40 Elegant Layered Haircuts That Are Sure To Class Up Your Look

If your blunt haircut is starting to feel blah, you don't have to chop your hair to give it completely new life. There's a much easier way to amp up your look — by adding in some layers. Though it's a simple change, it can make a huge statement.

Whether it's starting with soft layers or incorporating them a little more intensely, all sorts of celebrities are using layers as a way to make their hair better than ever. The list of reasons for why you, too, should get layers is practically endless. They can frame your face, add visual interest to your look, help give your hair motion, and pump up the volume — even if you don't happen to have long locks.

If you're planning your next trip to the hairstylist and need a picture-perfect plan, you're in luck. Here are elegant layered haircuts that are sure to class up your look.

"I feel like when my hair is having a bad hair day, I'm having a bad day," Priyanka Chopra once told Fashion magazine, but we have a hard time believing she's ever had a bad hair day. From her lob to her long locks, she's always shown off loads of layers that help make her hair look extra fabulous.

Kaley Cuoco has seemingly always rocked long, layered haircuts, but when she needed a change in 2014, she decided to go short. Though it was a major hair makeover, her soft layers and side-swept bangs stayed. "I feel like I have more fun with this than I ever had when it was long," she later told Extra of her elegant look.

Zendaya's layers give her loose curls completely new life. However, the secret is in how she styles it. "Heat is the enemy," she told Allure. "I find other ways to achieve the styles I want — pin-curling overnight, a roller set under a dryer with low, cool air. It takes more time, but it's worth it."

Sarah Jessica Parker's light layers are something that women everywhere have tried to replicate. If you want her hair, ask your hairstylist for long layers and face-framing pieces that start at your collarbone.

Olivia Holt's blunt haircut is loaded with soft layers. Various lengths give her 'do tons of dimension, and she doesn't have to spend extra time figuring out how to style it. "I wanted a look that still made me feel youthful and chic," she explained to PopSugar, "but something that was also easy and not something that I had to maintain every single day."

Layers can completely change up your look and add tons of interest just like Jeannie Mai's cut does. At one point, she even showed off bright blue streaks that added another layer to her look.

An elegant, layered haircut is easy for anyone to obtain. Eva Mendes proved this when she came clean about her 'do on Instagram. "Thought you guys would like to know that yea, I stop into @supercuts every once in awhile," she wrote.

For a woman who's always on the go, Jessica Simpson's layered 'do never seems to have a hair out of place. However, she does have an effortless styling secret. She turns to a dry texturizing spray to keep her layered haircut looking their best. "It soaks up the oil and creates nice texture and volume," she told InStyle.

Giuliana Rancic's asymmetrical bob wouldn't be complete without its soft layers. It's a look we're loving, and one that Rancic finds herself returning to again and again. "I look back at the pictures of me with the long, long blond hair that I had for so long and it looks so cheesy to me," she admitted to PopSugar.

Jennifer Lopez's 'do is straight out of a dream. Her layers add tons of volume, and her curtain bangs help frame her face. Let's be honest, though — J.Lo could rock any look, and we'd love it.

Penélope Cruz grew up watching her mother cut hair, so it's no wonder that her hair always looks amazing. Her layered haircut is one that's always red-carpet ready, and she doesn't waste too much time on styling it, either. "I keep it natural," she told Elle Canada (via HOLA! USA). "If I'm having a bad-hair day, I make it even messier by adding some dry shampoo for volume."

Reese Witherspoon's cut and color are things to lust over. However beautiful we think her layered locks look, being blond wasn't always easy for her. "I've been told that I was too blonde ... so making 'Legally Blonde' was my own private campaign against a lot of prejudices and stereotypes," she once told Cinema.com.

Kate Hudson's cut has loads of layers — all thanks to her hairstylist David Babaii, who's been with her ever since her very first red carpet. "We add soft bends with the [curling] iron," he told Refinery29 of how to get this elegant look. "And use the beach spray to hold that piece-y texture."

Layers add tons of body and dimension to your hair, so it's really no wonder that supermodels love them, too. To replicate Heidi Klum's hair, ask your hairstylist for face-framing layers, wispy bangs, and choppy ends.

An easy way to lean into layers is to get some soft ones to start. Jessica Chastain's red locks have long, subtle layers that make look oh-so elegant.

"I'm tired of the big long hair, the bangs in front ... a bunch of hair that does not belong to me," Jennifer Hudson told Billboard in 2014, so she decided to go for a much shorter style instead. Though her locks aren't as long, the layers add so much movement. This 'do could make anyone feel like a total dream girl.

If you're looking for a much simpler hairstyle, going easy with layers may be the way to go. Jessica Biel's soft layers still make a major statement. The various lengths add movement and keep it from looking heavy.

Layers styled in loose waves is a look we're loving. For inspiration, turn to Sophie Turner's blond locks. Though she's spent a lot of time as a redhead on screen, this look is one she's loving, too. "I've always want[ed] to style it one way: classic, waves," she told Elle.

One of the best parts of being an actress is that "you get to work with all these amazing hair stylists," Rachel McAdams told Parade. Ever since she got her big break, she's experimented with all sorts of hairstyles. Her layered lob is one of our all-time favorite elegant looks.

Perfecting a pixie cut is practically an art form, and Emma Watson has always nailed it. The short layers she debuted in 2010 gave her an effortless, elegant look that still has us wondering if we should commit to a short 'do, too.

All eyes have been on Meghan Markle — and her hair — for quite some time now. Her layers add a lot of dimension, but her hairstylist George Northwood has the perfect product to amp it up even more. "A good volumizing or texturizing spray can form a great base for styling," he told Vogue.

Kim Kardashian's layered locks always look effortless, and celebrity hairstylist Irinel de León told us her secret. "I'll use a flat iron and a curling iron," she told E! News. "It's important to create different types of texture in the hair."

Diane Kruger's perfectly layered haircut is an easy way to pump up the volume. "Diane has fine hair, and the slight layering on the ends make it appear fuller," her hairstylist Richard Marin told InStyle.

Scarlett Johansson's short layered haircut makes her life a lot easier. "I think I just got tired of wearing a ponytail all the time," she told Refinery29. Her haircut proves you can still have beautiful layers without having to have long locks.

There's always something to love about Selena Gomez's look. Whether she's sporting a short 'do or long locks, her haircut always looks super elegant. To replicate this look, ask your hairstylist for a collarbone-grazing lob with choppy ends and light layers to help it lay straight.

Jameela Jamil is all about embracing her natural look. "I don't curl or dry it," she told The New York Times. Between her long layers and bold bangs, her hairdo makes an impression — and you'd be surprised by who her stylist is. "I cut my own hair because I don't want to be in the salon for two hours," she admitted to Cosmopolitan.

Soft layers and a side part make Ashley Greene's hair look ultra elegant. Though the layers give her 'do dimension, the loose curls give it even more volume. The secret is to curl your hair toward your face. "When you're done, brush the hair out with the head upside down to create volume from the base of the neck to the front hairline," hairstylist Ted Gibson told Teen Vogue.

Jennifer Garner has always gone back and forth when it comes to bangs — but we absolutely love them with a layer haircut. If you're hesitant about having bangs, her hairstylist of over 20 years, Adir Abergel, has some great advice. "You should be fearless because hair is truly one of your biggest accessories," he told Us Weekly.

Shay Mitchell's layered hair always looks amazing, and there's one product she always keeps on hand to help — coconut oil. "I put that on my hair probably once a week and just let it sit when I'm not doing anything," she told Marie Claire.

Let's be honest — Hilary Duff's hair has always been #hairgoals. To replicate the look, ask your hairstylist for long layers and long curtain bangs that end at the tip of your nose.

Jennifer Aniston's layered haircut in "Friends," known as "The Rachel," was one we'll never forget. "It framed Jennifer's face and drew you to her eyes," her hair colorist Michael Canalé told Hello! magazine. While her present-day layered haircut is different, her layers achieve the same effect.

Janelle Monae has tried pretty much everything when it comes to hair, but this layered pixie cut has to be one of our favorites. "There are so many opportunities to explore and play with different shapes and textures," she told Byrdie. Given her opinion, it makes sense her hair once had its own Instagram account!

Jamie Chung's cut has subtle layers that her hair color brings attention to. "I softened her hair up by using the sombré technique," her colorist Denis De Souza explained to PopSugar. He left her natural hair color at the roots and morphed it into a slightly lighter shade at the ends of her soft layers.

Even after Carrie Underwood cut her long locks off, the layers are still what make it look big and full. "I could spend half an hour to blow it dry and have it be super long, or I could spend that time playing with my son," she told Elle of her decision to go shorter. A layered lob really was a no-brainer!

From her long curly locks to her short lob, we've loved every length that Taylor Swift's hair has been. However, she's often done one thing again and again: She's added layers and bangs to keep the focus on her face.

Yara Shahidi avoids heat at all costs to help keep her layered curls intact. "I put a pineapple bun [in] at the end of the day, and it stays for, like, five days," she told Essence. She's proof that an elegant mane can also be easy to maintain!

While layers are the easiest way to add dimension to your 'do, Victoria Beckham's hairstylist Jason Collier has another trick up his sleeve for adding even more volume — using the wrapping technique when blow-drying hair. "This preps and smooth[s] the hair while adding volume and is a great way to achieve salon hair," he told Daily Mail.

If you're wanting a layered haircut that's both edgy and elegant, Katy Perry's look may be the one for you. Ever since she cut it into choppy layers, she's gotten tons of compliments. "People are saying, like, now you can really see the beauty of your face," she said on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show."

Keira Knightley's layered haircut is a total look, and the upkeep is easy, too. "I like a slick, short bob partly because it's really low maintenance," she told Elle.

Kate Middleton's long, soft layers give her elegant look a little extra oomph. "The whole point of this haircut is still that you're going to have movement," her hairstylist Richard Ward told People. If adding layers can make you look like royalty, then we'll be making a call to our hairstylists ASAP.