Long Bob (Lob)

The lob is the haircut stylists keep naming as the defining shape of the decade, and its appeal is almost boringly practical: it is short enough to feel like a change and long enough to still tie back. It sits somewhere between the jaw and the collarbone, which is the length that flatters the widest range of faces without asking anything of you in the morning.

The version matters more than the length

Nearly everyone, which is the whole point — but the version matters. On a rounder face, ask for a lob that finishes just below the chin and wear it with a center or deep side part; both add the vertical line that keeps the cut from widening the face. A square jaw softens under ends that are slightly textured rather than razor-blunt. Longer face shapes are the one case for caution: keep it at collarbone length rather than shorter, so it does not stretch the face further.

Texture decides the rest. Thick hair needs internal layers to take out weight, or the lob turns into a triangle by week three. Fine hair should stay blunt at the ends, where the solid perimeter is what makes it read as dense. Straight and wavy hair wear it most easily; curls can carry a lob beautifully but need it cut dry, with the shrinkage accounted for.

Eight to ten weeks, and that is it

Medium upkeep, and honestly medium — not the polite kind that means high. A trim every eight to ten weeks keeps the perimeter clean, and the cut grows out into a longer version of itself rather than into an awkward stage. Styling is a rough blow-dry or a wave with a wide-barrel iron; the shape does most of the work.

Getting it right in the chair

The word to lead with is perimeter. A lob is defined by its baseline, so tell your stylist you want a soft, blunt edge with the layering kept internal — invisible from the outside. If you say “layers” without that qualifier, you can easily walk out with a shag instead.