What To Know Before Getting a Feathered Haircut

What To Know Before Getting a Feathered Haircut
What To Know Before Getting a Feathered Haircut

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Few things can make you feel as refreshed as getting a new haircut. Whether you decide to chop everything off to rock a bob, tap into trends like curtain bangs, or simply go for a trim — how you wear your hair is deeply personal.

Feathered hair, for example, has famously been sported by celebrities such as Princess Diana and Farrah Fawcett, and it's easy to see why. It's a style that flatters every hair length.

As such, we decided to tap two celebrity hairstylist to share everything there is to know about feathered haircuts. Here, they explain exactly what it is (hey, we could all use a refresher sometimes), how to style it, what to ask your stylist for next time you go to the salon, and more.

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What Is a Feathered Haircut?

What used to be known as the "Farah Fawcett" is actually just a style with many layers that beautifully cascade into one another, explains Castillo, a celebrity hairstylist and Matrix brand ambassador. "[It's] designed to add volume and bounce one's hair, and is very similar to a shag cut, but with more of a uniform finish," he says. "It's such a vibe — the wind blows through your layers and weightless ends to mimic the strands in a bird's feathers."

Do Feathered Haircuts Work for Everyone?

Good news: Castillo assures that this cut works for every face shape, hair type, and hair length. Originally, he says this style was created for people with straight hair, but sky's the limit these days.

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What Should You Ask Your Stylist For When Getting a Feathered Haircut?

"Ask them to make sure the layers are feathered towards the ends to avoid removing too much bulk and that they taper towards the ends to nicely frame the face," suggests Justine Marjan, a celebrity hairstylist and TRESemmé global stylist.

Furthermore, Castillo says to let them know that you want V-shaped layers and if you want a side or a center part.

What's the Best Way to Style a Feathered Haircut?

Start with damp hair and spritz it from roots to ends with spray to prep it for styling. "I like the TRESemmé One Step Volume Mist for fine hair, TRESemmé One Step Wave Mist for wavy hair, and TRESemmé One Step Texture Mist to enhance textures on flatter hair types," says Marjan.

Then, Castillo says to blowdry your hair with a round brush and to be sure to direct your blowout away from your face to get that full feathered effect. "For extra volume and hold, finish with Matrix's Vavoom Extra Full Freezing Spray — it provides workability, buildable hold, shine, a 24-hour humidity resistance, and 24-hour anti-frizz protection," he adds.

Want to try out a feathered haircut for yourself? Here are some of our favorite looks, below:

Farrah Fawcett

The icon who started the trend and made it iconic — Farrah knew how to rock a lewk.

Farrah Fawcett
Farrah Fawcett

Viola Davis

The First Lady actress stunned at the 2020 SAG Awards with this lob-length, slightly feathered look.

Princess Diana

Our forever style icon and princess of our hearts, Princess Di wore a short version of the feathered look for years.

feathered haircut
feathered haircut

Selena Gomez

This is one of Castillo's favorite feathered looks. "These short, feathered layers around her face add so much dimension to her beautiful round face," he says. "This take on a feathered haircut is great for my curly-haired friends."

Janet Jackson

Style icon and ultimate teenage dream Janet Jackson full rocked this short feathered look in her early fame days.

feathered haircut janet jackson
feathered haircut janet jackson

Cindy Crawford

"I love [her] version of the feathered look," says Castillo. "It's fun, fresh, and suitable for everyday lifestyle — I bet this hair looks great on day two,  three, or four." He says that keeping these layers longer adds the right amount of shape to accentuate her jawline, too.