11 Wolf Cut Hairstyles to Take to Your Stylist in 2026

It’s no secret that beauty’s most influential trends, no matter how polarizing, tend to be resurrected after 20-odd years. Think crimped waves (hey, Wuthering Heights–era Margot Robbie), frosted Y2K lids and lips, and even—gasp!—2016 makeup. More than any other category, however, hair seems to be the most cyclical. Case in point: mullets, shags, and the celeb-worn love child of both, the wolf cut. We’ve seen it on celebs like Miley Cyrus, Keke Palmer, and Cara Delevingne, and it continues to be a popular style for anyone who prefers androgynous hairstyles or simply wants to freshen up their strands. Today, the wolf cut isn’t merely a trend. It’s cementing itself as a classic.

We watched in awe as this shaggy shear regained popularity from 2022 to 2024, and though it’s no longer making headlines as a trailblazing new look, it’s still alive and well in salons and on the street. Celebrity hairstylist and salon founder Benjamin Mohapi, who actually gave Billie Eilish her iconic cut, says the wolf is “just another name for a shape that’s been around since the late ’60s and early ’70s.” This isn’t the style’s first rodeo. We just love to rebrand things. “Over the years, it’s been called the coupe sauvage, the Klute, and the shag, but they’re all rooted in the same concept,” he explains.

“Because it’s a shape that works well on a lot of people, it naturally sticks around,” Mohapi adds. “But as trends evolve, the shape needs to evolve too.” Keep reading to learn more about this new classic.

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“The wolf cut is a hybrid between a shag and a mullet, combining the shag’s heavy, choppy layers with the longer length and shape of a mullet in the back,” says Christine Bellemare, a Boston-based hairstylist and the cofounder of the salon Maven, A Collect. It’s traditionally marked by extreme layers that offer tousled texture throughout the crown and around the face, plus a smattering of bangs, but modern interpretations are a bit softer and more intentional.

Mohapi explains that “texture and flippy, tapered ends” were the mode du jour when the style spiked between ’22 and ’24. “These days, we’re moving toward more solid-looking shapes with less tapered ends and less flicky movement,” he says. The stylist references The Rolling Stones’ Keith Richards and Danish model Freja Beha Erichsen circa 2010; we think of Suki Waterhouse’s long, flowy version and Jenna Ortega’s choppy cut. “People are either growing the shape out for a bouncier ’80s feel or cutting it back into a boxier ’90s Britpop version,” he explains. “Both feel super cool and are a great modern take on the concept.”

But there are so many more shaggy cuts to reference—from curly crops to rock-inspired texture and fringy bangs. Keep scrolling for the images you’ll soon be showing your hairstylist.