Let’s be honest. There are few blessings as big and enviable as owning thick wavy hair.
Ask any modern style-conscious woman, and they’ll instantly admit to drooling over pictures of thick hair beauties on TikTok every so often. I mean, what’s more eye-catching than tossing a dense head of curly hair?
However, that highly envied thickness and wavy structure comes with a few hard-to-please quirks.
For instance, it can be difficult to style due to a tendency for heaviness, which can make your mornings unnecessarily long and hectic. It can also be hard to force into just any hairstyle (goodbye, updos).
It’s not all bad news, though. With just a couple of snips, hairstyles for thick wavy hair can turn your strands into an everyday blessing. Layering can help remove any extra weight, shortcuts can bring dimension and zing to your oh-so-bland mane, and bangs are excellent for adding lift around the face.
The overall consensus? Short, medium, and long hairstyles are all equally capable of working wonders on thick locks.
From bobs to layered haircuts, these are some of the best hairstyles for thick wavy hair in 2025.
1) Long Layers In Ash Brown
Thick, wavy hair calls for more layers–we’re talking way more. There’s no better way to enhance the volume than what those soft waves can conjure on this ash brown do.
2) Shaggy Mullet
Get mullety with it! Thick wavy hair can master this medium-length shag haircut like no other–just enlist the help of some layering, messy styling, and fringe action.
3) Shoulder-Length Bob
Uniform curls on midi thick hair prevent it from looking dull and uninteresting. Better yet, they can accentuate the highlights in your locks–and who’d say no to showing off their flawless balayage job?
4) Shaggy Short Bob
If your long locks could talk, they would probably request a big chop to match the swoon-worthiness of this cut. The extra short length and bangs are a must-don for women with wide and round faces–they’ll flatter the heck out of their best facial features.
5) Wavy Layered Shag
A one-inch curling wand, texturizing spray, and styling balm are all you need to create this hair-taming masterpiece. Intricate layering allows for the removal of a good deal of bulk, leaving your locks looking all messy, airy, and effortless–precisely what a rock-star would order.
6) Neutral Sandy Blonde
Your next head-turning refresh, incoming. Warm-toned hues and wavy hair go together like two peas in a pod, resulting in more dimension and luscious bounce for your head of hair.
7) Thick Wavy Hair With Blunt Fringe
Ouch, our eyes are hurting (in a good way). The blunt bangs and platinum blonde ensure your wavy hair won’t ever luck in the personality department.
8) Fanned Bangs
Ever wondered why most hairstyles for thick wavy hair unapologetically rock fanned bangs? These cute babies not only remove bulk at the hairline, but also give curly wavy hair shape and definition; what’s not to love?
9) Long Wavy Hair
This much length and deftness should be illegal! The long layers and dimensional highlights are the wings your wavy locks need to fly, and fly they will!
10) Choppy Layers
We can’t stop staring; thick wavy hair is beyond cute when cut as a lob, especially with choppy layers sprinkled in to yield a wild, carefree look. You don’t have to go ham with your texturizing spray, your natural waves will gladly do most of the styling; a proper 10/10!
11) Money Piece
A matching, lighter shade of brown money highlights could be all your thick dark mane needs to give it the luminosity and classy feel you desire. They aren’t called vogue-worthy for nothing.
12) Stacked Bob
One great thing about thick hair in bob style? It looks insanely animated and cheerful when turned into flippy, stacked layers that run all the way down to the nape; we’re getting major vintage vibes from this neck-length cut.
13) Highlights and Lowlights On Thick Wavy Hair
Make your medium thick hair stand out in the crowd by creatively breaking up its color. You’ll have more dimension than you’ll know what to do with, particularly if you throw in layers and loose waves.
14) Piece-y Bob
This neck-length bob is so adorable, it makes you want to reach out and touch those textured caramel strands. The weightless feel and airy movement you’ll get with those choppy layers are nothing short of ethereal.
15) Wavy Lob With Blonde Balayage
A lob is just one aspect of creating an instagram-worthy look. Texture and dimension are the final pieces of the puzzle; for the latter, call upon the powers of waves–yes, even frizzy ones–while the former can be achieved by mixing highlights throughout.
16) Choppy Wavy Bronde Balayage Bob
We love, love, love a bob, and this chic cut is exactly why; eliminate dead ends and showcase only the best strands in effortless fashion. Bronde is what you rock when you want to be truly on-trend, while balayage delivers a flawless blend.
17) Shadow Roots for Thick Wavy Hair
The contrast in hues might be subtle, but the effect is major–your hair color gets dimension for days, while your trips to the salon are cut in half.
18) Tousled Lob
We wish we could tell you there’s intense styling involved in creating this eye-catching choppy lob, but really, there isn’t. The cue is in the name–nothing more than a good old-fashioned tousle.
19) Chin Bob
You can make the most of your thickness with a choppy bob that’s stacked in the back. The shorter, stacked layers feign much more body and volume.
20) Medium Layered Hairstyle for Thick Hair
Fancy long hair but yearn for the bounce and movement that shorter cuts possess? Request for a longer style with medium layers spread throughout; your hair will get a definitive lift without looking or feeling a lot shorter.
21) Wavy Graduated Bob
If your thick tresses are not that easy to manage, why not let them go wild? For this, choose a stacked bob–longer layers will help pull your hair down, while choppy curls will create that blissful mess; talk about killing two birds with one stone!
22) Cascade of Very Long Hair
Agreed; this hair is hard to wash, style and maintain, but a quick glance at it will tell you that it’s absolutely worth it.
23) Lob With Long Wavy Layers
A lob cut fits thick wavy hair like a hand in a glove, lending enviable movement and body to the style. Make the look all the more red-carpet-worthy by complementing it with soft balayage.
24) Short Wavy Pixie In Platinum Blonde
If you’re wondering whether we recommend short pixie cuts for women with thick hair, the answer is a resounding yes! Just look at this shaggy texture on the sides and loose, feminine waves on the crown to get utterly inspired; the blonde bumps up the overall cuteness of this cut a few notches.
25) Brunette Balayage
Calling this cut mesmerizing is a grave understatement. We literally have no words for how the caramel balayage highlights glamorously add lustre to the otherwise bland black mane; and oh, natural balayage is far less damaging and low-maintenance than bleaching your hair. MAJOR HAIR GOALS!
26) Textured Bob
Textured wavy hair looks delectable when cut into a shaggy bob with thick bangs. Medium hairstyles need a lot of movement to avoid a flat, drab, unflattering shape, and this shag hits all the right notes (read: layers).
27) Asymmetrical Lob for Thick Wavy Hair
An angled medium length haircut is a good go-to style for anyone looking to add a truly unique touch to their thick hair. The poppy balayage accentuates the interest created by the uneven layers; finish with messy waves to really show off the different lengths.
28) Deep Side Part
Long or medium hair can easily fall flat, so embrace a side part for extra height and movement, particularly if you have face-framing layers.
29) Collarbone Waves
Not quite ready to make the big chop? Fret not, this collarbone-grazing cut has got your back (pun intended); it’s chock-full of choppy layers to remove extra weight while dialing up the volume.
30) Curly Bob
You know the drill, any volumized short or medium haircut is an absolute blessing to thick wavy hair–the styling potential is limitless and you instantly bid goodbye to weighty, movement-starved locks. This messy bob is no different, except for the flair undercut brimming with lots of personality.
31) Blonde Shaggy Bob
You see those shoulder-length cuts that your favorite celebrity frequently rocks for the runway? They make a fabulous style for wavy hair; piece-y layers allow you to parade your gorgeous waves, all while keeping your mane tame and pulled together.
32) Super Short Bob
This chic bobbed style is begging to be heard, and it’s saying just one thing: the length matters, but not more than the layering. The asymmetrical layers seriously pump up the volume in the back.
33) Neck-Length Thick Bob
The subtle waves in this bob add volume and make the hair appear fuller than it actually is. Lightly textured ends give off an unmistakable airy feel that even women over 50 would be proud of.
34) Long Brunette Shag
Brunettes, here’s a top-dollar secret: Nothing accentuates the innate beauty of your dark wavy locks quite like a messy hairstyle. Bonus points if you throw in piecey bangs and get the layering right; your locks will look supremely lightweight and bouncy.
35) Medium Bob Shag In Bright Hue
Trade your long and somewhat immovable mane for a shorter and lighter length with color, charm, and drool-worthy texture. The perfect trade-off, no?
36) Edgy Angled Bob
Let the (layering) games begin! Where this bob lacks in symmetry, it compensates with flawless layering; the frontal layers add onto the magnetic face-framing effect while the layers at the back give your mane a much-needed lift.
37) Black Hairstyle With Razored Ends
Two things. A curling iron for carving out those gorgeous babies and a straight edge razor for ‘em wispy ends; that’s all you need to nail this laid-back yet effortlessly cool look.
38) Wavy Hairstyle With Sun-Kissed Effect
No, it’s not your eyes playing tricks on you; just some sunny strokes of hair color doing their magic on the flowy waves. Go warm toned (think: light brown or honey blonde) on a dark or brown natural base like in the picture below; balayage ensures it blends perfectly.
39) Shattered Bob
Curling iron to the rescue, yet again. Make the curls or waves larger-than-normal, and you’re sure to land a tastefully care-free look.
40) Messy Bob for Frizzy Hair
Call out this wavy bob’s name, and it’ll probably shout low-maintenance and frizz-free right back at you. Tame it with a flat iron–style straight or with wispy waves.
41) Medium Layered Center-Parted Hairstyle
We’ll take this sleek cascading cut and then some. The heavy layering does a superb job of laying off extra weight, while the middle part faces the face beautifully.
42) Extra Wavy, Extra Bouncy
Hairstyles for thick wavy hair look particularly enthralling when paired with long flipped-out bangs, a side part, and intense waves towards the ends–we’ll let the picture below do the talking. The distinctive silver streaks are the icing on the (black) cake.
43) Shaggy, Uneven Bangs
HEAD-TURNER ALERT! If onlookers won’t be dazzled by the airy, wispy allure of these waves (and they will), they’ll certainly be drawn in by the rowdy, eye-skimming bangs—it’s the kind of uniqueness that simply won’t go unnoticed.
44) All-Feathered Bob
Edgy has never looked this good. The scissors-engineered layers of this sophisticated cut promise just three things: more volume for your thick hair, extreme light-weight(ness), and reduced blow-drying time; sounds like a good deal to us.
45) Medium Wavy Hair With Internal Layers
Five bucks if your stylist is proficient enough to cut “lived in” layers that are just as weightless as the usual ones. Five extra bucks if the final outcome will look this good, complete with curtain bangs that seamlessly transition into longer layers; oops, you’ve won the bet!
46) Curtain Bangs
Not your usual curtain fringe; the flipped-out finish flatters her cheekbones like nobody’s business. As if that’s not enough chicness, the soft flipped-in ends provide a beautiful contrast that’s sure to turn heads.
47) Easy Care Hairstyle
If you listen keenly enough, you’ll hear this cut asking for minimal-to-zero styling and maintenance. Everything about it–from the long, choppy layers to the tousled edges to the dynamic color–screams laid-back and chill.
48) Wavy Highlights
Behold, the chicest hairstyle in town. Ladies with thick wavy hair can already start thanking the heavens because this layered cut with highlights will attract nothing but compliments and cameras; let it fall majestically on your back for a more memorable look.
49) Chocolate Brown Hair
Can’t pinpoint something to dislike about this majestic chocolate brown color? Us too; add more dimension with two or more contrasting shades, and watch your tresses sing (read: move and bounce).
50) Bouncy Curls
This gorgeously put-together look requires a good dose of curling iron and frizzy hair products, and you’re set. A little smoothing cream never hurt anyone, right?
51) Stunning Beach Waves
As far as hairstyles for thick wavy hair go, none is as dreamy as this one (objections, anyone?). The combination of matching money piece, dirty blonde hue, and loose curls will instantly make you look like you’ve just landed from a vacation on an exotic beach; surfer cool girl mode, activated.
52) Black to Beige Ombre Bob
Your dark mane is a blank canvas waiting to experience the bliss of creative dye jobs. Use this picture for inspo if you fancy some oh-so-sweet beige pieces; they’ll let you wear your mane loose without feeling or looking too overwhelmed with volume.
53) Loose Waves
Dazzled by the simplicity of a braided half up half down do? This hairstyle has your name written all over it; waves made with a straightening iron are enough for your thick hair to look its beach-y best!
54) Bardot Bangs for Thick Hair
If wavy hair had a designated partner in crime, it would undoubtedly be the timelessly chic Bardot bangs. They especially bode well with round and rectangular faces; just look at how well-structured this lady’s wide cheek appears to be, the fringe does an excellent job of breaking it up.
55) Fun Long Shag
Here’s the dream combo we never knew we needed. Tousled styling and subtle caramel highlights make for a super sultry look, perfect for a night out with bae.
56) Short Auburn Bob
This hue might be on the softer side of auburn, but it doesn’t disappoint when it comes to amplifying the texturizing and volumizing effect of the shorter layers beneath. And, yes, it’s best worn short—we’re talking neck-length or shorter.
57) Black Sleek Bob
This is what happens when a perfectly symmetrical face meets perfectly curled waves–maximum cuteness! To achieve a lightweight effect, leave the ends razored and the edges tousled.
58) U-Cut Hairstyle With Soft Balayage
Apart from being extremely voguish, the U-shaped cut delivers one of the most flattering long hairstyles for thick wavy hair. Upgrade it with subtle balayage and long bangs, and you’ve got a remarkably lightweight and shapely ‘do.
59) Gorgeous Wispy Wavy Bob
The shaggy bangs in this cut are so stunningly textured, they’re literally begging to be touched. A closer look reveals just how seamlessly they accentuate the pieces around the perimeter; call it an all-feathered display of perfection.
60) Cowboy Copper
When copper calls, we dutifully answer. This chic warm shade is a perfect bold hue to opt for when you have brown medium locks; treat your thick wavy hair with it for a trendy yet never boring style.
