What Is A Jellyfish Haircut?

Initially timidly arising from the depth of TikTok and Instagram, the jellyfish haircut seemed to be one of the latest niche trends struggling to pick up the pace. A variation of the hime cut (in Japanese, literally princess cut) jellyfish hair quickly exploded on the internet against almost every expectation, and it’s now predicted to become a 2023 sensation. Artsy and edgy, this hairstyle is often paired with funky colored shades and bright, bold makeup style, but it can also be arranged in braids, bubble ponytails, and much more. Long story short: what is a jellyfish haircut, and how can you get it? Let’s find out together.

1. Jellyfish Hair: Double Trouble Haircut

The jellyfish haircut is made of two very distinct, separated layers: one resembles a classic bob (you can customise it however you want making it blunt, choppy, or – if your volume allows it – even slightly layered) with the lower sections of your hair left to hang long and flowy underneath. The final result mimics the aspect of a jellyfish, with a round and bouncy upper part and the longer layers resembling the stingy tentacles of a jellyfish– hence the name.  The beauty of a jellyfish haircut resides in its versatility: combining the comfort and peppiness of a short bob with the beauty and variety of hairstyles offered by major lengths, jellyfish hair can be arranged to look polished and editorial or grungy and rebellious.

2. Is A Jellyfish Haircut The Same As An Octopus Haircut?

Besides the marine-inspired name, the two haircuts have nothing in common if you consider the final results. An octopus haircut is to be considered the lovechild between the classic shag and the infamous 80s mullet, both styles that have seen a raging comeback in the past couple of years. The jellyfish haircut’s layers are neatly disconnected and the final result has a much more futuristic flavour to it, whilst the octopus haircut is inspired by hairstyles from the past.

3. Is The Jellyfish Haircut Trendy?

Yes – but don’t get fooled, you don’t have to be a teenager to sport this look. The jellyfish haircut counts billions of views on TikTok and even cinema icon Nicole Kidman has been seen rocking it in one of her latest photoshoots, in a trendy shade of copper of course.

4. Can Anyone Get Jellyfish Hair?

Yes and no. Whilst the actual haircut requires lots of volume to leave you with satisfying results, in case you have fine hair you can always resort to hair extensions to recreate it. However, you will need to cut your natural hair to a bob – so be prepared for that. With hair extensions you can add an ombre effect, play with different shades or get an even, matchy-matchy look.

Adding hair extensions to your jellyfish haircut can help the “tentacles” look thick and full, whereas your natural, fine hair would end up looking thin and stringy; take them off at night and voila, you’re left with a classy bob – what’s better than a cool hairstyle? Well, two cool hairstyles for sure!

5. Can I Get A Jellyfish Haircut With Curly Hair?

Whilst technically you are free to try whatever you’d like, chances are your haircut will look bulky and unintentionally uneven if your hair is too thick and curly. The jellyfish haircut is best suited for medium-thickness tresses that are either naturally straight or slightly wavy; however, if you wear braids, you could get them cut in a jellyfish manner just like @venusfrogtrap did! 

6. How To Get A Jellyfish Haircut?

The haircut per se is quite simple, but as always, I don’t recommend doing this at home. One wrong snap in the back and poof, your jellyfish is gone (and so is your bob, most likely).

When going to the salon, make sure you ask for a defined, bilevel haircut with disconnected layers. Bring photos for reference, and tell them you’d like to keep it round and face-framing on top/at the front, whilst maintaining your length on the back.

As the jellyfish haircut is an internet trend, rocked by an experimental, edgy and high-fashion community, it’s likely that most hairdressers won’t be aware of this trend (yet) and chances are you’re going to be their first jellyfish haircut. As avant garde as it sounds, it’s essential that you discuss in advance that no, you don’t want the layers to blend and no, this isn’t a mullet – so let those tentacles hang loooong and flowy!

7. How To Style A Jellyfish Haircut

Once you survive the cutting stage, styling is one of the best parts. As seen above, if you’re wondering how to style jellyfish hair, you’ll be pleased to find out that there are many different ways for you to play around with your new hairstyle.

Jellyfish Hair With Bubble Braids

Also known as bubble ponytail, this cutesy hairstyle is nothing but another Y2K trend recently resurfaced. You can add clip in hair extensions to your “tentacles” to recreate tiny bubble braids and get a youthful, playful look.

Jellyfish Haircut With Pastel Colours

Another solution you can try is to get funky coloured hair extensions to match your every mood and play around with flashy tones of red, blue, silver or delicate shades such as dusty pink. The world is your oyster (pun not intended)!

Jellyfish Haircut With Butterfly Clips

Butterfly clips are another hair accessory from the 90s and early 00s that everyone is stocking up nowadays, thanks to celebrities such as Olivia Rodrigo and Lucy Hale. In the past, butterfly clips were a must to look fresh and fashionable – and in 2023, they can be the cherry on top of a colourful jellyfish hairstyle. Read more about butterfly clips in our dedicated blog: Butterfly Hair Clips - 90s Vibes For A Perfect Summer.

Braided Jellyfish Hairstyle

As seen earlier on this blog, a jellyfish haircut can be entirely made of thin braids. If you hair is naturally straight or just about wavy, you can also implement micro braids in your haircut and add accessories such as beads or hair tinsel to make it stand out even more.

Reversed Jellyfish Haircut

If you’d like to sport a full, thick mane opposed to the edgy, layered jellyfish hairstyle, all you need to do is adding ultra volume hair extensions to fill the gap between the bob and the longer strands, blending the shortest part of your hairstyle in the hair extensions luscious fullness. This way, you can switch things up whenever you’d like, going from avant garde and experimental to classic, full-bodied tresses for any occasion.

8. Conclusion:

Youthful and futuristic, the jellyfish hairstyle has lots to give to those willing to play around with its versatility and experiment with the combinations it offers. Rapidly gaining internet popularity across the world, it’s easy to say that we will most likely see more of this hairstyle in the upcoming months, both on runways, editorial photos and in real life.