Long, Layered Cuts on Celebrities to Inspire Your Next Style
Rapunzel hair, don't care.
If you like to keep your hair on the longer side but don't love the look of short layers, great news: there are still a wide variety of long haircuts available to you. Thanks to their access to the world's best stylists, celebrities with long, layered hairstyles provide endless inspiration for your next trip to the salon. (Yes, celebrities often add to the density and length of their hair with extensions, wigs, and other tools—but so can you!) No matter the length, texture, and color of your hair, you'll find something on this list that suits what you're going for.
Laverne Cox
If you want long, long, long layered hair (either with or without the use of extensions), Laverne Cox's ombré hairdo is an excellent place to start. The bulk of the layers start at the shoulder, with some ever-important face-framing fringe in the front.
Alicia Keys
Curly hair, especially 4A to 4C, requires more layers to achieve the proper shape. But this cut on Alicia Keys is still long(er) that you sometimes see. The bangs are shorter and face-framing, but the longer layers give a shape that's a little less dramatic. Investing in someone who knows how to cut curly hair, if that's applicable to you, is a wise choice.
Chrissy Teigen
With some long layers, Chrissy Teigen's cut lends itself well to some styling with a curling iron to give it some bounce going overboard on the volume. But the key here is the side part, which allows one side to drape dramatically across one half of her face.
Olivia Palermo
Yes, a bob can still have long layers! Technically, this is probably a lob (the cut falls between chin and shoulder) and there's some subtle piece-y layers, especially in the front. A little curl and a very dramatic side part help add some movement and drama.
Lauren Conrad
Aside from some angling at the front, Lauren Conrad is giving us some classic The Hills hair with her long blonde 'do. Here, the ombre effect at the top combined with the dimensional blonde highlights help add volume and body, while the cut itself is mostly one length.
Adriana Lima
There have been few cuts as iconic as Adriana Lima's beachy waves in the heyday of her time as a Victoria's Secret model. There are a lot of face-framing pieces in the front, and then the back is long and luxurious, with the longer layers starting at the shoulder.
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Ashley Graham
I absolutely love this choppy cut on Ashley Graham. Like others on this list, the layers start at the shoulder, but there's a ton of variation in the cut—which can make the hair look less "blended" and thus more voluminous than it actually is. Some added curl only enhances the "messiness" in a cool way.
Oprah
For a more classic long layered cut, Oprah Winfrey's curls here are a lovely blueprint. The length extends beyond the shoulder blades, but some subtle layering throughout allows the curls to lift and separate (instead of all lying flat against her head).
Iman
For some blunt, angled hair at the front of the face, Iman's got the perfect inspiration for you. The ends are given a little curl inwards, making the hair look symmetrical and face-framing. An almost-middle part and some highlights help soften the bluntness.
Kate Hudson
Contrary to popular belief, it's not just thick hair that benefits from layers. Kate Hudson's hair is fine and not very dense, so she's not aiming for a ton of volume. Instead, her longer layers and a little curl help add a little pizzazz while still being her natural texture.
Alessandra Ambrosio
Granted, Alessandra Ambrosio is a literal supermodel, but her minimal cut is perfection—particularly if, like her, your hair isn't too dense and is quite straight. The front pieces are deeply angled upwards towards the face, but the bottom is mostly even.
Eva Mendes
Eva Mendes' haircut here is soft and romantic. It appears that the shortest layers are towards the front (no surprise), but they're long enough to tuck behind the ear (making this a great everyday cut, since it's long enough to go back into a ponytail).
Jennifer Lawrence
Jennifer Lawrence doesn't always favor a hairdo with this much curl, but I'm on record as liking the style a lot. The layers start a little below chin length, and would also work well for a curly- or wavy-haired person who's looking for some long layers.
Logan Browning
By Logan Browning's admission, she has a mix of curls—some looser, some kinkier—and when it's wet, there are only a few inches of difference between her shortest and longest layers (excluding her bangs). But with some expert styling, it creates a magnificent shape.
Rosie Huntington-Whiteley
I realize it's unfair to use Rosie Huntington-Whiteley as inspiration, since her hair is long and super-glossy (may we all be so blessed!). But it's actually not the thickest, so she relies on varied highlights throughout her hair, as well as a curling iron through the ends, to give her minimal long layers some "oomph."
Farrah Fawcett
Any list of long layers (or any layers, for that matter) would be incomplete without Farrah Fawcett. Here she's giving us the Charlie's Angels cut, with fringe-y bangs and some deep angling in the front with much longer layers in the back. A classic for a reason.
Nicole Beharie
The more modern iteration of a '70s-inspired cut (here done expertly on Nicole Beharie) doesn't rely on as many layers in front or as wide a curl throughout. But you've still got the side part, longer layers in the body, and angled out front pieces.
Penelope Cruz
If you like long layers, Penelope Cruz should be on your haircut vision board immediately (her career has been defined by a series of expert cuts that show off her gorgeous tresses). It somehow manages to be both windswept and soft, with a messy part to add to the beachy vibe.
Alexa Chung
Alexa Chung has spoken about her ideal haircut: a long bob, with minimal and haphazard-looking layers, to add dimension to her thinner hair without going overboard on the volume. Not everyone may want a cut that's this "messy," but when it works, it's gorgeous.
Winnie Harlow
Hello, Old Hollywood! With a ton of curl throughout Winnie Harlow's 'do, this is very obviously carefully styled; but (aside from some shorter pieces in front) the cut actually looks pretty uniform. So the volume and life comes from the hair density and added volume.
Suki Waterhouse
If you're unfamiliar, the "wolf" haircut (which is a mix between a shag and a mullet) is popular for people with long hair hoping to add a little fun to their cut. This, on Suki Waterhouse, is a little longer than she sometimes prefers; it still contains that choppiness even though the hair in the body is more blended.
Rachel McAdams
Rachel McAdams' hair has always been enviable, and it's a nice balance: thick enough to have some natural body (and necessitate some layering at the bottom, as we see here), but still highly versatile. A side part gives a cascade of gorgeous curls here.
Gabrielle Union
Beautiful, thick, relaxed hair doesn't necessarily require a ton of layering at the bottom: the volume speaks for itself, looking rich and luxurious. Gabrielle Union has given us a multitude of layered cuts over her career, but it's hard to argue with something so simple and beautiful.
Dua Lipa
Seriously, does Dua Lipa just bring a leaf blower with her at all times?? (I'm kidding, she's just cooler than the rest of us). The layers here are very, very long, so a soft curl does wonders to help with body and volume—that, and the aforementioned breeze.
Priyanka Chopra-Jonas
This cut is mostly one length on Priyanka Chopra-Jonas (it looks like there might be some very minimal layers), so some brighter highlights help add volume. I'm a fan of the side fringe bangs; without it, the cut might look a little too severe at the front.
Aubrey Plaza
Long layers can still be messy and fun! (It helps that Aubrey Plaza has an innate cool factor, too, as well as a good curling iron.) There's likely some hair gel in here, too which helps "lift" the front, face-framing pieces and define the longer layers in the body.
Ana de Armas
I just really wish I had hair that was this long and glossy! Ana de Armas, who's got some very minimal long layers that are styled simply, is relying on the health of her hair as well as a very subtle ombre hair color to achieve this seemingly effortless look.
Ciara
I think my favorite part of this haircut on Ciara is the tiny, silver-flecked braids throughout her hair. (Also the fact that I could never get my hair that sweeping.) When your cut is this long, you can actually get away with layers that are quite robust—several inches shorter—while never compromising on length.
Brigitte Bardot
Perhaps the platonic ideal for long, layered hair, Brigitte Bardot gave new meaning to the messy-but-chic cut. There's curtain bangs at the front and choppy angled pieces at the front, and the bottom's uneven (with a little frizz for good measure!). It's deceptively simple but inherently cool.
Jessica Biel
The modern "Bardot" skips out on the bangs and keeps the layers long, as we see on Jessica Biel. There's some added curl here, but that classic unevenness at the bottom plus some angling at the front looks like a very chic grow-out of the classic cut.
Zendaya
With her blonde long bob curled to perfection, Zendaya is (yet again) serving us some serious hair inspiration (she changed the color while promoting the film Challengers). There's not a ton of layers, but—as ever—a side part provides more volume to one side.
Meghan Markle
Meghan Markle has always been a source of hair inspo for me, and when she wears it long with long layers (as we see here), it's incredibly enviable. There are actually a lot of layers here, starting at the shoulder blade, so she doesn't need to do much to give it life and volume. It's perfect as-is.
Katherine’s a contributing syndications editor at Marie Claire who covers fashion, culture, and lifestyle. In her role, she writes stories that are syndicated by MSN and other outlets. She’s been a full-time freelancer for over a decade and has had roles with Cosmopolitan (where she covered lifestyle, culture, and fashion SEO content) and Bustle (where she was their movies and culture writer). She has bylines in New York Times, Parents, InStyle, Refinery29, and elsewhere. Her work has also been syndicated by ELLE, Harper’s Bazaar, Seventeen, Good Housekeeping, and Women’s Health, among others. In addition to her stories reaching millions of readers, content she's written and edited has qualified for a Bell Ringer Award and received a Communicator Award.
Katherine has a BA in English and art history from the University of Notre Dame and an MA in art business from the Sotheby's Institute of Art (with a focus on marketing/communications). She covers a wide breadth of topics: she's written about how to find the very best petite jeans, how sustainable travel has found its footing on Instagram, and what it's like to be a professional advice-giver in the modern world. Her personal essays have run the gamut from learning to dress as a queer woman to navigating food allergies as a mom. She also has deep knowledge of SEO/EATT, affiliate revenue, commerce, and social media; she regularly edits the work of other writers. She speaks at writing-related events and podcasts about freelancing and journalism, mentors students and other new writers, and consults on coursework. Currently, Katherine lives in Boston with her husband and two kids, and you can follow her on Instagram. If you're wondering about her last name, it’s “I go to dinner,” not “Her huge ego,” but she responds to both.
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