10 Open Butterfly Layer Hairstyles for Long Hair
Looking for a fresh way to wear your long hair down without losing length? Open butterfly layer hairstyles give you floaty face-framing pieces, soft volume, and movement through the ends while still keeping your hair long and feminine. This list focuses only on open styles, so your hair stays loose, light, and photo-ready for everyday wear, college, work, or casual outings. Most of these looks suit oval, round, and heart-shaped faces, and you can tweak the parting to match your features. You’ll just need a hairdryer, a round brush or big rollers, a comb, and a light styling cream or serum. With a little practice, you can create these butterfly layers at home and enjoy bouncy, layered hair that still feels simple and natural. Whether your hair is straight, wavy, or softly curly, these ideas will help you shape it in a gentle, flattering way.
Quick List
- Soft Butterfly Face-Framing Layers Hairstyles
- Voluminous Butterfly Crown Layers Hairstyles
- Airy Butterfly V-Cut Length Hairstyles
- Long Butterfly Layers With Curtain Bangs Hairstyles
- Butterfly Layers With Soft Waves Hairstyles
- Butterfly Layers With Sleek Finish Hairstyles
- Boho Butterfly Layers With Loose Ends Hairstyles
- High-Volume Butterfly Blowout Hairstyles
- Butterfly Layers With Side Part Lift Hairstyles
- Butterfly Layers With Subtle C-Shaping Hairstyles
Soft Butterfly Face-Framing Layers Hairstyles
This open hairstyle focuses on light, face-framing butterfly layers that start around the cheekbones and softly curve away from your face. The top stays smooth while the front pieces flip outward, creating a gentle “butterfly wing” effect without looking heavy. It’s perfect for everyday wear, college, coffee dates, and simple outings where you want to look put together but not over-styled. This style adds movement to straight or slightly wavy hair and helps soften strong jawlines. Pro tip: ask your stylist to keep the very front layers lighter and airy, so they flick out easily with a quick blow-dry and don’t crowd your cheeks.
How To Style
Blow-dry your hair with a round brush, rolling the front layers away from your face. Smooth the mid-lengths and ends with the brush, then finish with a tiny amount of serum on the tips only.
Best For
Oval, round faces; straight to softly wavy long hair.
Tools & Products
Hairdryer, medium round brush, tail comb, light smoothing serum, flexible-hold hairspray.
Voluminous Butterfly Crown Layers Hairstyles
Voluminous butterfly crown layers focus on lift at the roots and top layers while keeping your hair open and long through the back. The crown area is layered to remove weight, so when you blow-dry, it naturally puffs up and gives a soft, bouncy halo shape. This is ideal for flat, fine hair that needs extra body but not too many short pieces. Wear it to parties, dinners, or any event where you want your hair to look full in photos. Pro tip: flip your hair upside down while drying the roots, then set the crown in big rollers for ten minutes to lock in the height without teasing.
How To Style
Apply a lightweight volumizing mousse at the roots, blow-dry lifting sections upward with a round brush, then set the crown in large rollers while you finish the lengths. Shake out gently and mist with spray.
Best For
Oval, heart faces; fine to medium straight or wavy hair.
Tools & Products
Hairdryer, large round brush, big velcro rollers, volumizing mousse, light hairspray.
Airy Butterfly V-Cut Length Hairstyles
This version combines butterfly layers around the face with a long V-shaped back, so your hair looks light and airy from every angle. The ends form a soft point instead of a blunt line, which keeps your length but removes heaviness and splits. The face-framing layers curve out while the back layers blend into the V-shape, giving that “blown-out” look even on normal days. It’s great for long, thick hair that needs movement. Pro tip: focus your styling only on the top and front; leave the ends a bit more natural for that effortless, soft edge.
How To Style
Part your hair down the center or slightly off-center. Blow-dry the front layers away from your face with a round brush, then lightly smooth the V-shaped ends with a brush or quick pass of a straightener on low heat.
Best For
Oval, long faces; thick straight or wavy long hair.
Tools & Products
Hairdryer, medium round brush, wide-tooth comb, heat protectant spray, light finishing cream.
Long Butterfly Layers With Curtain Bangs Hairstyles
Butterfly layers paired with curtain bangs give a soft, romantic frame to your face while you keep the rest of your hair open and long. The curtain bangs split in the middle and blend into the butterfly layers, curving away from your cheeks and eyes. This style works nicely for people who want to hide a broad forehead or soften a long face without going for short, straight bangs. It’s perfect for dates, parties, or photos because it naturally draws attention to your eyes. Pro tip: keep the curtain bangs slightly shorter at the center and longer toward the sides so they grow out gracefully and are easy to style daily.
How To Style
Blow-dry your curtain bangs using a small round brush, curling them inward then flipping slightly out at the ends. Style the rest with a larger brush, lifting near the face to blend everything smoothly.
Best For
Oval, long, heart faces; straight to wavy long hair.
Tools & Products
Hairdryer, small and medium round brushes, heat protectant, light hair mousse, flexible-hold spray.
Butterfly Layers With Soft Waves Hairstyles
If you love a dreamy, romantic look, butterfly layers with soft waves are a great open style for long hair. The layers help your waves fall in separate, defined pieces instead of forming one big block, so your hair looks lighter and more textured. This style is lovely for brunches, outings, and casual events where you want gentle, pretty movement. It also helps boost volume for hair that tends to fall flat when straight. Pro tip: wrap only the mid-lengths around your curler and leave the ends slightly straighter for a modern, relaxed wave that shows off the layers.
How To Style
Apply a light heat protectant, then use a large-barrel curler to curl sections away from your face. Brush through with your fingers or a wide comb to soften the waves, then scrunch in a touch of styling cream.
Best For
Oval, round faces; wavy or straight long hair that holds curls.
Tools & Products
Curling iron or wand, heat protectant, wide-tooth comb, light styling cream, medium-hold hairspray.
Butterfly Layers With Sleek Finish Hairstyles
This open hairstyle mixes butterfly layering with a smooth, sleek finish for a polished, grown-up look. The layers are cut to frame your face and add movement, but you style them straight with just a slight flip at the front. It’s perfect for office, interviews, or formal family events where you want neat, shiny hair without curls. The shape keeps it from looking flat, even though the finish is sleek. Pro tip: keep product very light so the layers stay separate and don’t stick together; a pea-sized amount of serum is usually enough.
How To Style
Blow-dry straight using a paddle brush, directing the front layers slightly away from your face. If needed, run a straightener over the top sections, then apply a tiny bit of serum to mid-lengths and ends only.
Best For
Oval, heart faces; straight or relaxed wavy long hair.
Tools & Products
Hairdryer, paddle brush, flat iron, heat protectant spray, smoothing serum.
Boho Butterfly Layers With Loose Ends Hairstyles
Boho butterfly layers with loose ends give a relaxed, “undone” feel while still shaping your long hair beautifully. The layers are more scattered and soft, especially toward the front, so your hair looks naturally lived-in rather than perfectly styled. This is ideal for everyday wear, college, travel, and casual hangouts. It works especially well on wavy or slightly frizzy hair because the shape makes the natural texture look intentional. Pro tip: avoid over-brushing; instead, use your fingers to separate the layers so you keep that airy, boho look.
How To Style
Apply a light leave-in cream on damp hair, then rough-dry with your fingers, lifting at the roots. Twist a few front sections away from your face while drying, then let the ends fall loose and free.
Best For
Round, heart faces; naturally wavy or slightly frizzy long hair.
Tools & Products
Hairdryer, wide-tooth comb, lightweight leave-in cream, texturizing spray.
High-Volume Butterfly Blowout Hairstyles
This is the “wow” version of butterfly layers: a big, bouncy blowout with lots of lift and flip at the front. The layers are cut to curve away from your face and roll under slightly through the mid-lengths, creating a glamorous, full look while your hair stays open and long. It’s perfect for parties, weddings, or any special event where you want your hair to stand out. Pro tip: section your hair properly and work from bottom to top with your round brush; this gives longer-lasting volume and avoids frizz.
How To Style
Apply volumizing mousse to damp hair, then blow-dry in sections using a large round brush, rolling the ends and front layers away from your face. Pin curls with clips while they cool, then release and gently brush through.
Best For
Oval, heart, long faces; medium to thick straight or wavy hair.
Tools & Products
Hairdryer, large round brush, sectioning clips, volumizing mousse, strong but flexible hairspray.
Butterfly Layers With Side Part Lift Hairstyles
Switching to a side part can totally change how your butterfly layers sit and how they frame your face. This open hairstyle uses a deep or medium side part to create lift on one side and a soft sweep over the forehead on the other. It’s a great trick if you want instant volume without cutting more layers. The look feels chic but still everyday-friendly. Pro tip: always blow-dry your hair in the opposite direction first, then flip it back to your chosen side part for extra lift at the roots.
How To Style
Blow-dry your hair with a round or paddle brush, directing it to the opposite side of where you want the final part. Once dry, switch the part, flip the front pieces away from your face, and smooth any frizz.
Best For
Round, heart faces; straight or wavy long hair.
Tools & Products
Hairdryer, paddle or round brush, tail comb, light root-lift spray, smoothing cream.
Butterfly Layers With Subtle C-Shaping Hairstyles
Subtle C-shaping focuses on gentle curves at the ends of your butterfly layers instead of dramatic flips. The hair falls in long, smooth pieces that curl slightly inward at the tips, forming a soft “C” shape around your face and shoulders. This is a great option if you like a neat, graceful look without too much volume. It works well for everyday work, family events, and simple outings. Pro tip: keep the C-shape light by using low heat and bigger sections; over-styling can make it look too curled.
How To Style
Use a round brush or straightener to bend just the last few inches of your hair inward. Brush everything out gently once it’s cool so the ends form a soft, natural curve instead of tight curls.
Best For
Oval, long faces; straight or slightly wavy long hair.
Tools & Products
Hairdryer, medium round brush or flat iron, heat protectant, light serum, soft-hold hairspray.
Conclusion
Butterfly layers are a great way to keep your long hair open while still adding shape, volume, and movement around your face. Once you figure out which parting and layer pattern flatters your face shape, styling becomes quick and almost automatic. Start by choosing one look from this list and practice it for a week. When it feels easy, rotate in a second hairstyle, so you always have a soft, put-together option ready.
CTA
Pick your favorite open butterfly layer hairstyles from this list, save a reference photo, and show it to your stylist at your next appointment so you can recreate the look on your own hair.
FAQs
1. What is a butterfly layer haircut for long hair?
A butterfly layer haircut uses shorter layers around the face and longer layers through the length to create a soft, wing-like shape. It keeps most of your length while adding movement, volume, and framing around your cheeks and jaw.
2. Is a butterfly haircut good for very thick long hair?
Yes, butterfly layers can remove bulk from thick long hair without making it look thin. Ask your stylist to focus on internal layering and soft ends so your hair feels lighter but still looks full and healthy.
3. Can I do butterfly layers at home by myself?
You can maintain small face-framing pieces at home, but the full butterfly shape is best done by a professional. Once the base cut is done, you can style it yourself with a round brush or rollers and simple products.
4. Do butterfly layers work on wavy or curly long hair?
They can, as long as the layers are cut carefully to match your curl pattern. On wavy or curly hair, the shape will look softer and more textured, so ask for slightly longer layers to avoid too much volume around the crown.
5. How often should I trim butterfly layers to keep the shape?
Most people can refresh butterfly layers every 8–12 weeks, depending on how fast their hair grows. Regular small trims will keep the ends healthy and the layers visible without losing your overall length.
