: Good with a blow-dry, ordinary without one. The short layers frizz first, so heat protection and a light cream at the front are part of the deal.

3. The wolf cut

The cut: A shag crossed with a mullet: heavy, choppy layers on top and around the crown, thinning out to longer, wispier lengths at the back. Deliberately undone.

Associated with: Billie Eilish and Miley Cyrus made it a name; every music video since has kept it there.

Who it suits: Wavy, curly or thick hair that wants to look effortless. Strong features. It's not a cut for anyone who wants to look tidy — it's the point that it doesn't.

What to ask for: "A shag with a lot of layers through the crown, shorter on top, longer at the back — but keep the back soft, not a hard mullet line." That last clause matters.

In Cape Town: The best cut on the list for humidity, honestly — frizz just looks like texture. Curly hair especially. Ask for it cut on dry hair if your stylist offers it.

4. Curtain bangs

The cut: A fringe parted in the middle and swept to either side, longest at the outer edges so it frames the face like — yes — curtains. Blends into the layers rather than stopping in a line.

Associated with: Dakota Johnson has worn them for a decade; Suki Waterhouse and Sabrina Carpenter carried them into this one.

Who it suits: Almost everyone, which is why they're everywhere. Best on straight to wavy hair with a middle or off-centre part. Oval, long and heart-shaped faces particularly.

What to ask for: "Curtain bangs, cheekbone length at the sides, blended into face-framing layers — not a blunt fringe." And decide the parting before they cut; a curtain fringe cut for a centre part looks wrong on a side part.

In Cape Town: The most high-maintenance thing here in humid weather. They need a trim every four weeks and a blow-dry most mornings. A round brush and thirty seconds is enough, but it's every day.

5. The pixie

The cut: Cropped short all over with a little length kept on top for movement — anything from a soft, textured crop to something sharp and architectural.

Associated with: Zoë Kravitz, Florence Pugh, and forever Michelle Williams.

Who it suits: Strong bone structure, a long neck, and the confidence to commit. Fine hair loves it; it's one of the few cuts that makes fine hair look thick. Oval and heart-shaped faces are the easiest.

What to ask for: "A pixie with length on top I can style forward or up, tapered but not shaved at the back." Say how short you're willing to go at the sides — that's where people get a shock.

In Cape Town: Brilliant in summer and no trouble in the wind. Needs a cut every four to five weeks or it stops being a pixie and starts being a grow-out.

6. The modern shag

The cut: Layers all the way through, a lot of texture at the crown, often with a soft fringe. Lighter and more grown-up than a wolf cut, with the ends left feathery.

Associated with: Taylor Swift's mid-length version, Miley's shorter one. It's the wolf cut's better-behaved sister.

Who it suits: Wavy hair especially, medium density. Anyone whose hair has natural movement and wants to use it rather than fight it.

What to ask for: "A shag with layers throughout and texture at the crown, ends soft — and a fringe if you're brave." Tell your stylist how you dry your hair, because a shag is cut for air-drying or blow-drying, not both.

In Cape Town: Behaves well in humidity as long as you accept some frizz as texture. A sea-salt spray and scrunch is the whole routine.

7. The French bob

The cut: A bob that stops at the chin or just above, usually with a fringe, cut so it curls under slightly. Shorter than the Italian bob and more deliberate.

Associated with: Lily Collins in Emily in Paris; Taylor Russell more recently.

Who it suits: Straight to wavy hair with medium density. Petite features. It's a small, precise cut and it suits small, precise faces.

What to ask for: "A chin-length bob with a soft, full fringe — I want it to tuck under slightly, not flick out." A photo is essential; "French bob" means five different things to five stylists.

In Cape Town: Straight hair holds it beautifully. Wavy hair needs a blow-dry or the ends will flick where you want them to tuck.

8. The lob

The cut: A long bob, sitting at the collarbone. Blunt or very softly layered. The most-requested cut in our salons for the last five years, and it hasn't moved.

Associated with: Margot Robbie, Selena Gomez, and every second woman in a Cape Town restaurant — for good reason.

Who it suits: Everyone. Genuinely. It's the cut for anyone who wants shorter without committing — long enough to tie up, short enough to feel like a change.

What to ask for: "A collarbone-length lob, blunt ends, minimal layering." If you want movement, ask for "invisible layers" — it keeps the blunt line and adds swing.

In Cape Town: The safest cut on the list in any weather. Air-dries well, blow-dries well, ties up. Trim every eight weeks.

9. The bixie

The cut: Halfway between a bob and a pixie: short and layered at the back and sides, with more length on top and around the face than a pixie gives you.

Associated with: Emma Stone's short crop; Taylor Russell's grown-out pixie.

Who it suits: Anyone who wants short hair without going all the way. Fine to medium hair. Rounder faces do better with the bixie than the pixie because it keeps some softness around the jaw.

What to ask for: "A bixie — shorter than a bob, longer than a pixie, layered, with length around the face I can tuck." It's a newer term; if your stylist doesn't know it, the description works.

In Cape Town: Very easy. Wash, a little paste or cream, push it into place. It's the lowest-effort short cut we do.

10. Long layers — the quiet one

The cut: Long hair with soft, long layers through the length and gentle face-framing, cut to move without looking cut. The expensive-looking haircut that looks like you were born with it.

Associated with: Sofia Richie, the Princess of Wales. It doesn't have a name because it's never gone away.

Who it suits: Long, healthy hair of any texture. It's the cut for people who like their length and want it to look intentional.

What to ask for: "Long layers, soft face-framing from the cheekbone down, ends left full — I want it to look like it hasn't been layered." The skill is in what you don't see.

In Cape Town: Needs the ends looked after or it looks tired. A trim every ten weeks and a treatment every week. This is the cut that shows whether you use heat protection.

How to actually ask for a celebrity haircut

Bring the photo. Then bring a second photo of the same cut on someone with your hair, if you can find one — that's the honest version. Tell your stylist three things: how long you spend on your hair in the morning, whether you blow-dry, and how often you'll come back for a trim. The answer to those three questions decides which of these ten is actually yours. A good stylist will tell you when the photo doesn't suit you; a great one will show you the version that does.

The Cape Town factor

Humidity, wind and hard water are the three things a magazine never mentions. Weighty, blunt cuts — the Italian bob, the lob, long layers — hold their shape here. Fine, wispy cuts — curtain bangs, the butterfly's front layers — need heat protection and a blow-dry most days or they go their own way by lunchtime. Textured cuts — the wolf, the shag — are the only ones that get better in humidity. Choose accordingly, or choose knowing.

'Thirty years of cutting short hair and the same thing is true every time: the photo tells me what you like, your face tells me what to do. Nobody has ever left my chair unhappy because I gave them the version that suited them.' — Shahida, Precision Cutting & Short Hair Specialist, Partners Hair Blue Route

Not sure which one is yours? Book a consultation with Shahida at our Blue Route salon — bring the photo, she'll tell you honestly, and she'll cut the version that works on you.

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Frequently asked questions

Which celebrity haircut is the most low-maintenance?
The lob, then the bixie. Both air-dry well and go eight weeks between trims.

Which one is best for fine hair?
The pixie or a blunt Italian bob. Both make fine hair look thicker. Avoid heavy layering, which thins it out further.

Which one is best for curly hair?
The wolf cut or the modern shag, cut dry so the layers sit with your curl pattern. Ask for a stylist who cuts curls regularly.

Do I need to bring a photo?
Yes. Names mean different things to different stylists. The photo plus the three questions above gets you the cut you're picturing.

What if the cut doesn't suit my face?
A good stylist will say so and offer the version that does — usually a small change in length or where the layers start. Trust that conversation.

By Lewis Thomas, founder of Partners Hair. Reviewed by Shahida, Blue Route. Partners Hair — 24 salons across Cape Town, since 1984.