20 Cute Tapered Haircuts for Women in 2024

If you love bold cuts with built-in styles that keep things simple, go for a tapered cut. Tapered haircuts for women pair extra length on top with progressively shorter lengths toward the neckline. The result? A polished, edgy look that can be as sophisticated or wild as you want! 

What Are Tapered Haircuts for Women?

• Tapered cuts gradually get shorter toward the neckline
• These cuts create a precise length gradient for a polished look
• Create stacked volume in the back while keeping the cut lightweight

Tapered haircuts for women are everywhere right now! These cuts offer a clean, polished look and make styling short hair so easy. But what exactly is a tapered haircut? 

Tapered haircuts are (comparatively) long on top with the length gradually tapering – getting shorter – as you move down the head toward the neckline.

Tapered cuts have a lot of range and diversity. You can taper any short haircut from a crop or pixie cut to a bob. Tapered cuts are unique and give any short haircut an instant edge and boldness.

The smooth length transition down the head makes these cuts look polished and precise. But the way you style a tapered cut is up to you! Go for a sleek, sophisticated look with minimal volume or opt for voluminous, tousled texture to loosen things up.

Pair a tapered cut with other style elements, like a styled quiff or bright color, to truly make it your own. The tapered length is sometimes cut with clippers for precision and smooth length graduation on short hair.

Sometimes, the tapered length gets even shorter and is shaved close to the skin to create undercuts and taper fade haircuts. On longer tapered bob haircuts, scissors may be used to achieve a tapered length graduation in the back.

Sometimes, the tapered length may follow around the sides to give the bob a fully stacked, thicker look. Stylists typically use the scissors over comb method to ensure a clean, gradual length for a scissor-tapered cut. 

Benefits of Tapered Haircuts for Women

Tapered haircuts for women offer a lot of benefits when it comes to styling and caring for your mane. Here’s what you’ll love about rocking a tapered cut. 

• Create tons of volume where you want it. Tapering allows the longer layers of hair to be “propped up” by the shorter layers underneath, creating big volume. If you want instant lift and volume without teasing your strands to death, a tapered cut is ideal. Add volume in the back, near the crown, or on the sides depending on where you taper and how high up the tapering begins. 
• Make styling oh-so-simple. If you like cuts that make styling easy and fast, tapering is perfect. You won’t have to do a thing with the tapered length around the back or sides – it lies perfectly when it’s cut evenly with a smooth graduation. All you’ll have to worry about is styling the top section! 
• Give your hair a lightweight feel. Tapered cuts remove bulk and weight from the back and/or sides of your head, making the cut feel so much more lightweight and free. With super-short length graduation toward the neckline, the bulk of your mane is concentrated in the length on top. You’ll be amazed at how airy and light your hair feels with tapered length in the back or on the sides! 
• Seamlessly shape and update your haircut. Tapering gives any short haircut more shape and can update and transform a boring pixie, crop, or bob. Making the length gradually shorter toward the neckline gives any cut a more polished, sophisticated look and creates a clean, flattering shape that follows the natural curves of your head. 
• Make short haircuts complement your face shape. If you want a short haircut to look its best on you, it needs to be shaped and cut in a way that flatters your face shape (oval, round, square, or heart). Tapering allows you to shape a cut to highlight your best features and create the illusion of a more oval shape. Taper low around the sides and back for more rounded volume there (heart face shape). Taper high for more crown lift and height on top (round and square faces). Taper in the back for boosted volume and leave the sides sleek (oval face shape). 

With so many benefits, we’re not surprised that tapered cuts for women have entered the spotlight! From adding volume and shape to your hair to making any short haircut more flattering for your face shape and simplifying styling, there’s a lot to love about a modern tapered cut. 

20 Cute Tapered Haircuts for Women

Ready to see all the possibilities of tapered haircuts for women? You can make your tapered cut as wild and free-form or sleek and sophisticated as you want. Starting your taper at different heights (much like a fade) will give you different results that change the overall look.

Pairing tapered length with different types of short haircuts, like pixies and bobs, means you’ve got a range of ways to rock this look. Here’s a peek at some of our favorite tapered cuts for women! 

1. Tapered and Layered Pixie Bob

Layering looks great with tapered haircuts, adding more texture and interest throughout the top section before the short tapering begins. This pixie bob is feathered toward the back with a little extra volume at the crown to taper into a point at the nape of the neck. 

2. Inverted Tapered Bob

With longer strands in the front, this bob takes on an inverted shape with tapering in the back to boost volume and gradually shorten the length down to the neckline.

The longer layers are propped up by the shorter layers where the tapering begins in the back to “stack” the bob and give it an instant lift. 

3. Asymmetrical Side-Styled Tapered Crop

This asymmetrical cut is closely tapered on the left side and longer on the right for a little contrast. With a bright, radiant red color, it really makes an impact!

The short length gradually shortens toward the neckline of this cut, giving it an overall clean shape. The length on the opposite side gives it a more casual, loose vibe.

4. Long Tapered Pixie Wedge

Cutting the length on top into a loose wedge/quiff gives this haircut a standout shape that acts like a built-in style. With more length on top, you have more styling options and possibilities to create different looks with a short tapered pixie cut.  

5. Tapered Crop With Shaved Design

Short length around the bottom band of this cut graduates into longer ash blonde strands on top. The lighter color really makes the smooth tapering prominent for a voluminous style that can be tousled and mussed up on top for a little texture. 

6. Sleek Tapered Pixie Cut

If you’re not big on sky-high volume with tapered cuts, you can always go for a sleek look with a short taper. This pixie is parted to the side and brushed down to make the gradual length shortening look clean-cut and sleek. 

7. Undercut Tapered Bob

Tapering to very short lengths under a longer bob creates a cross between a tapered bob and a shaved undercut. This look keeps the bottom section nice and tight to contrast and stack the length on top for more volume. This kind of cut works well with a sleek style as shown, or try tousled waves or defined ringlets for different looks. 

8. Short Bob With Low Tapering

Starting your taper point low creates a really cool shape for a tapered cut, especially on a bob like this. You get an almost-stacked effect where the long length sits on top of progressively shorter layers that begin close to the neckline. 

9. Clean Pixie Cut With Short Taper

You can achieve a really clean-cut, polished look with minimal styling when you pair super-short, tapered length on the back and sides with slightly longer strands on top. This cut works well for straight hair and is simple to style forward with a little mousse using your fingers to piece it up.

10. Tapered Pixie With Styled Quiff

Long bangs styled up with tons of volume – a quiff – takes a basic tapered pixie cut to a new level. The sides and back are cropped closely in a tapered shape, getting shortest at the bottom hairline. The top is layered and styled up with a little mousse and volumizing spray into a swooping curve that creates big volume. 

11. Inverted Tapered Bob

Tapering with more length gives you really pretty, voluminous results. This angled chin-length bob is inverted, or longer in the front, for a nice shape. Down the back, the length tapers and shortens toward the neckline to stack the shorter layers and create a boost in volume in the back. 

12. Voluminous Long Tapered Pixie 

Strategic volume is a great way to make a long tapered pixie cut flatter your face shape and highlight your best features. This cut lies somewhere between a very short bob and a pixie cut, giving you plenty of length to style and part however you like.

Here, volume-boosting mousse is used before giving the pixie a sleek blowout to make those tapered layers toward the bottom lie perfectly smooth. 

13. Asymmetrical Tapered Two Block Cut

If edgy, unique cuts are your thing, you might like a tapered two block cut with a little asymmetry. Here, the longer “block” cuts down at angle across the back of the head, revealing the shorter, tapered length on the bottom. To fully draw out the contrast, the top is bleached blonde and the tapered bottom is left dark. 

14. Tapered Tousled Pixie With Long Top 

If you can’t stand long hair around your ears and neck but still want enough length to create different styles, this long-top pixie cut is ideal. The length is tapered down the sides and back to keep things short and tidy. The top is longer so you can style it messy and tousled, parted to the side, or sleek and smooth. 

15. Tapered Asymmetrical Bob

Go with chin-length strands on one side and short, tapered length on the opposite side for a unique, flattering look. Asymmetrical bobs have a built-in shape and style that can be voluminous and straight, sleek, wavy, or curly to switch things up. That tight tapered length on the short side gives the cut a polished touch. 

16. Ultra Short Pixie With Tapered Back and Sides

Sleek, super-short length all-over is the standout feature of this pretty, edgy cut. The top is slightly longer and styled forward while the back and sides gradually shorten in a clean, smooth taper. There’s a faint line following across the sides of the head above the ears for extra detail and interest. 

17. Tapered Pixie Bob With Long Bangs

A cross between a short pixie cut and a chin-length bob, this mashup cut has a lot going for it and tons of different style options.

Tapering the back portion of the pixie bob pulls the length in and concentrates all your volume on top and around the front sides while keeping your hair lightweight and easy to style. 

18. Layered Tapered Messy Bob

If you rock your natural wavy or curly texture often, this is a great cut to accentuate those curvy strands and looks great without heat styling.

This short bob is layered in the top portion to create more texture and bring out your wave or curl pattern. It’s tapered toward the bottom to stack those layers out and prop them up for flattering volume. 

19. Asymmetrical Tapered and Stacked Bob

This cut is a cute stacked bob on one side and a tightly tapered, clean-cut pixie on the other. The asymmetry here creates lots of interest and really boosts the thick, full look of the hair. You can play up the tapered effect by going with a lighter color on the top layers and gently curving the ends under on the longer side. 

20. Cleanly Tapered Long Pixie

A super short taper is a cute way to cap off a longer pixie, especially with a side part. This look is full and voluminous on the top and sides, gradually shortening and laying flatter near the neckline. Wear this cut sleek and smooth to show off that clean-cut taper!

Style Tips and Things to Consider

The way you style your tapered cut will tweak the overall look. You can make it tousled and messy, sleek and polished, or wild and pumped-up with volume!

It all depends on your overall length and the tools, products, and style methods you choose. Check out these tips to learn how to make your tapered cut suit you perfectly! 

• Take a little time to style the top. You’ll get the best results when you invest a few minutes to smooth, curl, or tousle up the length on top. It doesn’t take long to work a little volumizing mousse into damp hair and blow dry with a round brush for smooth volume. For messy, tousled waves, use a flat iron to curve flat ribbon sections of hair into loose, beachy waves and set with hairspray. Or go with larger defined ringlets with a small-barreled curling iron if your hair is long enough on top!
• Lean on air-dried texture for simple styles. On days when you need a quick look to get out the door fast, air dried styles will be your saving grace for tapered cuts. If you’re working with curls or waves, some texturizing mousse or curl cream in your damp hair will give you plenty of definition on top. Straight strands can benefit from a little straightening balm or anti-frizz serum for a more polished texture. The shorter tapered section might only need to be combed downward and spritzed with hairspray!
• Embrace some cool hair accessories. You can really stretch your hairstyle repertoire by working in cute statement accessories that change up the look. A bold barrette, small clips, bobby pinned twists, and pretty headbands can instantly elevate a tapered pixie cut, bixie, or bob cut. Bonus: They take no time at all to pop on and make any style look a little more put together!
• Get regular trims. Shorter styles with tapered sections are so much easier to style, wash, and manage, but they’re going to be a little more high maintenance in terms of needing regular trims. Aim to get your tapered sections trimmed every 2-3 weeks to keep the length short and even for the most polished look. 
• Use the right products and tools. You can make styling tapered haircuts for women even easier when you’re using the right stuff. A quality hair dryer is essential for smooth, volumized texture. Make sure you’ve got a good flat iron – these can double as a great tool for creating beachy waves and curls, too – and a small-barreled curling iron to cover any style and texture you want to create with your longer strands on top. Beyond your tools, invest in some good heat protectant, anti-frizz serum, volumizing mousse, and curl cream (if you want to define and set natural or permed curls).  

Trendy tapered haircuts for women span across tons of different styles and looks!

Whether you’re going for a bold and edgy pixie with short, tapered length at the neckline or a full, voluminous bob that hangs longer in the front and stacks up with tapered length in the back, you’ve seen that these cuts are full of possibilities and can suit any look. 

As long as you commit to getting regular trims – gotta keep that short tapering precise, you know – and take a little time to polish and style the longer length on top, you’ll see that tapered cuts are absolutely ideal for women who want something a little outside the basic short pixie or bob. 

You’ll love how easy tapered cuts are to style and how lightweight and free they feel with no extra bulk in the back. Who knows? You just might find that tapered length becomes your signature short look!