38 undercut hairstyles to keep you feeling cool (quite literally)

Undercut hairstyles are a creative way to flex your personal aesthetic and keep things breezy amongst your lower layers. Depending on what your doing with the rest of your hair, they can make an edgy statement (the more visible they are, the higher the impact), or they can fly under the radar if teamed with longer strands on top. And, since the trend when stratospheric in the 2010s, when everyone from Selena Gomez to Rihanna jumped on board, we'd say they've become a little underrated. But, that doesn't mean the renegades among us can't rock one.

What is an undercut?

An undercut is where some of the bottom layers of your hair are cut shorter beneath the top layers. They tend to be the sides of the head or nape of the neck, but they can also be around your temples and they tend to be buzzed short into a close shave.

Why get an undercut?

There's many reasons to get an undercut both from a visual perspective and a practical one. Undercuts are a statement-making chop if you want something a little different, a little braver, a little rebellious and with heaps of personality.

However, lots of people get low-key undercuts, too and you might not even know it. From a practical perspective, and undercut can thin out the layers in your hair if you find your hair feels overly thick and puffy. It can help to reduce volume where you don't need it and it can shave off drying time.

Often you might notice a mini undercut happening near the nape of a bob haircut to thin it out and streamline the shape.

Is the undercut still in style in 2023?

We love it when a haircut celebrates your personal style, or can do some of the heavy lifting when it comes to styling, and since the undercut can do both it's definitely earned its spot amongst current trends.

What type of undercut should I get?

This totally depends on the shape you want to achieve. You could follow the line of your side parting. You could stick to a teensy triangle at the nape of your neck. You could fade it out from a pixie cut. You could do a short back and sides. You can even decorate it with a design to add extra interest.

Here's 38 ways to wear an undercut…