84 short hairstyles for women: From buzz cuts, to jaw-skimming bobs

Ever get the urge to chop your hair off? You’re in good company since short hairstyles are trending. According to Google search data “short hairstyles” is one of the most Googled beauty trends around the world. And the UK searches for this term most.

Skimmed strands are debatably the coolest cut you can get. But this year our obsession with short hairstyles for women has intensified, and celebs are getting involved, too. Dixie D’Amelio, Florence Pugh, Ariana Debose, Demi Lovato and Saweetie have all made the cut over the past year and it seems as though more of us than ever are seriously contemplating our boldest look yet.

There’s something oh-so satisfying about shearing away excess layers and swapping long, heavy hair, for something that feels more free and lightweight. Whether you’re looking for a style that’s soft and short like a choppy pixie crop, or just fancy lifting your bob a few inches to lobe-length, lopping the lot away can feel utterly liberating. Even better, it can release you from long-winded blow-drying and styling, too.

The current mood comes off the back of ultra choppy cuts like the shag and mullet trending over the past couple of years. Now, hairdressers are noticing their clients wanting to take those cuts shorter, with cropped wolf cuts, shags and piecey pixies, or they’re looking to slice their hair off at their longest layers to create sharper-looking bobs.

But alongside offering a hard-reset, styling-wise, short hairstyles give you the chance to trim away hair that’s maybe past its best.“My clients are more keen on cutting way more of the length to keep the hair healthy,” explains Kamila Pruszek, co-owner and manager of Blue Tit’s Portobello salon.

Both long-term converts and new-comers can benefit from something more drastic, since short cuts are as versatile as they are easy to maintain. And, they’re easier to pull off than you’d think, once you find the right shape for you… In fact, there’s nothing like pruning back layers of hair to help open up your face and make the most of your features – hello there, cheekbones.

Luckily, tonnes of shorter cuts are bang on trend right now, from the shaggy bob or bottleneck bob to rad buzzcuts or classic pixie crops. You could dip your toe in with a slightly longer length chop – like a lob, or the short (but not too-short) collar-bone bob.

If you want to take it up a notch, you could take the French bob for a spin. It headlined in 2020, but it’s predicted to be back and even more popular for 2023. The good news? It’s short, it’s flirty and it’s made for low-maintenance styling.

Or for something more out-there, we love the cropped mullet – a bold choppy choice, which looks especially fierce on shorter hair.