Shaggy layers earn their keep on second-day hair, when the crown has loosened up and the ends past your collarbone still bend after a shake and some sea salt spray. The catch is that a long shaggy haircut depends on density and texture, so fine, thick, wavy and curly hair each need the layers placed differently.
1. The Classic Long Shag With Crown Layers
Oval and long faces with medium to thick density wear the classic long shag best, and the whole cut begins at the crown. Styling is a rough-dry with sea salt spray and a shake at the roots. I point cut short layers on top for lift and let them slope gradually to ends past the collarbone, cutting dry so I can watch how it falls. A trim every eight weeks keeps the crown lively.
2. Curtain-Fringe Long Shag
Oval, long and heart shaped faces with medium density suit the curtain bang version, the long shaggy haircut most clients bring in a photo of. Style the bangs with a small round brush and let everything else air-dry. On dry hair I cut the bangs at the cheekbone with a center part and connect them to short crown layers that lengthen to the chest. The bangs are trimmed every five weeks.
3. Thick-Hair Razor-Cut Long Shag
Thick, coarse hair on a round or square face takes a razor cut long shag well, since the razor pulls weight from the inside while the ends stay soft. Styling is an air-dry with a light cream and a texture spray. On dry hair I razor the layers with the blade angled away from the ends, then point cut the perimeter. Trim every eight weeks; without a refresh the razored ends fray.
4. Heavy-Crown Long Wolf Cut
Oval and heart shaped faces with thick density suit the long wolf cut, a shag with heavier crown layers cut nearly to the ear and a long tail at the back. To style, diffuse with a mousse, scrunch the crown, and leave the length untouched. On dry hair I point cut the crown aggressively and keep the back one length at the chest. The crown gets a trim every six weeks and the length every twelve.
5. Fine-Hair Soft Long Shag
Oval and heart shaped faces with fine hair can wear a long shag as long as the layers are few and long. Styling is a blow-dry with volumizing mousse, head tipped forward, followed by a shake. I cut the shortest layer at the cheekbone, the next at the collarbone, and leave the perimeter blunt at the chest with light point cutting, so two layers give movement without thinning the ends. Trim every eight weeks.
6. Chin-Framed Long Shaggy Layers
Round and square faces with medium density benefit from face framing that starts at the chin on a long shag, since the frame creates a diagonal while the crown stays short and the front stays close to the face. Style it with a curl cream, air-dry, and twist the front pieces back. On dry hair I slide cut the frame from the chin to the collarbone and point cut the crown layers separately. Trim every eight weeks.
7. Wispy-Fringe Long Shag
Heart shaped and oval faces with fine to medium density suit wispy bangs on a long shag, cut from a shallow triangle so they stay sheer. Styling is the bangs blown flat and the rest rough-dried with a texture spray. On dry hair I point cut the bangs to the brow and connect them to the shortest crown layer, with long shaggy layers to the chest behind. Trim the fringe every four weeks.
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8. Wavy-Hair Long Shaggy Haircut
Medium density wavy hair on most face shapes is the natural match for long shaggy haircuts, because each layer bends at a different point. Style with a sea salt spray on damp hair, a scrunch, and an air-dry. I cut on dry hair with the wave in its pattern, putting short crown layers in for lift and long layers below the shoulder, with point cut ends. Trim every ten weeks.
9. Dry-Cut Long Shag for Curls
Curly texture of medium to thick density on an oval or long face suits a long curly shag cut entirely dry, curl by curl, so the layers land where the curl springs. Styling is a leave-in and gel on wet hair, a diffuser, and a shake at the crown. I take the crown layers short for height, let the rest fall to the chest, and keep the face frame no higher than the chin. Trim every eight weeks.
10. Long Shag With a Side-Swept Fringe
Round and square faces look softer under side swept bangs on a long shag, which put a diagonal across the forehead with no center part, and medium density suits it. Style the bangs to the side with a flat brush and rough-dry the length. On dry hair I cut them from the brow to the cheekbone and blend them into the crown layers. The fringe gets trimmed every six weeks.
11. Seventies Long Shag With Feathering
Oval and long faces with medium to thick density suit the seventies long shag, feathered from the cheekbone down so each layer flicks away from the face. Styling is a round brush, rolling every layer back and out. On dry hair I cut the layers with the shears angled outward so the ends turn out, keeping the crown moderately short. Trim every eight weeks.
12. Money-Piece Highlighted Long Shag
Any face shape with medium density suits a money piece on a long shag, which brightens the shortest layers around the face. Style it with a texture spray, air-dry, and twist the front pieces forward. The shag comes first, crown short and layers to the chest, and then I lighten the front two sections two to three shades. Trim every eight weeks and refresh the color every twelve to sixteen.
13. Over-50 Long Shaggy Cut
Women over 50 with medium to thick hair and an oval or round face can carry a long shag when the crown layers stay at the ear or below. Styling is a round brush at the crown and a light serum to finish. I point cut the crown for lift, keep the face frame at the chin, and let soft layers fall to the collarbone. Trim every eight weeks and gloss on the same eight week cycle.
14. Blunt-Fringed Long Shag
Oval and long faces with medium to thick density suit the heavy fringe on a long shag with a blunt fringe, which anchors the softness of the layers. Style the fringe flat with a paddle brush and rough-dry the shag. On dry hair I cut the fringe straight across at the brow, then point cut the crown layers so the contrast looks deliberate. The fringe is trimmed every four weeks.
15. Long Shaggy Layers With a Choppy Perimeter
Medium to thick hair on oval, square and heart shaped faces suits choppy ends on a long shag, which hide regrowth and keep the perimeter looking lived in. Styling is a dry texture spray and a few random sections twisted. On dry hair I point cut deep into the last two inches and keep the crown layers short. Because the cut forgives, a trim every ten weeks is enough.
16. Straight-Hair Long Shag With Point-Cut Layers
Straight hair of medium to thick density on an oval or long face suits a long shag only if it is point cut, otherwise the layers show as lines. Style it with a rough-dry and mousse, then bend the ends with a flat iron in alternating directions. I point cut every layer on dry hair, crown to perimeter, so each one feathers instead of stepping. Trim every eight weeks.
17. Hidden-Undercut Long Shag
Thick density on any face shape suits a long shag with a hidden undercut at the nape, which takes out bulk, speeds up drying and lets the crown lift more. Styling is a diffuser with mousse and a shake. I clipper a small section under the occipital bone and cut the shag over it, with a short crown and layers to the chest. Buzz the undercut every four weeks and trim the shag every eight.
18. Long Layered Shaggy Haircut With a Center Part
Oval and long faces with medium density suit a long shag with a center part, which requires the face frame to be cut symmetrically. Style it with a curl cream, air-dry, twist the front pieces away from the part, then let them go. On dry hair I start the frame at the cheekbone, let it fall to the chest, and keep the crown layers moderate. Trim every ten weeks.
19. Balayage-Layered Long Shag
Any face shape with medium to thick density suits balayage through the layers of a long shag, which lights each tier separately so the layers read deeper and the shag looks thicker. Styling is an air-dry with a texture spray. I cut the shag first, then hand paint the surface of each layer and keep the underneath darker. Trim every eight weeks and refresh the balayage every sixteen.
20. Long Mullet Shag With Cropped Sides
Oval and heart shaped faces with thick density suit the long mullet shag, short at the sides and crown with a long back to the chest. Style it by working a matte paste through the crown, pushing it up, and leaving the back straight. On dry hair I point cut the crown and sides and keep the back one length. The crown and sides are trimmed every five weeks, the back every twelve.
21. Thin-Hair Long Shag With Soft Layers
Low density on an oval or heart shaped face suits a long shag only when the crown layers stay long and the perimeter stays blunt. Styling is an upside-down blow-dry with a volumizing mousse and a shake. I cut the shortest layer at the chin, slide cut two more down to the collarbone, and leave the ends full at the chest. Trim every eight weeks so the ends keep their fullness.
22. Micro-Fringe Long Shag
Oval and long faces with medium density suit micro bangs on a long shag, a strong line sitting above soft layers. Style the bangs flat and rough-dry the rest with a texture spray. On dry hair I cut the bangs very short, well above the brow, and keep the shag layers moderate so the fringe stays the focus. The fringe needs a trim every three weeks.
23. Long Shaggy Cut With Flipped-Out Ends
Fine to medium density on an oval or long face suits a long shag with flipped ends, which come from outward graduation in the lowest layers. Styling is a medium round brush, rolling the ends outward. On dry hair I angle the shears away from the face so the bottom tier kicks out, and keep the crown layers short. Trim every eight weeks.
24. Gray-Blending Long Shag
Women letting their gray grow in, with any face shape, suit gray blending on a long shag, since the layers mix gray and base across every tier. Style it with a smoothing cream and a texture spray, air-dried. I cut the shag with the crown at the ear and the layers to the collarbone, then add fine lowlights to blend. Trim every eight weeks and gloss every six.
25. Jaw-Length Curtain Bangs on a Long Shag
Round and square faces with medium to thick density benefit from long curtain bangs cut to the jaw on a shag, which frame the face with vertical lines instead of cutting across the cheek. Styling is a round brush on the bangs, rolling back. On dry hair I part them in the center, angle from the nose to the jaw, and connect them to the crown layers. The bangs are trimmed every six weeks.
If you’re curious, read formal hairstyles for medium length hair and haircuts for long hair straight.
Long shaggy haircuts earn their keep on second-day hair, once the crown loosens and the ends past the collarbone move. FYI, long curtain bangs cut to the jaw on a shag suit round and square faces with medium to thick density. That length is what keeps the bangs from poking the eyes.
