A French bob, or a classic Parisian women’s cut, is a form of a cropped bob that’s cut at chin-length and paired with bangs sitting at the brow line. The French haircut has been modernized by certain characteristics including a blunt cut, heavy texture, and beachy wavy hair.
Thanks to celebrity fashionistas Bella Hadid, Vanessa Hudgens, Karlie Kloss, and Felicity Jones flaunting this Parisian style in recent red carpet events, the world has seen how elegant yet chill this perfect combo of bangs, and short hair is.
San Francisco-based hairdresser Julia Patton spills out some modern takes on the traditionally blunt French bob – razored hairstyles, beach waves, and choppy short bangs – displaying how creating the perfect amount of texture is paramount for today’s versions.
The French-girl haircut almost always suits anyone, depending on your face shape and structure! With its signature ends that slightly curve in towards the chin, it’s a great hairstyle to frame long and heart-shaped faces.
Are you digging the cute-crop-thick-fringe look? Learn how to achieve très chic hair after you scroll through these popular ways on how to style a French bob!
#1: With Beach Waves
Your classic cut just got a fresh spin! These soft waves are just as legendary as this French bob, giving a delicate look to the blunt cut. The bangs are wispy for a softer approach to the straight cut bangs, which is an enlivening approach to the cut.
#2: Jaw-Skimming Length Bob with Curtain Bangs
Consider a jaw-skimming length bob with curtain bangs, also known as the French Bob. Try Aveda’s Smooth Infusion line and a boar bristle for a frizz style to get a sleek look. This iconic look will be a head-turner everywhere you go.
#3: The Low-Maintenance French Bob
The low-maintenance French bob makes a vibrant frame to a cute face. The length of the haircut is typically cut to the nape and at the jawline with a pronounced line. The fringe exposes the eyebrows. Show off some style by embracing a French bob haircut.
#4: French Bob with a Blowout
The cut, combined with a blowout style, is a stylish and flexible haircut. The sleek and polished look of this hairstyle comes from its soft layers, cut to hang just above the shoulders and styled effortlessly. Consider this cut if you have straight or slightly wavy hair. A French bob gives an elegant look and also enhances facial features, bringing out the wearer’s natural beauty.
#5: The Classic French Bob
All blunt and sharp that is both vintage and futuristic, this is the cut that made the French bob style famous. The texture, styling, and bangs are all licked into a shape that showcases the jet black hair color with a money piece more than anything.
#6: Modern French Bob with Bangs
With soft curls, stacked layers, and the iconic blunt bangs, you wouldn’t mistake this for another haircut. Way to show texture and style in a cute inverted bob that gives an instant youthful look.
#7: The Messy French Bob
The messy French bob is a perfect style for wavy hair. A messy bob and a French bob pair beautifully with a fringe and some added layers. Ask your stylist if you need products with extra texture.
#8: The Long French Bob
The French bob is the most timeless yet trendy haircut there is. It is a classic look that will never make you look back at photos and cringe, but it is so versatile that you can style it to look sleek and smooth, textured and edgy, soft and beachy, curly and romantic. Do whatever you like, and you’ll always be on-trend!
I love that this cut is something everyone can wear, no matter what type of hair they have. This is great for super fine, thin hair to make it look fuller or on thick, coarse hair and make it look less bulky. It’s the ultimate classic.
If you’re considering a French bob, you should spend some time looking at photos and find one that represents your hair and the way you’d like it to look.
One inch is a big difference for a bob. By changing the length of the bob, even a single inch, could be the difference between a shoulder-length or above the shoulder or the difference between chin length or cheek length.
Bobs are precision cuts, and changing the length will change the look of the cut, so always keep in mind (especially when going shorter) that if you want the look, you have to commit to the length.
#9: Textured for Thin Hair
The inspiration for this bob was a sort of ’90s/’20s hybrid. It was cut with a straight razor, and although it’s textured, its edges are full and chunky. It’s not super shattered and collapsed, which is nice.
This is an easy style for women with straight or wavy textures, and the bangs can be modified to suit the individual or left out completely.
It’s very easy day-to-day maintenance requiring little to no blow-drying. Try a salt spray and rough-dry your hair, then finish with a pomade for some definition.
#10: A Short French Bob
This short French bob is a vintage romantic haircut with a twist of modern flare. The best thing about it is the contrast between the precision outline and the textured bangs.
Ask your stylist to create this haircut with the razor, so it allows us to create a lot of internal movement, and so it can look very classic and chic. Also, if you use the right products, it can be edgy and fun!
It’s going to open up the face and elongate the neck, which could be a very beautiful look.
This haircut is very versatile, depending on the products used. It could be worn on a client who is in the business or on a client who is artistic and edgy. The products change the entire aesthetic of the cut, being that it was cut with the razor.
#11: The Layered Bob
A layered French bob is very playful with an underlying appeal to it. I love that the length shows off the shoulders, yet the subtle curtain bangs bring the focus to the eyes and cheekbones.
My favorite thing about it is the ease of styling. With it sitting off the shoulders, you don’t have to deal with the dreaded mid-length flip. Whether you wear it straight, curled, or air-dried, it will look good.
#12: Perfect for Curly Hair
A curly French bob is perfect for curly hair as it creates the illusion of fuller curls. Ask your hairstylist what length of the bob will best suit your face shape. This type of haircut is typically done on dry, styled hair, achieving balance in its shape.
#13: The Wavy French Bob
This is a slightly longer version of the French bob. Characterized by the length falling around the jaw and exposing the neck, paired with a soft fringe that grazes the eyebrows while framing the face – the French bob has such an effortlessly beautiful look to it.
A French bob haircut is both textured and has softness. It’s low maintenance, easy to style, and grows out beautifully when shaped with a razor.
Whether you decide to wear this haircut smooth and straight with super bouncy curls or showing it off with its signature tousled waves, you cannot go wrong with any of the styles. The easiest to style and most Parisian look would be the messy tousled waves.
Kevin Murphy has amazing products for this style, and my favorite combo after air-drying the hair (or rolling out of bed) is using Powder Puff, gently tapping it into the roots for volume and a bit into the ends to create a soft, airy texture, and then I finish it off with Doo Over for lasting power to mold and form the perfect disheveled, messy texture.
Another option to achieving the look is by twisting random-sized sections of wet hair, and then to emphasize the wavy texture and add volume and hold, spray Eleven Australia’s Sea Salt Spray into the roots and ends. Let air dry or diffuse.
#14: A Chin-Length Cut
A chin-length cut bet suits ladies with oval or square-shaped faces. This chin-length haircut is a version of a French bob that is often coupled with a fringe.
#15: Cute Bob with Fringe
A cute bob with fringe is chic and modern. Shorter bob looks breathtaking on most face shapes but especially the heart and oval facial shapes. Shorter styles are fun, require low upkeep, and are very playful.
#16: Flattering for a Round Face
Ladies searching for a haircut that is flattering for a round face should consider a French bob. A French bob is a short haircut that is cut at the level of your chin. This cut is styled often with fringe. This cut is versatile, easily styled, and flattering.
#17: Extra Short French Bob Style
An extra short French bob style is an ultra-chic look that showcases one’s personality in one haircut. Salon upkeep is frequent but can adjust with seasonal and style changes. Best paired with straight hair to display the geometric style of this haircut.
#18: Jaw-Length French Bob
If you have an oval face shape try a jaw-length French bob. This haircut has a bit of a wedge look that accentuates the lower half of your face.
#19: French Bob for Older Women
Older women can definitely benefit from trying a French bob. This cut is easy to style and maintain and gives a youthful, flirty appearance. Massage a nickel-sized dollop of Redken Aerate onto your fingertips and apply all over before blowdrying to give you some volume and texture.
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