30 Popular Types of Bob Haircuts Explored and Illustrated
When scrolling through photos on the web, you might feel confused with all those fancy names used to describe different types of bob haircuts. The style is never out of fashion, and new variants keep popping up every season, so it makes sense to sift the question to the bottom.
What is a bob haircut? It’s a short hairstyle where, in its classic case, the hair is cut to form a clearly defined line around the head, with the length ranging from the ear level to the shoulders. However, some of its versions are not all that classic, so we’ve collected the most popular types of bob haircuts with pictures and provided them with explanations for you to better understand the essence.
1. Blunt Bob. Blunt types of bobs have an even line on the bottom all around the perimeter, and their strong edges create the illusion of fuller ends, which is especially beneficial for thinner strands.
2. Layered Bob. This category includes different types of bob haircuts with the hair chopped at varying lengths to build volume, invoke movement, remove bulk, or structure the locks.
3. Inverted Bob. If observed from the back, the silhouette of these bobs has a shorter length at the nape, shifting the hair weight toward the face.
4. Angled Bob. This is just another name for inverted types of bob hairstyles since their side views show a forward tilt, as opposed to bobs featuring a straight bottom line.
5. Short Bob. The length of short bobs varies from the ear level to just below the chin, while they can be layered or blunt, straight or curly, choppy or polished.
6. Long Bob. Often shortened to “lob”, this name covers different kinds of bob hairstyles that are longer than the classic chin-length cut, down to the collarbone level.
7. French Bob. Sexy French bobs are cut short, at the lip or chin level, usually accompanied by bangs, and styled with lots of movement and texture to lend an effortless yet chic look.
8. Sleek Bob. Although different types of bob hairstyles can be straightened out, you will get the best polished and glossy look with a blunt cut on healthy straight hair.
9. Choppy Bob. More often layered than not, choppy bobs have uneven, angled ends with a fanned-out finish, which results in removing weight and gaining tons of texture.
10. Wavy Bob. Praised for their power to add volume and dynamics to any hair, wavy styles of bob haircuts can accommodate various wave patterns, from beach waves and loose bends to crimps and bouncy locks.
11. Curly Bob. You have a great option to style every type of curls into short or long bobs, both one-length and layered, to show your natural texture and volume to the advantage.
12. Braided Bob. Different types of bobs, such as angled, blunt, or even layered, can be replicated with the help of braiding, including cornrows, box braids, knotless braids, and other protective styles.
13. Asymmetrical Bob. If you want a bob with a twist, opt for a haircut with one side longer than another. You are free to play with length and texture to achieve a more dramatic or softer look.
14. Bob with Bangs. All bob types chime well with fringes, so you are welcome to balance out or, vice versa, emphasize your facial features with blunt, curtain, wispy, shaggy, or micro bangs.
15. Undercut Bob. This is one of the sassiest types of bob cut hairstyles, incorporating shaved sections of hair at the nape and/or on the sides and often boasting fancy designs carved on the undercut.
16. Shaggy Bob. Rebellious bobbed shags are always heavily layered and complemented with a choppy finish, usually created with a razor to derive as much natural texture as possible.
17. Stacked Bob. Stacked styles of bob are similar to the angled type in the difference between the lengths, but they have short back layers built on top of each other to lift the crown.
18. Bubble Bob. As the name suggests, it’s a rounded cut with an airy feel, kept at or above the chin to gain volume at the roots and give off bounce at the bottom.
19. Textured Bob. Basically, the name can apply to any types of hair bobs with an extra texture added through messy waves, point-cut ends, tousled styling, texturizing products, or in other ways.
20. Micro Bob. By definition, these are short, simple, and clean versions of the bob cut, which hit at the lips or the chin and have minimal layering required to suit your hair texture.
21. Pixie Bob. One of the hybrid types of bob cuts in our collection, the pixie bob, often called bixie, is a cut that is longer and fuller than a pixie but too heavily layered and not long enough to be a bob.
22. Box Bob. When you see blunt bobbed hair falling at the jawline and giving a sharp frame to the face, chances are you are looking at a box bob that creates fullness around the ends and highlights the bone structure.
23. Side-Swept Bob. Girls with thin and fine hair, as well as women with round, square, and heart-shaped faces, are encouraged to wear different bob haircuts side-swept, as it boosts the lift at the roots and balances your face shape.
24. Italian Bob. While the French bob oozes the vibes of the roaring 20s, the Italian version draws inspiration from the 60s and boasts a longer length and more body at the bottom.
25. Flippy Bob. Yet another blast from the past, this option adds the 50s flipped-out ends to bobs of various lengths and textures to bring in a playful feel and dimension.
26. Messy Bob. Different types of bob can be deliberately tousled with some addition of styling products to get more volume, maximize the texture, and create a more effortless look.
27. Butterfly Bob. Capitalizing on the hype around the butterfly cut for medium-to-long hair, this variant tailors the trend to the bob’s length and offers to frame the face with feathered layers.
28. Side Parted Bob. Since all types of bob haircuts can be worn with a side part, it’s a great opportunity to switch your look with no major transformations.
29. Hime Bob Cut. Here is the most exotic style among hybrid bob haircut types since it originates from Japanese culture and is distinguished by long side locks and a full-on fringe.
30. Comb-Over Bob. A trendy and stylish airy bob is a nod to the 90s with its fluffy volume generated by subtle layering and a good blowout.
We’ve explored numerous types of bobs, from retro styles to the hottest trends and boldest cuts. Now that you know how each option looks and how they differ from each other, you are armed with knowledge and inspiration for your next pretty chop.
