Layered hair is easy, lovely, and timeless. If you like to wear your hair long, some strategically placed layers can make the difference between “meh” and “wow!” A long hairstyle with layers has movement, texture, volume, and keeps women’s haircuts from falling flat or looking too plain. If you’re looking for great hair ideas you’ve come to the right place!

Of all the types of haircut you can have with long hair, a great long haircut for women is rarely without some strategically placed layers that compliment both her hair texture and thickness and her personal style. If you’re thinking to yourself, “ok, but layers are layers, right?” You’re in for a treat! There are so many beautiful looks built upon the basic layering technique – the tough part will be choosing one. Here’s some helpful advice to spark your long hairstyle idea…

47+ Fresh Layered Hair Looks to Update Your Cut

If you don’t have a blunt cut – meaning a cut where all of your hair is exactly the same length – then you’ve got some layers. The type, shape, and placement of your layers are what makes them unique.

In any long haircut for women, short vs. long layers don’t refer to the length of the hair, but rather to the height of the layers. Having “short layers” means that the distance between the shortest layer and the longest ends isn’t very much (maybe 1-2 inches). Long layers, on the other hand, are more dramatic, with several inches between the shortest layers and the longest ends of the hair. Generally speaking, the thicker your hair the “longer” the layers that you can get away with. Fine-haired gals should stick to shorter layers.

Besides the short and long layers, you’ve also got to think about placement. “Face-framing layers” (made ubiquitous by the likes of Jennifer Aniston and Farrah Fawcett) are when you have layers that get progressively shorter toward your face. This is a beautiful way to make a long hairstyle show off your facial features. All over layers, on the other hand, are when you have layers throughout the hair from front to back. Some classic examples of all over layers are Kate Middleton or Kerry Washington. Thick or curly hair can benefit from all over layers, while normal to fine hair is better suited to the face-framing type (with the exception of a textured bob which can make all over layers on fine hair look amazing).