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What Is a Long Bob Haircut?

Rachael Cullins
Rachael Cullins

A long bob haircut is a medium-length hairstyle that features blunt ends and very few layers. The hair usually falls to just above the shoulders in this style. There are many variations on this haircut, including angling of the hair, parting, exact length, and how the ends of the hair are styled. It is one of many kinds of bob hairstyles and is a popular hairstyle among many women, including celebrities.

The long bob haircut typically works best on women with straight or wavy hair, as the style looks polished and modern when wearing the hair either straight or wavy. Some choose to style their bob by using a curling iron to curl the hair away from the face, creating a tousled, beach-hair type of style. Hair that is naturally very curly may not be suitable for a bob, as a layered look may be needed for curly hair to have the right shape and volume. The bob suits a variety of face shapes.

Woman with hand on her hip
Woman with hand on her hip

A hairstylist will often cut a long bob haircut slightly shorter and with more layers in the back, angling the hair a bit longer in the front. This helps give the hair a bit of the lift at the crown and adds movement and interest to the haircut, preventing it from being too plain. Alternatively, some bobs feature a few shorter pieces of face-framing hair at the front of the cut.

One can wear a long bob with any kind of part — side, center, or zig-zag. A salon professional may use a razor on the ends of the hair to slightly rough up the style and give the cut a bit more interest. One can also wear bangs with this type of hairstyle, either blunt across the forehead or swept to the side. The long bob haircut has been a trendy style for many years and is worn by numerous famous actresses.

The long bob is one of many bob lengths and types. A chin bob is, as the name suggests, worn at chin length and features very blunt ends for a chic, angular look. An inverted bob takes the concept of wearing a bob slightly longer at the front than the back to an extreme, featuring hair that is several inches shorter at the back of the head than in the front. A short, wavy bob is cut to chin length but worn slightly curly for a messy, tousled look.

Discussion Comments

honeybees

I can barely remember what my hair looked like before getting a long bob. Once I find a cut and style that I like, I stay with it for a long time, and this is what has happened with the bob.

I do mix it up from time to time with a slightly different look or cut. One thing I like to do every so often is change where I have my part.

Just making a simple change like parting it on the left instead of the right side can dramatically affect your look. I have also had a straight cut and an angled cut in the front.

My favorite way to wear this is with the front slightly angled and layers stacked up in the back so it looks like I have thicker hair than I do.

LisaLou

I have some friends who have worn a long bob haircut for a long time. I always love the classy look of this style, so tried it for myself a few years ago.

This style didn't work very well for me, and I was glad when it grew out enough that I could go with another longer style.

If I wanted to spend about 30 minutes a day drying my hair and making sure it was flat, it looked OK. That is the last thing I want to spend so much time on in the mornings though.

I had the front part of my hair angled and a little bit longer than the back. Since I have thick hair, I also made sure the back of my hair was thinned out.

This helped some when wearing this style, but I don't see myself going with this look again even though I love how it looks on a lot of women.

SarahSon

@manykitties2 - Depending on how thick your hair is, you might like a long bob haircut. I have naturally wavy hair and when I was looking for a different style my stylist recommended this cut to me.

At first I was hesitant because I thought it would be too hard to control, and I don't like to spend a lot of time on my hair in the morning.

Because of the way my hair is cut and having layers stacked up in the back, I like the versatility of it. If I want it to look flat and sleek I will use a flatiron.

If I don't have time for this, I can run some gel through my hair and this keeps my waves under control, yet adds some volume to my hair too.

This might not work very well if you have really thick hair, but it seems to work well for the texture of my hair.

Monika

@Sara007 - Victoria Beckham is the first person I think of when I think of the long bob hairstyle too! I never realized Jessica Simpson had one also, but then again she's one of my least favorite celebrities, so I don't pay close attention to her.

Anyway, although a long bob is a pretty "hip and modern" kind of look, I don't think it will ever go out of style. I remember reading somewhere that the classic bob haircut originated in the early 1900s. That was quite awhile ago, and the haircut still seems to be going strong!

KaBoom

Long bob haircuts do look very modern. However, they seem to be kind of labor intensive. I have medium length straight hair, and it doesn't take me very long to get ready in the morning. I let my hair partially air dry, then blow dry it. The whole process takes maybe 10 minutes.

However, I have a friend who had a long bob, and she tells me that it takes her awhile to style her hair in the morning. And she can't not do it! If she doesn't take a flatiron to it and curl the ends under, her hair looks crazy! And she doesn't even have the option of putting it up in a ponytail if she doesn't want to bother.

So I would say only people who want to take the time to do their hair every single morning should get this haircut.

strawCake

@manykitties2 - Like the article said, I don't think a long bob is really the best hairstyle for curly hair. I imagine if you got your hair cut in a long bob you would probably still have to straighten it every single morning. However that doesn't mean you can't cut you hair a little bit shorter than it is now.

I personally love long bobs, but I don't think they look right on everyone. For starters, I couldn't picture myself with one! I like to keep my hair cut to just below my shoulders. I find that length the easiest to work with and I think it looks the best.

manykitties2

Do you think that a long bob haircut would still work if your hair is curly?

I really like the look of the long bob but my hair can go from wavy on a good day to more wild on one of my worse days. Usually I have to straighten my hair to get it under control but am wondering if a sleek cut might help make styling my hair easier.

Right now my hair is down to the middle of my back and while I love the length it drives me crazy trying to get it to do what I want to do. I think I need a change and am hoping that the long bob haircut might be my answer.

Sara007

@animegal - Some of the best photos I have seen of celebrities sporting a long bob haircut are those of Paris Hilton and Victoria Beckham. Though if you look around you can find some great long bob haircut pictures that feature Jessica Simpson.

I actually love the long bob haircut Victoria Beckham sported for ages because it was angled perfectly and looked really modern. Her hair was a bit more dramatic with layers and it really made her look sexy. If you want something a bit longer than hers or Paris' hair than look at Jessica. All of them clearly had great stylists.

animegal

Does anyone know some celebrities that have rocked the long bob haircut?

I am going to the salon later this week and want to find some pictures to show my stylist for inspiration. I like the idea of trying something new and think that an angling of the hair would look pretty cool.

Right now my hair is long and straight. I find it pretty boring and difficult to style because it's so fine. I think that if I can add in some minimal layers it might give it a bit more impact and life. I just need something that is easy to manage and cute.

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