20 Trendy Curly Hair Cutting 2027 with Voluminous Layers

Curly hair is having a moment that isn’t going anywhere, and the cuts designed to work with your natural texture are more specific and flattering than ever. The shift is away from forced shapes and toward lived-in layers that let your curl pattern do the talking.

These 20 Trendy Curly Hair Cutting ideas span everything from a low-maintenance chin-length bob to a high-volume mid-back length with face-framing pieces. Whether your struggle is fine curls that fall flat, a visible grow-out line, or bangs that refuse to cooperate, there’s a cut here that solves it without asking you to fight your texture.

01. Shoulder Length Shag With Curtain Bangs

A shag cut for thick, curly hair uses layers to carve out volume while curtain bangs soften the look. This collarbone-length version, with a side part and voluminous blowout, suits those with at least shoulder-length hair who want shape without sacrificing density. Round and oval faces benefit most from the sweeping bangs, which blend into the cut rather than stopping abruptly. Ask your stylist for: shoulder length shag with curtain bangs and layers. A round brush during the blowout encourages the bend, and a trim every eight to ten weeks keeps the shag in shape.

02. Dark Brown Bob With Caramel Highlights

A solid color bob can feel flat on thick curls, which is where this collarbone-length bob with caramel highlights makes its case. The dark brown base grounds the shape, and the lighter strands threaded through the layers give the cut depth without needing a full color change. Curtain bangs frame the face, and the side part and blowout keep the bob from looking too precious. Ask your stylist for: collarbone bob with curtain bangs and caramel highlights. It suits most face shapes, and the highlights need refreshing every eight to twelve weeks to stay warm rather than brassy.

03. Collarbone Layers With Loose Waves

The design relies on visible layers cut into thick, dark brown hair, then left to air-dry with nothing more than a curl cream. A side part and curtain bangs complete the shape, which lands at collarbone length. Ask your stylist for: collarbone length layers with curtain bangs. The air-dried finish means the cut has to do the work, and it does. A trim every six to eight weeks keeps the layers from growing into one heavy block.

04. Voluminous Layered Curls With Highlights

How do you ask for curls that look big without looking puffy? The answer is rounded layers and face-framing pieces, cut so the shape holds its own volume. This collarbone-length cut uses a dark brown base with blonde highlights placed through the top layers, which adds dimension and lift. The middle part and air-dried styling keep the focus on the cut itself. Ask your stylist for: collarbone length voluminous layers with face-framing pieces. For the highlights, ask your colorist for: dark brown base with blonde highlights placed on top layers. The shape works for many face shapes, and a toning appointment every six to eight weeks keeps the blonde from going muddy.

05. Collarbone Shag With Full Bangs

Full bangs on thick, curly hair are a commitment, but this collarbone-length shag makes the trade-off worth it. The layers throughout the cut prevent the bangs from looking disconnected, and the middle part and air-dried texture keep the whole thing feeling lived-in. The dark brown base means the bangs blend naturally with the rest of the hair. Ask your stylist for: collarbone length shag with full bangs. Oval and longer face shapes suit the blunt fringe best. Bangs need trimming every four to six weeks, and a diffuser on low heat keeps the curl pattern intact without puffing up the top.

06. Collarbone Layers With Full Bangs, Dark Brown

It is not a shag, though it shares the DNA: collarbone-length layers with full bangs, all in a dark brown base. The mistake people make is cutting those bangs straight across when dry, only to watch them bounce up to eyebrow level. Ask your stylist for collarbone length layers with full bangs, and request they cut the fringe while your curls are dry and in their natural state. The middle part and air-dried texture keep the look from feeling precious. Thick, curly hair at this length handles the weight of full bangs without them turning into a triangle. Oval and long faces get the most balanced framing here.

07. Collarbone Waves With Subtle Balayage

The design is clever: loose waves at collarbone length, with subtle balayage that lands mostly around the mid-lengths and ends. It gives depth without the stripe effect. The honest trade-off is that on thick, wavy hair, those layers can lose their definition after a few weeks of washing and air-drying, settling into a more uniform shape. Ask your stylist for collarbone length loose waves, subtle balayage. A side part elongates round faces, which helps when the volume sits mainly at the sides. Skip this if you want a crisp, structured wave pattern that holds its shape day after day without intervention.

08. Collarbone Layers With Caramel Highlights

Is this cut for you? It depends on density. The soft layers and caramel highlights work best on medium-density curly hair at collarbone length. Too fine and the layers can disappear into the texture; too thick and the caramel highlights might read as chunky rather than subtle. Ask your stylist for collarbone length soft layers with caramel highlights. The dark brown base keeps the roots grounded while the lighter pieces add movement around the face. The side part and air-dried finish keep the look low-commitment, which is the point. Most face shapes can wear this, though the length grazing the collarbone works especially well for those who want softness at the jaw.

09. Shoulder Length Curls With Defined Texture

Technically, this is a blowout on shoulder-length layers, using a diffuser to lock in curl definition rather than brushing it smooth. The side part and subtle lighter highlights add dimension, but the real work is in the drying technique. Ask your stylist for shoulder length layers with defined curls, subtle highlights. Thick, curly hair at this length benefits from the controlled airflow that sets each curl without frizz. The side part also helps balance longer face shapes by adding width at the sides. It is a salon finish, not an air-dry-and-pray situation.

10. Shoulder Length Layers Salt And Pepper

A precise observation: salt and pepper color looks best when the cut lets the natural contrast do the talking. Here, shoulder-length layers and an air-dried finish showcase the mix of dark and silver strands without interference. Ask your stylist for shoulder length layered cut in salt and pepper. The side part works for most face shapes, and the medium-density curls hold definition well at this length. Upkeep is straightforward: a trim every six to eight weeks keeps the layers from losing their shape, and the color grows out gracefully since there is no dye line to manage. Just let it do its thing.

11. Shoulder Length Bob With Curtain Bangs, Collarbone

A blunt bob is neat, but it does not move. This shoulder length bob with layers and curtain bangs lets thick, curly hair actually breathe. The dark brown base gets caramel highlights, and the side part keeps the volume balanced. Ask your stylist for: shoulder length bob with curtain bangs and caramel highlights. A blowout gives it that polished shape, and the highlights will need a refresh every 8-12 weeks.

12. Chin Length Bob With Wispy Bangs

Can you get a curly bob without looking like you lost a fight with scissors? Yes, if the layers stay soft and the bangs stay wispy. This chin length bob on a dark brown base uses subtle highlights to keep the texture from falling flat. Ask your stylist for: chin length bob with soft layers and wispy curtain bangs. The side part and curtain bangs frame the face without commitment, and a diffuser on low heat is all you need to finish it.

13. Chin Length Layered Bob With Short Bangs

The short bangs on this chin length layered bob look great until they do not. On thick, curly hair, those bangs can turn into a solid curtain if the layers are not cut with precision. The air-dried texture here keeps things light, but the real drawback is the grow-out: short bangs need a trim every 4-6 weeks or they start looking like a separate piece. Ask your stylist for: chin length layered bob with short bangs. This cut suits hair that actually curls, not just waves.

14. Short Pixie Bob With Wispy Bangs

A short pixie bob on fine, curly hair is a high-stakes gamble. The texture is defined, but the wispy bangs and middle part mean every curl has to land exactly right. This is not a cut you walk out of and forget about. You get a fashion-forward shape that turns heads, but you will be in the salon every 4-6 weeks for a trim. DIY maintenance is minimal, a dab of pomade after air-drying does the job, but the initial cut requires a stylist who understands how curly hair shrinks. Ask your stylist for: short pixie bob with wispy bangs.

Skip this if your curls are coarse or your mornings are short. The fine texture in the photo is what makes the wispy bangs look deliberate.

15. Ear Length Layered Cut With Highlights

Who actually looks good with an ear length cut on fine, curly hair? Someone whose curls hold their shape without a fight. This layered cut with short bangs and blonde highlights adds dimension where a solid color would fall flat. The blowout gives it polish, but the real trick is the layers: they keep fine curls from clumping into sad little strings. Ask your stylist for: ear length layered cut with short bangs and highlights. If your hair is very fine, skip the heavy highlights and go for a single shade.

16. Mid-Back Length With Natural Volume

The layering on this cut is doing something specific: it carves out the interior weight so the curls stack upward instead of pulling down. For thick, curly hair at mid-back length, that makes the difference between a triangle and a full, rounded silhouette. The middle parting keeps the fall symmetrical, and the dark brown base lets the texture do the talking.

Hair with density and a natural S or coil pattern benefits from this technique because it relies on bulk, not added body. Ask your stylist for: mid-back length layers, air-dried finish. A trim every ten to twelve weeks maintains the shape without losing length.

17. Mid-Back Waves With Subtle Highlights

The loose wave pattern here looks air dried but actually benefits from a brief pass of a large-barrel iron on the mid-lengths and ends. On thick, wavy hair at mid-back length, the subtle highlights add depth without creating a visible regrowth line: the payoff is dimensional movement with no sharp contrast.

The middle parting elongates a round face, and the length keeps the weight low enough that the waves don’t bounce up into a shorter shape. Ask your stylist for: mid-back length loose waves with subtle highlights. Plan a toning appointment every eight to ten weeks to keep the highlights from warming toward yellow, and a trim at the same interval.

18. Mid-Back Curly Hair With Face-Framing

Wondering how to get curl definition without sacrificing length? The answer is in the face-framing layers: they’re cut short enough to let the front curls spring up and form their own shape, while the rest of the mid-back length stays heavy enough to weigh the pattern down. Ask your stylist for: mid-back length curls with face-framing layers. The middle parting keeps the front sections even, and the dark brown base means no color upkeep to distract from the texture.

19. Mid-Back Copper With Blonde Highlights

This is not a subtle wash of color; it’s a copper base with blonde highlights that sit visibly on the surface of the curls. The volume comes from the blowout styling, which stretches the curl pattern into a wider, bouncier shape than air-drying would achieve. The blonde sections need attention: copper oxidizes warm, and the lighter pieces will shift brassier faster than a single-process color would.

Full curtain bangs suit oval and long faces by breaking up the vertical line, and on thick curly hair they need to be cut dry to account for spring. Ask your stylist for: mid-back length copper hair with blonde highlights and full curtain bangs. Plan a toner refresh every six to eight weeks, and accept that this is a salon-dependent look, not a between-appointments wash-and-wear one.

20. High Updo With Curly Bangs

A high updo on thick curly hair requires enough length to gather without pulling the curl pattern straight, and enough grip to stay put without slipping. The bangs are left out to frame the face, which means the hair is pinned securely at the crown. This is a formal or event-ready style, not a daily option: the pins and hold product needed for all-day security take time to place correctly.

The black base is sleek and intentional, and the defined coils in the bangs add texture that a sleek updo would lack. Ask your stylist for: high updo with curly bangs. Trim the bangs every six to eight weeks to keep them at the right length for springing forward instead of dropping into the eyes.

21. Final Thoughts

For fine curls, keep one blunt baseline and skip heavy layering to maintain density. For thick curls, embrace layers to reduce weight and enhance definition, and consider bangs to frame the face. A trim every eight to twelve weeks keeps the shape honest, and a toner every six to ten weeks handles any brassiness.

• Trim every 8-12 weeks to maintain shape and prevent split ends.
• Refresh color with a toner every 6-10 weeks as needed.
• Use a microfiber towel for drying to minimize frizz.
• Apply curl-defining products to damp hair before air-drying or diffusing.

Find the cut that lets your curls shine.