Who says that hair has to be long to be beautiful? This selection of short hairstyles for women proves that there is an amazing selection of short haircuts which look truly breathtaking. From close crops to styles which you can try when you are growing your hair longer, you are sure to find inspiration in this list.
Short Haircuts and Hairstyle Ideas for Women
Short hairstyles can be worn by women of all ages. Although short hair is often associated with older ladies, a handful of Hollywood beauties have been sporting crops and pixie cuts.
This list contains a mixture of hairstyles that are perfect for women who can’t grow long hair anymore, and hairstyles which are perfect for trendy young women and teen girls.
1. Lob (Long Bob)
Lobs have taken over the classic chin-length bobs for a while. These shoulder-grazing haircuts tend to elongate the face, creating an eye-catching smart appeal.
Finger-tousle your deep side-parted mane for a messy yet sexy finish.
2. Side-Swept Copper Pixie with Dark Sides
Go bold and chop off all your tresses into a super short pixie while retaining some length on top to be styled into a pompadour or a side-swept quiff.
Dye the top and sides in contrasting hues for a quirky color-blocked look.
3. Layered Cut
Short hairstyles are a lifesaver for thin-haired ladies as they make that lifeless mane appear healthy and voluminous. Achieve further bounce with plenty of layers and side-swept bangs. Experiment with a layered bob or a cropped wolf cut. Your call!
4. Asymmetrical Cut
Couple your perfectly symmetrical face with a not-so-symmetrical hairdo to drop some jaws.
Try long bangs with an undercut on one side and set the look on fire with some beach waves. A shaved side design is worth a shot too.
5. Undercut
Those who are confident enough to rock androgynous haircuts should definitely play around with an undercut for once.
Neatly clipped sides with a long top combed into a dramatic pomp are ideal to create the illusion of a long face.
6. French Crop
A short top with even shorter sides and cropped bangs are what define a classic French crop. An undercut creates a sharp disconnection while a taper fade results in a smoother transition.
Ask for texturizing layers to avoid a blunt look.
7. Buzz Cut
Thinking of going super short? A fresh buzz cut is all you need. Opt for a uniform length with a shaved side parting and a blonde all-over hair shade to turn around some heads. No hair styling needed for weeks!
8. Curly Bob
Curly beauties can put their bouncy ringlets on full display with a curl-by-curl cut bob. The hairstylist will chop off the strands individually when dry to make them fall exactly where intended around the face.
Throw in some babylights for a sun-kissed finish.
9. Short Beach Waves
Maintain an on-the-beach look all the time with some chic loose waves. Top off with sea salt hairspray to further enhance your hair texture.
A deep side parting concealing the forehead with a below-chin haircut prevents an oblong face from appearing too long.
10. Straight Bangs
Talking of an oblong face shape, hide a big forehead or a receding hairline with thick bangs running straight across the brow line. Pair them with an inward-flipped bob for a vintage vibe or a blunt lob for more of a contemporary appeal.
11. Side-Swept Bangs
Side-swept bangs look less suffocating than blunt bangs and are suitable to add a little asymmetry to the face with just a little change. Try a flowy pixie cut with angular bangs to uplift your facial features and you won’t regret it!
12. Curtain Bangs
In the list of trendiest short hairstyles and haircuts for women, curtain bangs are a must! Rejuvenate your look with a bottleneck bob featuring middle-parted bangs that elongate towards the sides of the face to blend in with the remaining layers.
13. Baby Bangs (Micro Bangs)
Ladies wanting a groovy look can go for uneven micro bangs that’ll make their short round faces look a tiny bit longer. Finish off with chopped-up neck-length layers and peekaboo highlights to recreate this very hipster look.
14. Choppy Blonde Pixie with Dark Roots
A textured pixie won’t disappoint if you’re looking for something laid-back yet stylish. The trick lies in cutting plenty of short layers all over the head to completely avoid a sleek look. A hand-tousle and off you go!
15. Graduated Bob
Graduated bobs feature a voluminous back with a prominently longer front. Achieve movement with a handful of wispy layers and side bangs along with a frosted platinum blonde hair shade.
The extent of graduation decides whether the outcome is soft or sharp.
16. Inverted Bob
Make a style statement with an inverted bob haircut featuring an angled snip with the short back elongating towards the front. Skip the stacked layers for a change and keep one side significantly longer than the other for an asymmetrical look.
17. Faux Hawk
Look like a rock star with yet another trendy short haircut for all the bold women out there. A pale pink long spiky top and back with disconnected buzzed sides are all you need to ask for to end up with a funky feminine faux hawk.
18. Ash-Blonde Bowl Cut with a Dark Undercut
Keep it retro-chic with a bowl haircut to stand out from the crowd. The bangs extend evenly all around the head with an undercut along the sides and back. The end results can vary depending upon the hair texture but you’re sure to look equally stunning.
19. Choppy Layers
Ladies thinking of going short can play around with choppy layers to get a healthy-looking mane featuring blunt tips with an edgy texture. Clip one side shorter than the other with some babylights and finish off with a good finger-tousle.
20. Short French Braids
Prevent your short tresses from getting into the face on a busy day with basic French braid pigtails that never go out of style. Carve out a middle parting or a quirky zigzag one and plait down each side to the very end. Voila!
21. Pixie with Long Bangs
Angled bangs are worth mentioning when enlisting the trendiest short hairstyles for women. They pair up best with pixies to create an asymmetrical look. Ask the hairstylist to keep the front strands at chin-length along with an ear-length chop.
22. Slicked-Back Short Hair
Slicked-back hairstyles are still going strong and are the easiest to recreate on short tresses. Use plenty of hair gel for a sexy wet look or keep the brushed-back strands in place with hairspray instead to open up your gorgeous face.
23. Tapered Bob
Bring your best facial features under the spotlight with a short tapered bob haircut featuring longer layers on the crown that shorten towards the sides and back to, sort of, hug the face.
The heightened top creates the illusion of a thick mane.
24. Short Hair with Finger Waves
Women who are more into vintage hairstyles can turn themselves into a 90s queen with finger waves that are the easiest to create with short hair. Apply mousse and use a tail comb and your fingers to create pretty S-shaped waves all over the head.
25. Angled Bob
Angled short haircuts for women have a place of their own. This one features a chic bob with a slanted gradient retaining the longest strands at the front. Add streaks of yellow and orange for some strong autumn vibes along with matching makeup.
26. Pixie with an Undercut
Pixies are trendy, edgy, and super easy to customize. Get a side-swept long top with an undercut on the opposite side to throw off the balance of your face for a change. That subtle touch of lilac is just magical!
27. Short Hair with Pompadour
You’ll be thankful for those short locks once you experiment with a stylish pompadour hairdo!
The trick is simple; slick down the sides while creating a dramatic pouf on top. A nice brush-back or inward-combed sections, the choice is yours!
28. Pixie with a Tapered Nape
Make sure your pixie haircut is one of a kind by asking for an angled snip featuring choppy layers that elongate dramatically towards the front with a tapered nape.
Dye the front and back in contrasting nuances to pop some eyes.
29. Stacked Bob
Rounded piled-up layers at the back with angled long strands at the front are the key features of a stacked bob.
Try it with an off-center parting and you won’t need to style your tresses for weeks apart from brushing them.
30. Short Hair with Pin Curls
Pin curls are tiny spirals that can be created with or without heat tools, and they make one of the trendiest short hairstyles for women.
Use bobby pins to set the curved strands in place for a while and that’s pretty much it!
31. Short Hair with Twists
Black beauties can start fresh by chopping their afro fluff super short and protecting it with mini hair twists. Create small sections, twist two chunks around one another, and repeat. Dyeing the tips red surely won’t hurt!
32. French Girl Bob
This classic French bob has a chic touch to it. The icy blonde hair covers the yellow hair beneath. The bangs at the front are kept short and have a more yellow hue to them compared to the remaining hair.
33. Coily Afro with a Knotted Headband
Afro curls are timeless. They can be either kept long or short. For this particular short black hairstyle, trim down your curls to a short length all over. Give them a tousle and you are good to go. A headband can be used to further enhance the look.
34. Messy Updo
Women can flaunt their short haircuts with this messy updo. Gather as many strands as possible and secure them up using bobby pins. A slight back-comb at the top and an elegant hair accessory at the back complete this dreamy look.
35. Low Ponytail
This short low ponytail hairstyle is the simplest and easiest to achieve. Just brush out your strands and tie them back in a low ponytail. Leave some strands loose at the front for a carefree look.
36. Short Box Braids
An ideal way to tame curly locks is to style them in box braids. This hairstyle gives a short bob appearance. Add highlights here and there to accentuate the look. This style is easy to maintain for the lazy folks out there.
37. Rainbow Hair
Bring the rainbow to your head with this colorful hairstyle. Get a short crew cut and add purple, blue, pink, and yellow hues to it. This short hairstyle is low maintenance and just needs a hand tousle.
38. Short Layered Crop
This short layered hairstyle gives a vintage vibe to your curls. The layers add a lot of texture to the hair. This short hairstyle is ideal for women over 50 when it comes to low maintenance.
39. Curly Bob with Straight Side Bangs
If your hair is naturally curly, you can always help to draw attention to your face by straightening your bangs. This takes much less effort than straightening all of your hair.
40. Asymmetrical Bowl Bob with Curved Bangs
This asymmetrical option is perfect for those who are looking for a stylish alternative to the ladies’ pudding bowl haircut. Keep your hair straight and sleek with ceramic straighteners and heat protect serum.
41. Wavy Blonde Pixie with a Lifted Front
A choppy pixie cut looks great on ladies with square faces. Have a few different short lengths cut into your hair, then add height by running hair gel through your hair in an upwards direction.
42. Auburn Feathered Bob with Side Bangs
A layered bob helps to frame your face, especially if you flick the ends under with your straightening iron. Cutting in layers will help to give your bob more volume. Flick some sections out for a fantastic effect.
43. Rounded Afro with Defined Coils
This short naturally afro curly hair look is very popular among people of African descent. Tight curls look amazing and they are far better for your hair than relaxed styles are. If you do not naturally have tight curls, your stylist may be able to give you a perm.
44. Mullet Crop
Short mullet looks great on women over 50. It has body at the front and length at the back, regardless of how short the hair is overall. Give your mullet crop body at the front by running hair gel through tousled layers.
45. Highlighted Short Shag with Wispy Bangs
This is a flattering short hairstyle for older women with fine hair. You can add volume with lots of choppy layers. Use a light hair mousse to separate out strands.
46. Shaggy Short Bob
Short wavy hairstyles look perfect with a bob. Give your waves a shaggy look by running a little product through your hair in the morning to keep your waves separate.
47. Center-Parted Crop with Flipped Layers
Lightly layer your hair, and then comb your front sections backwards. If your hair won’t hold in this position with hairspray, use a hair grip to hold it.
For a real 60’s hairstyle, flick the back section forward towards your face. Put your parting down the center to help to maintain symmetry.
48. Bob with Choppy Bangs
If you do not want heavy bangs with your bob, you can soften your look by cutting in choppy bangs or slightly sweeping choppy bangs. This can look less severe than perfectly straight bangs.
49. Feathered Blonde Crop with a Flipped Nape
Looking for a short blonde hairstyle? This textured crop looks good on older people and requires very little styling to create an attractive style.
50. Close-Cropped Pixie with Short Side Bangs
The short pixie has been popular for decades. This androgynous look is perfect if you have strong cheekbones because your facial features have nowhere to hide.
51. Blonde Pixie with a Floral Headband
All short haircuts for women can be restyled with the help of a headband. These accessories can be used to change your current look or they can be used to keep your hair out of your face.
52. Curled Mohawk
Comb your afro up into a central Mohawk, and then allow any excess hair to flop down at the front like bangs. This style looks stunning on people who have strong central facial features.
53. Voluminous Pixie with Curled Side Bangs
This voluminous pixie has curled bangs that sweep across the forehead. Bring the front section forward and use a little styling product to keep the curved, tousled shape.
54. Textured Pixie with Short Choppy Bangs
Short choppy bangs and a lightly textured crown define this close pixie. Neat sides keep the outline compact. For a sleeker outline, consider a blunt cut, such as a blunt bob.
55. Asymmetrical Bob with a Long Front
Short hairstyles for women do not have to be short all the way around. Keep a single lock long for a unique look. Sweeping your bangs towards the longer section helps the style to look less extreme.
56. Sleek Dark Pixie with Long Side Bangs
Use light layering and a little bit of product to create this androgynous style. A spritz of hairspray will keep your style looking natural but will make sure that it stays how you want it to stay.
57. Ladies Crew Cut
Have your hair cut to a relatively short length at the back and side, graduating to a longer length at the front. Put a few layers near the crown to ensure that texture can be achieved.
58. Curly Crop
If your hair naturally starts to curl no matter what length it is, enhance your curls by running curling mousse through your hair after you have washed it. This will help to separate out individual sections.
59. Lilac Pixie, Smooth or Spiky
If you have a wild personality, dye your hair an unusual color, such as light lilac. Once your hair is colored, you can style it however you like.
60. Platinum Pixie with a Pink-Tipped Quiff
Make your quiff funky by adding color to the tips of your hair. A lot of short haircuts for women can be jazzed up by adding a little bit of color to sections of your hair, whether it is the roots or the tips.
If you are feeling short of inspiration, I hope that these cuts have given you the confidence that you need to try a bold new style. Short hair can be just as beautiful as long flowing locks, so dare to be different.
