61 Long Shag Haircuts for Every Face Shape and Hair Type (2024)

A drastic chop isn't the only way to switch up your look. If you like your length, consider changing your hairstyle instead. May we recommend, the shag haircut? Made famous by style icons like Farrah Fawcett and Joan Jett, a shag adds a little more edge to a classic layered look and gives your hair tons of natural volume. "The shag has been around since the early 1970s. Inspired by rock and roll, the haircut was a symbol of effortless freedom," says hair stylist Chris Jones. "It's an overly layered mid-length to long haircut that promotes volume and texture."

Even better? The shag is a universal cut that works for every hair type, texture, and face shape.We tapped Jones and hair stylist, Gretchen Friese, to get their thoughts on what makes the shag so appealing, plus tips on how to style every length.

Meet the Expert

Gretchen Friese is BosleyMD's trichologist and stylist. She is also a hairstylist and salon director at Foushee SalonSpa in Denver.
Chris Jonesis a stylist and the owner of Salon Bugatti in The Woodlands, Texas. He is also a Virtue ambassador.

Click through to see 60 long shag haircuts on celebrities that are rife with inspiration.

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Shoulder-Length With Texture

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We like to think that Alexa Chung was one of the first to bring back this trend. Her iconic shag and bangs combo has inspired many to imitate her look. Her undone texture and thick bangs look oh-so-effortless, even at a formal event.

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Curly

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Long shag haircuts were made for natural curls, as seen here on Zendaya.Her curly texture adds tons of volume and movement. Friese says, "This style is made for curly hair. Straight or wavy hair wouldn’t have the same effect."

And can we take a minute to appreciate her bangs? While most people with curly hair shy from short bangs, Zendaya is rocking them here. To achieve her style, "use a curl defining cream along with a lightweight gel and diffuse the hair until about 80 percent dry and then let it just air dry completely," instructs Friese.

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Long and Loose

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"It's the effortless movement and texture you get with minimal work at home" that makes the shag so appealing, according to Jones. Not to mention how good it looks on Jessica Biel, here. Whereas many of today’s cuts have been simplified to fewer layers and shorter lengths, he says, "The shag goes against the grain, breaks the mold, and brings back a softer, sexier more feminine vibe."

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Face-Framing With Waves

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Gisele wears her layers long and curled with dimension, courtesy of sunkissed highlights.While most people think of the shag haircut as a messy, boho look, Gisele proves that it can also be sleek and smooth. Her layers frame her face perfectly.

Friese offers pro styling tips for achieving this look no matter your hair type: "Curly hair will need to use a smoothing product and blow the hair out straight with a bend at the ends. For wavy and straight strands, blow-dry and use a large barrel curling iron."

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Grown-Out

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Shay Mitchell wears her long shag haircut with beach waves.The undone texture accentuates the layers in her hair, giving her that "fresh-from-the-shore" look. Friese says, "This long shag is great because it really opens up her face" and works best on wavy and straight hair. She advises, "Use a volumizing gel and casually blow-dry. Finish with an extra-large barrel curling iron to create the texture at the ends."

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1970s Style

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Armed with her rose-colored glasses and long shag, Drew Barrymore pays homage to the decade of disco and disruption. "What I love about this look is that it virtually requires no effort. Throw in a little mousse, rough dry, and go," says Jones.

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Piecey

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We are loving the effortless waves withFrida Gustavsson's long shag. Her curtain bangs flawlessly frame her bright green eyes and according to Friese, "They give this cut a little something extra." She recommends this style for those with wavy or straight hair. Simply "Use a volumizing mousse and medium-sized round brush to create this look. Focus on creating the wavy shape at the ends," she says.

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Feathered

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Selena Gomez has recently gone back to brunette and got bangs to match her subtle layers.For a similar look, ask your hairstylist to cut your bangs with a razor for an edgier cut.

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Beachy

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Ciara's shag cut naturally frames her face—it's layer perfection.Simply put some sea salt spray in your hair for a similar look.

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Chic Chop

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Priyanka Chopra Jonas's soft fringe complements her layered cut while loose waves help to highlight movement. To achieve a similar style, Jones says to apply a small amount of Virtue 6-in-1 Styler to damp hair. Then blow-dry and finish with texturizing spray to get that undone finish.

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Pinup

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It's all about texture with Jennifer Hudson's retro take on the shag haircut.To add volume and movement, try adding something like the Oribe Après Beach Wave and Shine Spray.

Friese points out, "Wavy hair would be best for this look but it can work with slightly curly hair as well." Style "using a lightweight gel and either diffusing the hair or even air drying and loosening up the locks with fingers once the hair is dry."

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Wispy Layers

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Dakota Johnson wears a shag haircut with soft, wispy layers and a slight wave. The subtle bends highlight her layers, but she kept her texture sleek and shiny, probably thanks to a good serum, like this one from OGX.

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Shag-Fringe Combo

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Halle Berry looks youthful with this shag-fringe combo that underscores light, airy texture. "The beauty of this haircut lives in the form of a soft pony. Tons of height in the crown and all that softness that falls around the face," says Jones.

To style, prep hair with a volumizing mousse pre-blow-dry and follow with texturizing spray. The secret ingredient? A dusting of some volumizing powder at the crown for added volume. Try Verb Volume Texture Powder.

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High Volume

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Taylor Swift's shag helped her transition from curls and ringlets to grown-up waves and bobs. This look is all about volume, so blow-dry with a round brush at the roots and bangs to amp up the sexy nature of this style.

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Long Layers

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Camila Cabello demonstrates the wearability of the shag. "This in my opinion is a slightly more modern, conservative approach to the long shag," says Jones. "The long fringe complements the soft layers without feeling overly layered," he adds. To get her lustrous locks, try one of our must-have shine-boosting products.

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Shag Meets Mullet

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A mullet is a shag by another name. It is also known as a shullet. Similarly, it has lots of choppy layers and the more modern varieties keep things simple with plenty of texture. To style, brush the sides flat and tapered with theClub Brushand add a spritz of texturizing spray.

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Lightly Feathered With Waves

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This feathered, Farrah Fawcett-like take on the shag is all about a high-quality blowout. While drying the hair, be sure to use a smaller-barreled (3/4"-1") round brush to create those brushed-back, defined, feathery pieces that look so killer here.

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Curly With Bangs

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Whether you have natural curls or not, this curly shag can be recreated at home. Use a wide-barrel wand to create loose waves and brush them out with your fingers for that lived-in look.

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Wet-Look Curls

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The wet look is all about the right product application. For a curly shag wet look, allow hair to get 70 percent dry, then coat strands with Oribe Gel Sérum. Finish by lightly blow-drying with a diffuser (ensuring curls remain intact) and spritz on some shine spray.

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Natural

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Embrace your natural curls with a shag. For a look like this, ensure hair stays well-moisturized by committing to a weekly application of a deep conditioning mask. We love the Hydrate Superfood Deep Treatment Mask from Pureology.

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Disheveled Bangs

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This look is an amalgamation of styles. The layers offer a similar vibe to a mullet, but the bangs are pure 1960s. To style, use a round brush on the bangs and let the rest of the hair air-dry.

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Lots of Layers

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J.Lo's look teaches us a lesson about levels and movement. Her bangs begin above her eyebrow with longer sides down to her temple, then her layers start at the chin, hit again at the neckline, and finally end at the décolletage. Center-parted curtain bangs could also be a possibility here. A volumizing spray like It's a 10 Haircare Miracle Blowdry Volumizer helps, too.

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Air-Dried Texture

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Air-drying a shag, and using your fingers to add volume is key to a casual look. We like Hairstory’s Hair Balm to provide the perfect shaggy wave.

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Bang-Free Texture

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Loose, but still pulled together, this textured look has bends throughout and volume at the roots. If you have straight hair like Sandra Bullock, ask your stylist for choppy ends, which will add movement.

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Loose Curls

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Great for those with natural texture, this look sees long, grown-out bangs serving to frame the face. Work through a curl cream and air dry for a similar look.

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Grown-Out Layers

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Sometimes, a shag can benefit from a curling iron. After drying and curling, work in a dollop of Oribe Creme for Style for a "I-woke-up-like-this look."

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Rounded and Curly

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A fro meets a shag with this look, which features natural, well-moisturized curls and fringey bangs. A finishing product is key to maintaining well-defined curls, even in humidity.

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Rounded Bangs

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Asking your stylist to leave your bangs at or below eyebrow level helps provide a 1970s, cool and casual vibe. Further the look by keeping ends loose and wavy and using a round brush to curve the bangs just slightly inward.

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Undone

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This undone look is great for those with natural texture. To keep hair moisturized prior to styling, work in some AmikaCurl Corps Defining Cream.

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Bohemian Layers

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This classic shag is great for longer hair types, especially with some soft waves. The style works best on second (third, or fourth) day hair because of the natural oils and texture that allow for the grungey bedhead effect.

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Slightly Bent

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An ear tuck makes every style instantly chicer—even a wavy shag, as seen here. Keep ends razored for an uneven look and part hair in the center to keep things classic.

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Wavy With Soft Fringe

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Volume on the ends and texture on the bangs—this style offers the best of both worlds. It's also ideal for those who are growing out their fringe, or rock curtain bangs, as it allows the shorter hair to blend into the sides.

Choppy Bangs

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Keep bangs brushed down and forward for this look, which pairs straight bangs with loose waves. To keep hair soft and silky while maintaining definition, we love Ouidad's Advanced Climate Control Heat & Humidity Gel.

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All Natural

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A center part helps keep the hair off of the face and puts the attention on the shape of your curls. Keep hair hydrated with a product such as Cantu'sLeave-in Conditioner, which can be reapplied throughout the day.

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Bangs and Waves

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A hat and a shag go hand-in-hand, particularly if you keep the accessory perched farther back on your head. That allows for a better look at the bangs, which are eyebrow-grazing and full, to match the textured ends.

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Side-Parted

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This is a sophisticated take on the shag, which sees one side much fuller than the other. Try teasing the roots and blow drying the hair with the head hanging upside down to get the most volume.

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Super-Long Waves

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Beach waves go high impact with ultra-long extensions, seen here. Try clip-ins for all the drama without all the commitment.

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Asymmetric Bangs

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The bangs here are a little haphazard and that's kind of the point. While the ends are one-length and fairly blunt, the bangs have layers of varying lengths that add character and help show off the face.

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Wet Look and Side Part

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Another of our favorite wet looks, this side part style allows a shag to look, well, less like a shag. Keep hair shiny with a product like AvedaBrilliant Damage Control sprayed on at the end.

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Textured Waves

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Curling a shag allows the layers to blend fairly seamlessly (which serves to add more mileage to the style). Add volume with a side part and a hair pin on one side, clipping hair above one ear.

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Eyebrow-Grazing Fringe

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Even those with super-straight hair can rock a shag. Just ask your stylist to cut long layers and bangs (and ensure the bangs are layered, too, for a casual look).

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Gradual Layers

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This romantic look comes courtesy of layers that are strategically placed around the face. When curled just right, it gives off a retro look (one perfect for evening or a special event).

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Tousled With Layers

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The key to perfectly tousled hair? Great products. Blow dry hair until it's nearly dry and finish with Oribe's Après Beach Wave and Shine Spray for a similar look.

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Long and Straight

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The long bangs—which graze the eyes and get longer on the sides—go perfectly with the rest of this lengthy look. Ask your stylist to cut gradual layers, from the bangs to the ends, for a similar look.

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Wavy With Curtain Bangs

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Short curtain bangs are one of our favorite looks because they don't require as much commitment as a traditional fringe. Here, Gemma Chan's long bangs are parted in the center, blending in with the rest of her long, wavy shag.

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Long Curtain Bang Blend

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Those growing out their bangs will appreciate this fresh spin on the shag, which sees long curtain bangs blending into shoulder-length hair.

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Sparse Bangs

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This look is proof that bangs don't have to be perfect. Grown-out, sparser bangs can shine when worn with a full, loosely wavy style, as seen here on Zooey Deschanel.

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Heavy Curtain Bangs

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Teasing the hair at the root is a surefire way to mimic this sort of volume. Full bangs can also be parted slightly in the center, for a curtain effect. It's a bombshell look that's easy to recreate.

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Bouncy and Retro

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Face-framing and full bangs help provide a counterpoint to the loose, bouncy waves seen on Heidi Klum's shag. Keeping hair bent only at the ends, and curling face-framing layers help to keep the look fresh.

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Soft Shag

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A center part adds a glam touch to these long, loose waves and layers. If you want to veer the look in a more gritty direction, try using a sea spray, like Herbivore Botanicals Coconut Sea Mist Texturizing Salt Spray.

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Face-Framing Pieces

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The classic Rachel cut goes modern with this long, layered shag. Here, the layers start low, framing the face. So while there aren't any bangs, there's still lots of interest.

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Two-Layered Shag

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This two-layered shop emphasizes the two-toned hue. For this shag, ask your stylist to keep ends long and create face-framing bangs that skim the ears.

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Coarse Layers

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This pinned-back shag is a more glamorous version of the look and offers a solid styling lesson for when your bangs grow too long to handle. Just use a curling iron to create loose waves, part your hair on the side, and pin back the other. The bangs will blend into your shag's layers, and the look will be pure sophistication.

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Wavy With Undercut

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This shaggy style comes with a modern twist courtesy of the undercut, which is only one-sided and can be shown off with a deep side part.

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Overgrown

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The ultimate shag requires little more than wearing your hair down, air-dried, and with a lot of texture spray. Even if your bangs are so long they fall into your face, it only adds to the cool factor.

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Bouncy Curled Shag

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A big barrel curling iron will help you achieve bouncy curls like Michelle Obama's. When curling, alternate the direction of the iron inward and outward for a more dimensional look that encourages movement.

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Wispy Bangs

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While we are loving Jourdan Dunn's violet eyeshadow, her mermaid waves and wispy bangs have also caught our attention. Pairing a heavier hairstyle with lighter bangs add balance to the overall look.

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Bedhead Shag

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Danish model Freja Beha is known for her shaggy bedhead cut. A little texturizing spray can go a long way in maintaining the messy style. We love Ouai Texturizing Hair Spray for it's volumizing and nourishing formula that also works like a dry shampoo to eliminate oil.

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Braided Shag

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Zoë Kravitz is usually rocking a super short cropped pixie, but she likes to switch it up every now and then. Here, she leaves the ends of her micro braids open, so they open at her eyebrow level and blend into a long shag.

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Mermaid Waves

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Long shag haircuts go hand in hand with mermaid waves, for an effortless look that is easy to maintain. Braid damp hair and sleep in it overnight or use a waver and a light hair spray to maintain the hold of this beachy look.

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Wolf Cut

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This shag-meets-mullet cut has come to be known as the wolf cut (there's also a cub cut, which is the shorter version). If you ask us, it's giving party in the front and the back. Use a texture-enhancing styler like R+Co Velevet Curtain Cotton Touch Texture Balm for natural bends.

FAQ

How often do you need to trim a shag haircut?

A trim every six to eight weeks is the sweet spot for most hairstyles, including a shag. This will ensure ends stay healthy (and that hair doesn't grow so long it no longer resembles a shag).
What products are best for styling a shag haircut?

A high-quality texture spray is a must, as is a dry shampoo, which will ensure your bangs and roots don't get greasy between washes.
Does a shag haircut require bangs?

Bangs are a pretty big feature of the shag, however, if you aren't into them, try longer, face-framing bangs, that serve almost as shorter layers. They require less styling and can go longer between trims.

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