A choppy haircut is a short to medium-length layered style that features uneven ends to create a trendy and edgy look. Short choppy hairstyles can be a low-maintenance, modern and easy choice for women who want a fashionable finish and versatile styling options. These short choppy layered haircuts can be combined with thick, straight, curly or fine hair for an effortlessly cute style.
Whether you want a modern business professional or casually chic cut, these stunning choppy hairstyles for short hair will transform your look.
Some women will want messy choppy hair for a cool and fun vibe, while others may prefer a layered cut to achieve extra volume and body. For a bold and stylish option, you should experiment with a choppy bob, layered pixie cut or angular trim and highlights.
To inspire you with ideas, we’ve compiled a list of the best short choppy hairstyles. From thick straight to curly hair, explore these popular choppy haircuts to find cute styles for short hair.
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Short Choppy Hairstyles
Long Pixie Cut
This pixie cut is a bold choppy haircut that takes courage to pull off, making it the perfect style for women who want an edgy look. Spiking hair at the top of the head gives dimension. Platinum blonde shines bright and daring, especially on slightly grown-out roots. This style lets everyone know that you are a woman that no one wants to mess with.
Trendy Short Choppy Style
This trendy short look adds so much softness to a choppy hairstyle. Wispy near-curtain bangs frame the face. Natural waves add a slight bounce, while thick-bristled brushing contributes to body and shine.
Windswept Frost
This short choppy haircut features a long top layer for a chic and casual style. You can toss this look to the side if you don’t want to slick it down. Fine hair favors this style because short bottom layers give a filling effect.
Modern Audrey
Superstar Audrey Hepburn was famous for her dark, pixie-style haircut. This choppy pixie, popularized by Audrey Tautou of Amélie fame, puts a modern twist on the classic. Easy to style, this look works especially well with stubborn wavy hair.
Bangs To The Back
Great for older women, this look blends modern chops with the sleeker looks of yore: a v-cut bang makes this style versatile, as well as easy to grow out.
Wet and Wild
Popular in the 2000s, the wet look is coming back into vogue. This long-banged crop uses ample gel to sculpt volume that lasts. Grown-out back layers give this style more material to work with, while a long side bang acts as a blank canvas to make this look your own.
Very Short Choppy Cut
Actress Jamie Lee Curtis is famous for her super-short hair. This pixie is a slightly longer and flirty take on the old (and current) favorite. Feathered bangs and chin-length front layers delicately frame the face while the back layers balance the look.
Sculpted Red
There’s nothing more eye-catching than red hair. This hairstyle uses subtle layering and serious sculpting to show every angle of the model’s coppery tones. Bangs from the face, while a side-part teases umber lowlights.
Platinum Point
Short, choppy hairstyles for women come in (and for) all shapes and sizes. This look uses a straight razor to add texture and reduce density in the model’s thick, blonde hair. Cropped side layers show off the model’s strong facial bone structure, while also bringing attention to the sculpted layers at the top of the head.
Cheeky Waves
Softening a choppy pixie usually means adding long top layers and embracing hair’s natural wave. This look nails both objectives. Longer strands underscore layers, while hair softly curls at the cheekbone. Subtle highlights augment the effect.
Edgy Ice
Achieving white-blonde hair is a talent of its own. This style radiates alternative edge, using stick-straight top layers to create a bedhead effect. Slightly-grown-out bottom layers contribute to this style’s intentional mess while also giving shape to the chaos.
Throw Back Thrown Forward
For those of you who remember the late ‘90s, frosted tips are a throwback. This look (literally) throws them forward. Choppy layers flow toward the front of the face, restrained by mid-length side layers and a side-swept bang. This hairstyle reworks an old fad into something chic and elegant for all ages.
Rich Rose Gold
Luxurious and quirky, rose gold is for the up-and-coming woman who wants to put some punch into her look. This choppy pixie shows off every dimension of the color, bringing out the rose as well as the gold. Ideal for fine hair, a forward-swept bang completes the look.
The Almost Bob
Too short to be a pixie and too long to be a bob, this look hits somewhere in the middle of the two looks. Subtle choppy layers bring out the model’s natural waves, which helps fill out her otherwise-fine tresses. Teasing at the crown of the head also brings fullness to the look.
Long Sleek Pixie
We have already seen how long top layers contribute to the bedhead effect. This style reminds us that not all choppy hairstyles need to embrace the same look. Natural bottom layers draw the eye to a platinum-blonde top layer, which defines the overall shape of the look. Sleek and professional, the result still invites opportunities to experiment with color.
Honey Mist Auburn
Fashion is bringing frosted tips back into vogue. This wavy pixie provides a subtle way to embrace the style, opting for an auburn base dye instead of the usual dark brown or black. The frosted tips look softer under red tones, adopting a honeyed hue.
The Long Undercut
Undercuts typically call for shaved bottom layers, but not this sassy short style. The long and voluminous top characteristic of undercuts remains the same, while bottom layers are neat without being shaven.
Pale Pink Princess
Pastel purple and pink styles are making waves! Blending seamlessly with platinum blonde, this color is a hit among women whose workplaces have stricter dress codes. A choppy pixie, like the one pictured here, brings out the color without making it the main highlight of the look.
Icy Blonde Boy Cut
Featuring thick front combing and heavy layers, this short, choppy haircut gives strong anime vibes. Platinum blonde enhances this look, while the model’s naturally smooth waves contribute to dimension and shine. This look is perfect for creatives seeking to amplify their appearance.
Lavender Frost
An extra-long top layer and frosted tips show that a single hairstyle can check off all the trends. This messy pixie uses lavender gray to create a softer frosted effect, without losing the intensity of the style’s unique shape.
Gray Glamour
Silvery gray hair is all the rage right now. This demanding color requires extensive bleaching, which can do serious damage to longer locks. Cutting your hair is one strategy to avoid damage, and this short, chunky look goes well with almost every face shape and hair texture. Even layers make this style a breeze to grow out, while a swooping bang frames the cheekbones.
White Lights
If you love gray, you’ll want to go all the way. Gray highlights are an amazing way to trial the color. This look allows highlights to peek through choppy layers, while platinum blonde gives a subtle contrast to the style. This hairstyle is amazing for both professional and party situations.
Foxy and Fire Red
Cropped under layers give structure to this haircut, which showcases the model’s naturally wavy hair. Cranberry highlights and burgundy lowlights lend dimension to the style, while a side bang adds softness to the face. Paired with undulating top layers, this choppy hairstyle is the fix for the natural redhead in your life.
Playful Purple
Featuring short back layers, this frosted look blends into professional situations. A white-blonde top layer with pastel lavender tones gives a pearlescent aspect to the style, while a long side layer adds asymmetric appeal. This hairstyle is perfect for women who want to look both quirky and clean-cut.
From Peach To Pink
Those with hard water know the struggles of brassy blonde hair. Pink highlights and feathery layers, however, are a creative way to conceal the damage. Pink blends with discoloration to produce a soft peach, a color that goes well with the model’s skin. A near-pixie haircut will make color correction a breeze when time allows.
The Crop
Super short, this hairstyle is ideal for women who want their hair to style itself. A touch of gel shapes short back layers, while a thick top layer and short bangs frame the face. Platinum blonde on naturally dark hair brightens the cheekbones, eyes and nose. This sleek pixie is sure to catch attention without being high maintenance.
Ashy Boy Cut
Ashy blonde hair gets a bad rap. It is perceived as dull next to its platinum and strawberry cousins. Thankfully, perception does not mean reality! This edgy choppy pixie cut features a thick top layer, full of textured lengths that encourage experimentation and play.
The Anti-Karen
Short, choppy haircuts for fine hair typically require some styling to add volume and shape. This look goes for large curls, which wave gracefully over a buzzed bottom layer. Lavender-silver highlights give this style attitude, while bangs help this look frame the face.
Stylish Crop
Short choppy styles like this super-short pixie can put the face front and center. Blonde tends to brighten the face, as well as conceal its flaws. This look shows that going blonde isn’t necessary to rock a short look. Instead, focus on how your style frames your face. Long side layers can highlight your cheekbones.
Straight and Spiky
There is no choppy haircut that says “I own the place” more than this super-short, choppy pixie. Bringing out everyone’s inner dictator, it works well with every face shape and styles itself in minutes. This style is perfect for seasoned business owners who want their competitors to know who’s boss.
The Cropped Bob
Cropped bobs are a great way to test short hair without fully committing. Longer top layers give the feeling of a bob, while cropped layers around the nape take the weight off the overall style. Perfect for summer, this hairstyle is great for women who seek simplicity and sass.
Strawberries and Cream
Soft and sweet, this pastel look is reminiscent of strawberry shortcake and ice cream on a hot summer day. Wavy top layers produce an airy effect. Atop rose gold, white-blonde layers give all the essence of icing. Choppy but not hard, this hairstyle works best for women who can pull off a full head of color.
Copper and Blonde Side Crop
Copper and blonde are a winning color combo. This choppy pixie allows bright blonde highlights to peep out of the model’s coppery red locks, giving all the essence of leaves waving in the wind on an autumn day. A strong side part gives volume to the top, which adds welcome length to the model’s round face.
Thick Choppy Layered Hair
This cute choppy layered hairstyle looks great on thick hair and offers an effortlessly stylish cut. There is a myth in the beauty industry that thick hair looks best when sleek and cropped. Thick hairstyles are often thinned with a straight razor before adding movement. This look challenges these beliefs with by featuring movement with little to no thinning. Short back layers keep this style lightweight and fun, while longer front layers give the illusion of length in this fabulous short style.
Messy, Natural Waves
Get a style that allows you to embrace your natural wavy hair. This choppy long pixie cut features irregular layers that move with the natural wave of the model’s hair. And frizz? It becomes part of the intentional mess.
Gray Goddess
For many modern women, going natural is the way when going gray. Hair’s texture usually changes with its color, so women often opt for shorter, more manageable cuts as they age. With long, textured layers, this long pixie is a modern look that suits women in all stages of life.
Quarantine Clip
The recent pandemic has made some of us forget what haircuts – and showers – look like. This grown-out choppy boy cut is a symbol of a world that has seen neither for nearly a year. Highlights and lowlights add dimension, while a swoopy side bang gives a semblance of shape to this quarantine-chic look.
The Un-Chop
This hairstyle is so smooth, it loses its choppy effect. Cropped lower layers bump up a long, smooth top layer. The model’s naturally fine hair adds to the shine, while lowlights give color and dimension. Long bangs highlight the cheekbones without boxing in the face. This is a choppy hairstyle for women who want to try a new style without committing fully to overhauling their hair.
Gorgeous Glowing Gleam
This style for gray hair is all about bringing out hair’s natural color, softness, and shine. This choppy bob keeps hair healthy, while a small amount of product brings out body and shine. A short, thick side bang brings out the model’s strong brow line and accentuates her heart-shaped face.
Swooping Smiles
The strong side part has always been one of the most popular style options. This sunny look will keep you on the bright side! Near-platinum blonde brightens the face, while the longest layers touch just above the chin. This look is destined to bring out your smile!
Luxurious Lavender
If you couldn’t tell already, lavender is one of the hottest color choices of the season. This hairstyle takes advantage of the model’s natural waves, which brings out the pearlescent qualities of her pastel purple highlights. This choppy cut is ideal for women who want to bring out their creative edge.
The Soccer Mom
This easy-to-style bob has all the markings of a soccer mom. Long bangs give this look sass and class, while natural waves add volume to this choppy bob. Whether on the field or at the PTA meeting, this look is perfect for a woman’s busy lifestyle.
Modern Mullet
The mullet can be a stylish choice for anyone who needs to grow out a pixie cut. Bangs and feathered layers frame the face, while the “party in the back” invites nostalgia for a classic style. This look is perfect for women who want to try something new, or who want to help bring back a legendary cut.
Silver Sass
Growing old has its perks. Experimenting with your hair is one of them! Wispy layers give volume and attitude to the model’s wispy white hair. Dark lowlights also add a welcome contrast to the style.
