10 Haircut Ideas to Add to Your 2024 Mood Board

Every year, it's natural to look for new ways to add some excitement to your life. Instead of jumping out of a plane or traveling to the farthest country you can think of, what easier (and more low-stakes) way to inject some fun into your life than dusting off your "haircut ideas" board on Pinterest? Keeping up-to-date on the latest haircut styles allows you to keep tabs on what's new in the space, and over the next few months, it'll be all about having fun with your look.

As Jae-Manuel Cardenas, a hairstylist at Sally Hershberger NoMad in New York City, put it: "This year is all about texture and movement. I love to give hair a refresh by adding fresh, choppy layers. Hair [will] look sexy and undone."

That's not all. There will be cool shorter cuts and haircut ideas for medium length (plus those in between lengths), but each one follows three common denominators: they are fresh, fun, and anything but boring — and isn't that what everybody wants when they go in for a makeover? From the bold "jellyfish" cut to the more subtly layered shag, there are enough hair ideas to fill an entire inspiration board.

Don't just take our word for it. We've asked a handful of experts to break down the hottest looks you should know about, including haircuts for curly hair and all other hair types. Get loads of inspiration photos on how to wear them and learn insider techniques to level up your look — that you'll want to bring to your next salon appointment, so you can kick off the new season right.

2024 Haircut Idea: Baroque Bob
Getty | Edward Berthelot

2024 Haircut Idea: Baroque Bob

The "baroque bob" is a new iteration of the ever-popular bob haircut. The term is defined by Merriam Webster as having "characteristics of a style of artistic expression prevalent especially in the 17th century." When talking about the haircut, it refers to a particularly bouncy, romantic bob that's styled straight or wavy with rounded ends.

2024 Haircut Idea: Undercut
Getty | Edward Berthelot

2024 Haircut Idea: Undercut

"Short hair is in," hairstylist Anabel Santos of Sally Hershberger NoMad tells POPSUGAR. "It's time to get that trim you've needed and bring hair back to life. I find that a new year is a great time to change it up and try out a shorter look."

The biggest short haircut trend you'll be seeing in the coming months? The undercut style, which is when the lengths are cut shorter on the sides and back.

"Leaving it longer on the top but not overly styled is the modern take," celebrity hairstylist Karl Jackson says. "Not a lot of curl, but a more textured look with short fringe." It's a great haircut for thick hair.

2024 Haircut Idea: Bixie
Getty | Alexi Rosenfeld

2024 Haircut Idea: Bixie

Just as the name sounds, the bixie haircut is a combination of a bob and pixie length. "It's shorter than a bob, longer than a pixie, and with the hair off the neck and midface," says April Peele, hairstylist at Salon SCK, adding that it's the perfect in-between cut for people who have never gone shorter than chin length before. "The bixie offers that sweet spot for clients who want to cut their hair off but aren't ready for the maintenance and commitment of really short hair. Or maybe they want really short hair but know they can't pull a pixie off."

Marrying the two styles also allows you to customize the look to best fit your face and personal style: "A bixie haircut really speaks about your personality without you saying a word," Peele says. "It's fun, versatile, and customizable for your facial features."

It can work for everyone, but it's an especially great haircut for curly hair.

2024 Haircut Idea: Curtain Bangs
Getty | Christian Vierig

2024 Haircut Idea: Curtain Bangs

Bangs are one of the more divisive hair trends, but curtain bangs — which are '70s-inspired bangs that are split right down the middle and swept to each side — will be going strong into the new year, and it doesn't get more noncommittal than that.

"Curtain bangs are the new standard when it comes to bangs," Santos says. "Keeping them longer — as opposed to short, like with baby bangs — will keep them fresh from seasons past."

Hairstylist Glenn Ellis agrees, adding, "They frame your face beautifully and even make a ponytail look high-fashion and elevated."

2024 Haircut Idea: Layered Shag
Getty | Emma McIntyre

2024 Haircut Idea: Layered Shag

You've gotta admit: the shag has endless appeal. The key to making the style feel modern is by combining layers around the head for movement and sweeping face-framing bangs. "The cut is a heavily textured look that uses shorter layers on the top of the head, critically maintaining length and volume, while thinner, longer lengths of hair are styled from underneath," Darren Bain, lead stylist at Taylor Taylor London, previously told POPSUGAR.

The style works on any hair length, but again, it's all about adding movement to the hair, which means it's an amazing haircut idea for long hair. "Long layers have been big for a while — I really think that is going to stick around," says Laura Polko, a celebrity hairstylist and Style Edit ambassador.

2024 Haircut Idea: The "Shift"
Getty | Edward Berthelot

2024 Haircut Idea: The "Shift"

"The shift" haircut is categorized by choppy layers of varying lengths on the top of the head. "The 'shift' [has] versatile styling options — from something edgy and raw to extremely polished and sophisticated," Adam Federico, R+Co's director of content, previously told POPSUGAR. "The haircut can be finished to suit the individual's personality and meet them for who they are within that day."

2024 Haircut Idea: Jellyfish Haircut
Getty | Christian Vierig

2024 Haircut Idea: Jellyfish Haircut

One of the more polarizing haircut trends we'll be seeing this year is the "jellyfish" haircut, which first started gaining popularity in 2023. The style is named for its stark resemblance to the shape of a jellyfish: "It's essentially a version of a mullet that plays on shapes and contrasting lines," Gregory Patterson, celebrity hairstylist and color and styling expert for Sally Beauty, previously told POPSUGAR.

The cut features two disconnected sections. The top portion sits on the outer layer of hair and looks similar to a bowl cut, typically ending around the middle of the ear, and mimics the bell-shaped body of a jellyfish. The bottom and second part of the cut is a longer inner layer that mimics the tentacles.

There are many different iterations of the look, and it can be worn in dramatic fashion with two blunt layers or more subdued with blended layers, depending on your preference.

2024 Haircut Idea: Micro Bangs
Getty | Edward Berthelot

2024 Haircut Idea: Micro Bangs

Some people say bangs are reserved for the brave, but different variations of the style have been getting more popular over the years. For this year, specifically? Join the masses in going bold. "People have been asking for little wispy micro bangs that go a little below the eyebrow — a lot of people are really into doing that lately," says Polko.

While you might think of micro bangs as blunt, short, and cut straight across the forehead, there are actually many types. "They can be curly, curtain, choppy, wispy, and so on," Devin Toth, a hairstylist at Salon SCK in New York City, previously told POPSUGAR.

The best part? "[Baby] bangs can add flair to any hairstyle and work on all hair types — super curly, pin straight, updos, pixies, long, short, thick, thin, box braids, Afro," says Toth. Meaning they're a great way to add flare to any haircut for long hair.

2024 Haircut Trend: The "Octopus"
Getty | Christian Vierig

2024 Haircut Trend: The "Octopus"

"Octopus" haircuts will still have a moment in 2024. The look is yet another iteration of the famous shag, with shorter, more voluminous pieces of hair on the top and longer, thinner ones on the bottom, which gives it the shape of the sea animal. It's extremely versatile, can be worn across hair textures, and is a flattering haircut for round faces.

2024 Haircut Idea: Italian Bob
Getty | Edward Berthelot

2024 Haircut Idea: Italian Bob

This has been dubbed the "easy-to-wear bob." It features bluntly cut ends and hits around chin-length or slightly longer. "An Italian bob is a grown-out French bob," Toth previously POPSUGAR. "It retains more length and thickness and just overall oomph."


Jessica Harrington is the senior beauty editor at POPSUGAR, where she writes about hair, makeup, skin care, piercings, tattoos, and more. As a New York City-based writer and editor with a degree in journalism and over eight years of industry experience, she loves to interview industry experts, keep up with the latest trends, and test new products.