What is an Octopus Haircut? đ
Basically It mirrors the shape of an octopusâweight via short layers at the top, then thinner, longer layers coming out on the bottom.âItâs similar to a shag shape, but instead of removing a lot of weight like is required of a shag, you leave it,â says Toni Jennings, stylist and owner of Hair House ATX in Austin, TX. âIn order to achieve the shape of the âoctopusâ it requires a bit of weight. We like the disconnect between the heavily layered top section, and the length. Donât be scared of the disconnection or the weight.â
This cut is great for straight or wavy hair, and the grow-out period should be fairly easy. Styling is key for this cut to achieve its maximum potential, so make sure your client is aware.
How to Cut and Style an Octopus Haircut
Jennings used this approach:
I started first by creating a fringe. Once I had the fringe, I used it as my guide, and over directed everything forward to meet at the guide.I left some weight, creating a disconnect between the heavily layered top section and the length.I used a really starchy mousse to create volume, and add a bit of a texture to the base. A spray wax was used to finish it out, and then I diffused the hair once dry, after I sprayed the wax, to help undo it.
Matthew McDonald used this approach:
I created a long curtain fringe to highlight her cheekbones, then I used the longest piece of her fringe to establish my starting point for her framing.
Using 1-inch sections I pulled everything from the back of her ear forward to create her framing because she has a lot of hair and I wanted a really exaggerated frame with lots of movement.
Then I cut a square layer in the back using a traveling guide to give her fullness in the crown and remove as much weight from the bottom as possible.
After finishing my layering in the crown, I noticed the bottom was still looking a little too square, so I took a diagonal section from just above the occipital bone to the back of the ears and clipped it up and out of the way.
Then I took the hair in that bottom section and pulled it out vertically, cutting short to long to create a small disconnection to remove more weight in the perimeter and give it an extra bit of movement.
After I was finished cutting the shape wet I used R+COâs Chiffon Styling Mousse to blow her hair out with a large round brush, alternating directions to create movement. Then once I got to her framing I styled everything back and away from her face to show off all the layering we put in.
Once it was dry, I did some point cutting to soften all the edges and I pulled the layering up and carved out some weight in an upward motion from below to help push the hair up, giving it more volume and softening the weight so it doesnât look too boxy in her crown. This way her layers will grow out softly and she can wear this haircut for a much longer time.
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