How To Cut a Wolf Cut
The wolf cut – a combination of a shag and a mullet – rose in popularity throughout 2022, thanks to the likes of Billie Eilish and Miley Cyrus adopting the 70s inspired style. The cut has the heavy fringe of the shag and the short layers of a mullet. For that reason, you may have cut a wolf cut before, but referred to it by a different name. However, if this does sound unfamiliar to you, Caitlin Trenholm, stylist at Salon 3 and a member of the Schwarzkopf Professional Young Artistic Team, notes: “A wolf cut is a disconnected hair cut that is done by cutting short layers up top, blended into curtain bags, keeping the length longer at the bottom; you can adjust the length to suit each client.” But how exactly do you cut a wolf cut? HJ asked the experts…
How To Cut a Wolf Cut
Like any style, there are various techniques to achieve it, and many stylists will have their own methods. Some stylists will even have multiple methods, with Rebecca Jacques, stylist at Daniel Granger Hairdressing, explaining: “I have many ways and variations of cutting this style – firstly, because you have to tweak it to the hair you’re working on, and secondly, us hairdressers have to keep it fun for ourselves, so switching up techniques and tools helps to keep things exciting. There’s always more than one way to cut a haircut.”
Rebecca Watkins, from Tweedie & Marshall Hairdressing and a member of the Schwarzkopf Professional Young Artistic Team, breaks down her method of choice: “You usually start by cutting bangs at the front of the client’s face and making the hair really layered and choppy, then you can start slicing the hair, making sure you get rid of a lot or bulk around the horseshoe section of the hair. “I love that you can take a lot of hair off (if the client is willing) and it looks really trendy. This is of course, also determined by the client’s hair type. You can remove a lot of hair if the client has thick hair to start with, but if the client has finer hair and wants this cut, I would cut out less hair – but still follow the same techniques, making sure you angel the scissors more horizontally than vertically when slicing through the hair.”
Max Andrea, from Claxton Hair and also a Schwarzkopf Professional Young Artistic Team member, shares his steps: "You will need to section the front from the back, and you can start at either the front or the back of the head; if you start at the front you can begin to create your shape and length by layering around the face, bringing everything up to that first centre section that almost creates your fringe. From there you can carry on the layered length through the back and carry on to layer excessively - even using a razor, which is one of my favourite techniques."
Which Hair Types Suit a Wolf Cut
Rebecca Watkins adds: “I think most hair types are perfect for this cut. If the client has virgin hair you can get away with removing lots of bulk and completely transforming the haircut, whereas if the client has bleached hair, they will have loads of amazing texture and grip when styling the hair.” Rebecca Jacques agrees, sharing: “It’s such a popular haircut because it’s so suitable and wearable for a lot of different textures and densities. If someone has naturally curly or wavy hair, the haircut will wear itself with very little effort – which I think a lot of us are into now, post covid.”
Max discusses the hair types that might not work best with the style, noting: "I think it might not always sit right if the hair was naturally really straight or fine, whereas I think hair density and also thickness of hair will allow you to cut it with texture without making the hair really wispy or thin."
Things To Watch Out For
When it comes to the wolf cut, there are a few pressure points to watch out for. Caitlin suggests: “Make sure you take your client’s face shape into consideration.” Meanwhile, Rebecca Jacques says: “If your client’s hair is thick it can release a lot of heaviness, as technically layering is a removal of weight – so you just have to get the lengths right in proportion to the density of hair.”
Offering his top tips, Max shares: "Be careful of going too neat with it; I think the minute you start trying to make it super symmetrical with the layers it will look too in-line, whereas it needs to be choppy and textured! Be mindful of your balance and shape around the face, but with the rest and the back you can pick bits out and razor to give it more texture."
