Flat Haircut

• Hairstylist Bill Angst shares the best haircuts for flat hair in this reader consultation.
• Her top recommendation: a blunt bob, with or without bangs.
• Want a consultation about your hair? Read more here.

Question: I don’t know what to do with my hair. It’s nice, straight and dense, and my natural color is very brown. My main problems are that it can be challenging with volume, and I have very thin hair.

Until last year, I had very long hair my whole life. My hair tends to be “piecey” in texture, which makes it look and feel like waves.

My hair is also manageable with a little styling, which gives me a lot of motivation to get a cut and style that doesn’t get boring. However, I have tried various bangs, including full and side swept.

Then last year, I cut over 15 inches off to help raise money for cancer research and support. I also did an ombré on the edges.

Now, it’s grown up, but in a dull cut. I also dyed the ends darker, because I thought the warm ends clashed with my pale, cool skin tone.

Having had long hair all my life, I am confused about how to cut and style my hair. I didn’t feel like I had short hair and I’m on a mission to find a cut that doesn’t make my hair look flat, and that works with my widow’s peak.

I would really appreciate your expertise! — He laughed

A: Ashlee, thank you for your consultation request. You are not alone in your frustration with your hair feeling down. Fine, straight hair tends to sit close to the head, especially if it’s long or parted the same way all the time.

If you choose to keep your hair at its current length or longer, you can easily update it by changing your part.

A deep side part on the other side of what you’re wearing now will give your hair an automatic volume:

You can also flip your hair to one side, against your natural part, for an unusual, versatile effect:

Another option is bangs, which will hide your widow’s height if it bothers you.

(As an aside—some of the most beautiful people in the world have widow’s peaks! Your natural hair isn’t “weird” at all. When I was growing up, I thought my widow’s peak didn’t work for my head of hair at the time, so I shaved it off. Big mistake. As it got older, I was chasing stubble and had a terrible time growing it out.)

Your bangs will need to be in a tighter shape than the wispy, thin bangs you had before. A straight-cross blunt bang will give the illusion of fullness and will add polish to your look:

Here’s a similar view, but with a side-swept shape:

That being said, taking your hair shoulder length or short would be my recommendation to show off your jawline:

For you, this can be a very sweet style:

Also, consider combining similar tricks to add volume, whether it’s moving your part or adding structured bangs:

I’m also digging these straight-down, bob-length bangs:

And this version of the baby bang will be great:

Overall, I like your hair short. She is tall and very beautiful, but she has no edge.

Multiple Student Hair Consultations