30 Best Haircuts for Thick Wavy Hair (Expert Tips + Styling Advice)

Finding the right haircut for thick wavy hair can feel like a balancing act—too much weight and your waves fall flat, too little and they can expand into unwanted volume. The good news? The right shape, layers, and length can turn thick waves into their best feature.

In this guide, I’ve rounded up the most flattering haircuts for thick wavy hair, along with practical insights on why they work, who they suit, and how to style them. Whether you’re looking for a low-maintenance everyday cut or something bolder, this list will help you choose a look that complements your texture instead of fighting against it.

List of Top 30 Haircuts for Thick Wavy Hair

1. Shoulder-Length Layered Bob for Defined Copper Waves

This shoulder-length bob is crafted with strategic interior layers to manage the weight of thick hair, allowing waves and curls to spring up with maximum definition and bounce. The cut creates a lovely, full silhouette while preventing bulkiness.

2. Chic Textured Bob with Full, Wavy Fringe

This hairstyle is expertly cut with light internal layers to reduce the weight of thick hair, encouraging the ends to flip and form soft, natural waves. The look is completed by a thick, slightly messy fringe that grazes the eyebrows, offering a gorgeous frame.

3. Dreamy Long Blonde Layers for Flowing Beach Waves

It uses subtle, well-blended layers to manage the density of thick hair while enhancing its natural wavy flow and movement. The texture is abundant and soft, creating a romantic, voluminous shape that looks effortlessly chic. It’s an ideal choice for enhancing thick, wavy hair into a light, bouncy, and soft look.

4. High-Volume Butterfly Layers for Thick Wavy Hair

This layered cut, known as a butterfly cut, uses heavy, strategic layering to remove bulk from thick hair and create massive, sweeping volume that flips out beautifully. The long curtain bangs blend into the shortest layers, beautifully framing the face

5. Gorgeous Long Blonde Layers for Abundant Wavy Hair

The extra-long haircut uses sweeping layers to manage the density of thick hair while maintaining incredible fullness and body. The cut is designed to distribute the weight, encouraging waves to cascade and adding dimension throughout the golden blonde color.

6. Chic Blunt Bob for Medium-Thick Wavy Hair

Chin-length bob is cut blunt to maximize the appearance of thickness and is gently layered underneath to reduce bulk, allowing natural waves to form a loose, effortless bend. The style maintains a beautiful silhouette while giving thick hair a clean, polished shape.

7. Effortless Sun-Kissed Long Layers for Beach Waves

This medium-to-long haircut uses seamless layers to expertly shape thick hair, removing bulk while encouraging defined, casual waves that fall effortlessly. The ends are texturized for a soft finish, and the style features a center part that balances the fullness.

8. Bouncy Medium Layers for Extreme Curl Volume

Medium-length haircut is expertly shaped with layers throughout the crown and sides to reduce internal weight, preventing thick hair from becoming triangular. The cut encourages maximum spring and definition, creating a voluminous, rounded silhouette that frames the face beautifully. It’s an ideal choice for enhancing thick, wavy hair into a lively, high-texture style

9. Bouncy Textured Bob for Thick Natural Waves

This medium-length bob is strategically layered to reduce internal density, transforming thick hair into these gorgeous, springy, defined waves that stop just above the shoulder. The layering prevents bulkiness while maximizing curl pattern and bounce

10. Long Wavy Layers with Soft Brunette Curtain Bangs

It is tailored specifically to remove the bulk from thick hair, enhancing natural waves into smooth, flowing texture. The style is balanced by gentle curtain bangs and face-framing layers that create a lovely, slimming shape

11. Flattering Long Layers for Natural Blonde Waves

This long layered haircut is carefully crafted to manage the natural thickness, encouraging soft, defined waves that beautifully frame the jawline and shoulders. The layers prevent the hair from weighing down the face, offering a light, bouncy feel and beautiful movement.

12. Shaggy Medium Waves with Full Curtain Fringe

This collarbone-length shaggy cut uses heavy layering throughout to remove internal weight from thick hair, enhancing natural waves and creating that desirable effortless bounce. The style is finished with a soft, full curtain fringe that blends seamlessly into the face-framing layers.

13. Bouncy Chin-Length Wavy Bob with Side Part

This one is expertly shaped with internal layering to lighten the weight of thick hair while encouraging defined, soft waves and maximum volume. The cut offers fantastic movement and a flattering shape that highlights the jawline

14. Voluminous Wavy Bob Cut with Dimensional Layers

This chin-length bob is expertly shaped with internal layering to lighten the weight of thick hair while encouraging defined, soft waves and maximum volume. The cut offers fantastic movement and a flattering shape that highlights the jawline

15. Edgy Textured Pixie Cut for Thick Wavy Hair

This chic, modern pixie is heavily layered and cut short, expertly managing the bulk of thick hair while enhancing natural waves and forming a tousled, messy finish. The longer pieces around the temple soften the look, offering a versatile style with great height at the crown.

16. Voluminous Short Wavy Stacked Pixie in Silver

This beautiful short hairstyle is a stacked pixie-bob hybrid, using expert layering to manage the volume of thick hair and encourage defined, messy waves at the crown. The longer, face-framing sections soften the look, while the tightly tapered nape keeps the shape crisp.

17. Sun-Kissed Long Wavy Layers for Amazing Volume

This long layered haircut is strategically shaped to remove bulk without sacrificing the luxurious fullness and volume. The layers encourage the hair to form these defined, loose waves that frame the face and cascade down the back.

18. Glamorous Extra-Long Hollywood Waves for Thick Hair

This beautiful long haircut features subtle layers to ensure the extreme thickness is manageable while maximizing the sweeping, structured waves. The defined body waves flow down the back, showcasing a smooth, glossy finish and incredible volume.

19. Medium Layered Lob with Caramel Balayage Waves

This lob (long bob) uses strategic internal layering to reduce weight and bulk, allowing thick hair to form these lovely, defined waves and beautiful movement. The length hits perfectly at the collarbone, making it easy to style and maintain.

20. Flowing Medium Layers for Thick Wavy Balayage

Perfect for those who love soft movement and gorgeous, effortless color! This medium-length haircut uses subtle, cascading layers to sculpt and shape thick hair, removing just enough weight to encourage these defined, loose waves.

21. Glamorous Wavy Bob with Side-Swept Volume

Those who love polished, vintage-inspired elegance that shows off density and texture! This beautiful short bob is cut blunt to maximize the volume of thick hair, then expertly styled into classic, deep finger waves that flow away from the face.

22. Effortless Long Wavy Layers for Thick Brunette Hair

Perfect for women who love flow, volume, and an effortlessly cool vibe! This stunning long haircut uses invisible layers throughout to manage and shape thick, naturally wavy hair without sacrificing fullness. The texture is maximized for that gorgeous beachy, yet polished, look, framing the face beautifully.

23. Voluminous Long Layered Haircut with Face Frame

One who love dramatic volume and a polished, glamorous finish! This stunning long haircut uses deep, sweeping layers and face-framing sections to sculpt thick hair, maximizing movement and creating an incredible ’70s-inspired feathered effect.

24. Luxurious Long Body Waves for Thick Black Hair

Perfect for women who love dramatic length, incredible volume, and a truly glamorous finish! This stunning long haircut uses strategically placed layers to control the substantial thickness, allowing the hair to form these beautiful, flowing body waves with exceptional shine and movement.

25. Gorgeous Extra-Long Layered Cut for Maximum Waves

If you love dramatic length and maximizing their incredible natural thickness and waves! This beautiful, very long style utilizes strategic layering to maintain volume and shape while preventing thick hair from becoming overly heavy or blocky. The defined waves cascade down the back, showcasing a rich depth of color, while the partial crown braid adds a touch of elegance.

26. Easy Textured Wavy Bob for Thick Hair

Perfect for women who love a simple, wash-and-go style that maximizes natural waves! This adorable short bob is expertly cut just above the shoulders, using light layering and a blunt perimeter to manage the weight of thick hair while boosting bounce and texture. The style has a casual, effortless shape that frames the face beautifully.

27. Chic Voluminous Wavy Bob for Thick Hair

Anyone who love a polished yet playful short style that is easy to manage! This beautiful short cut is expertly tailored with stacked layers at the back to harness the natural volume of thick, wavy hair. The front features soft, swept-back waves, creating lovely height and a flattering silhouette around the face.

28. Polished Shoulder-Length Lob for Thick Chocolate Waves

Perfect for women who love a manageable medium length that still offers beautiful bounce and volume! This stunning long bob is cut to a uniform length with subtle internal layers, skillfully reducing the bulk of thick hair while enhancing its natural wave pattern and flow.

29. Bold Shaggy Mullet Cut with Thick Wavy Texture

Best for women who love a daring, high-volume cut that embraces raw texture and natural thickness! This long shaggy cut, or modern mullet, utilizes extreme, graduated layers to remove weight and build massive volume at the crown, flowing into abundant length.

30. Voluminous Black Layered Cut with Face-Framing

Perfect for women who love a chic, retro-inspired look with incredible body and movement! This medium-long cut uses heavy, sweeping layers, often called the “butterfly cut,” to shape thick hair and create dramatic, wavy volume around the shoulders and jawline