What Is an Asymmetric Cut?

Asymmetry occurs when something is different on one side to another. With haircuts, an asymmetric cut refers to hair that is cut differently on one side of the face to the other. These cuts can include only a subtle asymmetry or create a statement as an important feature. All types of hair can be amenable to an asymmetric cut.

True symmetry in haircuts occurs when a hairstylist treats one side of the hair in exactly the same manner as the other. The resulting hair length is the same on each side. Many regular haircuts are symmetrical. A blunt bang, for example, is the same length all the way across the face.

When asymmetry is present in a cut, the hairstylist may cut the hair to suit slightly asymmetrical facial features, such as uneven eyebrows, or may cut it specifically as a fashion statement. All basic types of haircut, such as the bob or pixie cut, can be tweaked to include asymmetry. Curly, straight, and wavy hair can look good with an asymmetric cut if the cut suits the face shape and the way the hair falls.

Often, an asymmetric cut allows the hair to fall to one side of the face. Many people like a bang to fall over to one side and do not want them the same length all the way across. This can be achieved easily if the hairdresser cuts one side of the bang shorter than the other. The asymmetry can be present in styles like a sharp-angled bang or a rounded, crescent-shaped bang.

An advantage to an asymmetric cut is that lots of hair can be cut off, but other strands can be left long to give the illusion of long hair where lots of the hair is short. Shorter hair can be easier to manage and style compared to long hair, but the femininity of long hair is retained. An asymmetric cut can even incorporate a shaved, or clipped, section.

Shaving one side of the head and leaving hair on the top and other side is one form of asymmetric cut. A stylist can also cut styles where both sides of the head are cut short but to different lengths. Long hair can also suit an asymmetric cut, such as when a hairdresser cuts hair on one side of the face shorter than on the other. Asymmetric bobs suit many women with medium-length hair, where the hair is combed over to one side with a side parting, and then the stylist cuts it to fall only on one side of the face.