Layered Mid-Length

Layered mid-length is the universal shoulder-length cut with long internal layers — no shorter than the chin in front, internal layers cut to maintain length while adding movement. It's the cut you ask for when you want shoulder-length hair that doesn't feel heavy or flat.

It flatters oval, oblong, and square faces — the layered movement adds shape without requiring strong styling. Straight, wavy, and lightly curly hair all wear it; the layering technique adapts to the texture. The cut is one of the most-asked-for shoulder-length variants because it's both shape and length in one cut.

Low daily maintenance — air-dry with leave-in cream, or quick round-brush blowout. Trim every eight weeks to maintain the layered shape. The layered mid-length cut has been in continuous rotation since the 1970s under various names (the shag, the long-layered cut, the modern wolf cut variant), but the basic 'shoulder length with internal layers' shape never really goes away because it works. Specify 'shoulder length with long internal layers — no shorter than the chin in front' — generic 'layered cut' often produces internal layers that end too short.