Everywhere you look, someone around you is bound to have a shaggy haircut – they are quite literally dominating the hair industry. Individuals with thick hair can go crazy with layers while not having to worry about ending up with a sparse head of hair. On the other hand, what if you are someone with fine hair who desires a layered look, but doesn’t want to chop away at your hair? That’s where ghost layers come to the rescue.
If you are someone with finer hair, you’re well aware of the struggles that come with it when deciding what style cut to go with. In the blink of an eye, things can start to look flimsy, wilty, and flat. To combat this issue, you’ll need some form of layers to give your mane movement.
To learn more about the ghost layers cut as well as how to achieve it, The Tease tapped hairstylist and Creative Director for Sam Villa, Teresa Romero, to share her insights on the trend. Keep scrolling for her tips and tricks.
What Are Ghost Layers?
Now, you’re probably asking yourself what makes ghost layers different from normal layers? Ghost layers are subtle layers that sit underneath the top layer of hair. Unlike normal layers, their movement pushes the hair on top and out, creating volume, textured separation, and framing where it is needed.
“What makes ghost layers so exciting is that most everyone can benefit from them, regardless of their hair density and texture,” says Romero. “They offer the versatility of styling hair straight to look one length with airy movement. If you’re looking for a little texture, it can be added with a large barrel iron like the Sam Villa Artist Series 2-n-1 Marcel Curling Iron and Wand 1.5.”
Ghost layers are a modern take on the internal, diffused and invisible layering techniques that we have seen in the past. According to Romero, what makes these layers new and innovative is the way in which they solve problems by creating volume and movement in stationary hair with a subtle peek-a-boo layered effect.
What Makes Ghost Layers so Versatile?
If you’re a total newbie to layers, don’t sweat it because ghost layers are the perfect introduction. Not only are ghost layers ideal for anyone with long hair, but also anyone with short bob length. Plus, these layers provide lived-in texture, volume and movement without thinning your hair. By layering isolated strands and sections of the hair within one length or long layered shapes, stylists are able to create expressive movement and volume for their clients without the commitment of heavily layered hair.
When it comes to ghost layers, most hair densities and textures benefit from this technique — keep in mind the tighter the curl or coil, the more the hair can expand. Additionally, volume is determined by how much or little ghost layering is done. So if you’re looking for lots of volume, the more ghost layers the better!
How To: Ghost Layers
- Isolate a small fringe subsection. Start with a center part and cut a small section of hair to the bridge of the nose. Use this as a guide when elevating each section to the opposite side of the head. Gently talk (slightly open and close) the shear down the section being careful not to lose the perimeter length. Repeat on the opposite side.
- Keep a center part and section the top from the sides and back.
- Around the head and below the top, elevate vertical sections 90° or slightly higher. Keep the shear parallel to the top of the section and gently talk the shear down the hair so it is just skimming the section. If the shear is angled down, it could remove too much hair.
- Dry hair and from a center part take vertical sections and elevate to the opposite side of the head, holding the section with moderate tension. In a gliding motion, gently close the shear no more than 50% and push towards the head. See this in action here and notice how the layers are underneath the hair, not on top.
For more of Romero’s hair tips and tricks, be sure to follow @_teresa_romero on Instagram.
