I’ve been thinking a lot lately about medium hairstyles. I’ve been a long-haired gal for more than a decade now, but over the past couple years, I’ve found myself longing for the days when I had short hair. I love long hair, but there are things I miss about having it short: the breeze on the back of my neck, that light carefree feeling, and not having to wait hours for it to dry out of the shower.

A couple of weeks from now the date is set—I am going to the salon to get most of my locks chopped off. When I emerge, I’ll have medium-length hair. I can’t say I’m not a little nervous about it, but I’m mostly excited.

Why did I go with medium? A couple of reasons. First of all, my bestie and I decided to get the same haircut, and it was the only length we could agree on. Secondly, I figured medium-length hair would offer me a bit of the best of both worlds. I can enjoy that light, carefree feeling, but I’ll have enough hair that I can experiment with bleaches and dyes.

Since I did all that research to hunt down a hairstyle, I thought I’d go ahead and share some of what I found with you. I did run into a lot of awesome styles, and it was a difficult decision. Maybe I can help you out with yours!

What Is Medium Length Hair?

Before I dive into all the hairstyle ideas for 2019, I do want to take a moment to address the question of what medium hair actually is. Honestly, there is a pretty blurry line between short and medium on one end of the spectrum and medium and long on the other.

For our purposes, let’s say that medium length hair is hair that is somewhere around your shoulders. It could be right at your shoulders, or it could be a little shorter or longer than your shoulders. I would even say if it is close to your armpits, it still counts as medium (speaking as someone whose long hair is currently down to my hips).

Okay, now that we’ve established that, let’s get started! For more tips for choosing the best cut for your hair and lifestyle, scroll down past the pictures.

1. Medium Blunt Cut

This hairstyle is as simple as it gets. It falls right to the shoulders, with a blunt cut across the ends. It would look great with no bangs or with blunt bangs. I recommend this look for straight hair. If your hair isn’t naturally straight, plan on using a straightener to get the best effect.

2. Extreme V-Cut

This is a sharply tapered haircut which really stands out. While the hair falls to the middle of the back at the vertex, on the sides it only reaches the shoulders. A bit of layering adds texture.

3. Inverted Long Bob

This cut is the exact opposite of the one that I shared above. Instead of the longest point being at the back, that is actually where the hair is the shortest. It is angled so that it is progressively longer toward the front on both sides. This look is a great choice if you want to feel the breeze on your neck, or if you like the idea of a classic A-line bob, but want something longer.

4. Choppy Medium Layers

While “neat” looks are always in style, there are some years where we see a lot of “messy” hairstyles come into vogue. 2018 is definitely one of those years. Here’s a trendy hairstyle which features choppy, messy layers, and side-swept bangs.

5. Loose Waves

Here we see Leslie Mann with her hair falling to around armpit length. As you can see, it is arranged in loose waves which provide ample body, but which would be easy to maintain.

6. Layered Fine Hair

There is no attempt to disguise how thin this woman’s hair is—but this only helps to accent how dramatic her layers are.

7. Tapering Layers

This haircut looks to be a variant on a lob. Only a few scattered swaths of hair fall below the shoulders, providing a wispy, tapering look.

8. Face-Framing Bob

This is a simple, classic bob with the haircut just a little bit shorter and swept back next to the face. Just be aware that this look can easily misbehave on those with wavy or curly hair (the swept-back strands like to take on a life of their own, and may not stay neatly swept back).

9. Understated Layers

This bob is layered, but not in a dramatic way. This helps to disguise how fine the hair is rather than emphasize it.

10. Textured Ends

The ends of the hair you see here have been feathered, as have the bangs. This provides a unique, textured look.

11. Angled Wavy Long Bob

This long bob is entirely simple, featuring an angle down from the back toward the front. The natural waves of the hair give it texture and complexity.

12. Shoulder-Length Bouncy Curls

In this photo, Taraji P. Henson has used a curling iron to give herself loose, bouncy curls with a beautiful shine. It is fast and easy to style shoulder-length hair, making it a versatile length to experiment with. Curls hold much better at this length than they do with longer hair.

13. Straight Layered Side Part

This hairstyle features a side part with layers, adding a ton of volume. A slightly messy look makes it perfect for 2018.

14. Super Dramatic Side Sweep

There are a number of hairstyles here, but the one I want to draw your attention to is the one in the large image. Note the extremely dramatic side-sweep. This hairstyle would catch anyone’s attention.

15. Perfect Layered Waves

This hair has been layered and swept back to form a series of stunning, perfect waves. It is a look which is at once elegant and dramatic with plenty of volume.

16. Layered Blunt Bob

This bob is cut straight across the shoulders without any angling. Because we are so used to seeing at least a little bit of angling with a bob (or the hair curled under), this look is surprising and refreshing. A little bit of layering adds body to the top.

17. Asymmetric Bob

This modern long bob for straight hair is asymmetric, with the hair falling a couple inches longer on one side than the other. This is complemented by a side part, which helps to exaggerate the effect.

18. Shoulder Length Shag

Here is a choppy, messy look which can add a bit of edge to your style. It works great for adding volume to thin hair.

19. High Volume Blow-out

In this photo, Rachel McAdams is sporting a poofy blow-out which adds lots of volume and perfectly frames her features.

20. Exaggerated Side Part

This hairstyle stands out because the side part is so dramatic. This also shows off the woman’s tattoos.

Tips for Choosing the Right Medium Length Hairstyle For You

Technically, choosing a hairstyle is as simple as pointing at a picture you like and telling your stylist, “I want that one.” But putting a little more thought into it can pay off. While it’d be great to only consider aesthetics, there are other practical things to think about too.

Here is a quick list of questions to ask yourself while you are shopping around for a medium length hairstyle. These will help you to assess what you need and want from your next haircut.

1. What is your workplace culture like?

In general, medium length hair is the single safest choice for women in the workplace. Going shorter can be okay, but going longer can be considered unprofessional in some environments. So sticking with hair around your shoulders or slightly shorter is better than a medium-long style in these situations.

2. Do you need some extra length to experiment with?

I’m planning on bleaching my hair for the first time soon. I’d love to do my whole head, but I know better. There’s a good chance the hair I bleach will fall apart, so I’m only doing the ends. For that reason, I’m going with a longer cut than I initially planned. If you intend to experiment with your hair soon, you may want to do the same.

3. What texture is your hair?

Whether your hair is straight, wavy or curly is going to have a major impact on the look you end up with. If you are eyeing a hairstyle where the model has straight hair, and your hair is wavy, try and picture what the difference will be when your hair is cut in the same style. Otherwise, ask yourself how much maintenance you are willing to do to get the look you really want. Are you willing to get a perm or use a straightener?

4. How thin or thick is your hair?

How thick or fine your hair is also might impact your choice of a haircut. Both thick and thin hair can be complemented by a medium length, but this is actually a particularly good length if your hair is fine. Why? Because a lot of medium hairstyles involve layering, and layering adds body to limp tresses.

5. Do you want bangs?

You can pretty much do whatever you want when it comes to bangs with most hairstyles. But some styles certainly are more suited to different types of bangs (or a lack of bangs) than others.

While bangs have their benefits and drawbacks, it is helpful to know (if you’ve never had them) that they are a lot of extra work. They need to be washed pretty much every day, regardless of whether you need to wash the rest of your hair. You might need to straighten or curl them, and you also will probably be trimming them every few weeks. If they are part of the complete look you are thinking of going for, ask yourself if you are ready for this extra maintenance.

6. What do you want to be able to do with your hair every day?

If you have the world’s most epic collection of scrunchies, you might want to think twice before cutting your hair too short to tie back. You could end up missing wearing your favorite hair accessories. On the other hand, a lot of accessories which work with long hair work with short hair too, so are well-suited to any length in between.

7. What will you have to go through to grow out your hair again?

If you think you might eventually want your hair long, and you hate how it looks at your shoulders, you might want to cut it just past your shoulders so that you do not have to go through that awkward growth stage at a later point.

8. What does the hairstyle say about your personality?

This is very subjective of course—the same haircut on two different people who present themselves in two different ways may come across uniquely on each. Still, some haircuts may have a “classic” flair, while others may seem more “modern” and so on. Pick a haircut which will help you to express what you want through your personal style.

9. Do you want to be able to maintain your medium hairstyle yourself?

Finally, one more question to ask yourself is how often you are willing or able to go to the salon to get your hair trimmed. Some medium length hairstyles are quite complex, and trying to maintain them at home may be next to impossible, especially if you don’t have any training. Others, however, are simple and easy to take care of, and you may not need to go to the salon at all.

Conclusion: There Are a Lot of Awesome Medium Length Hairstyles That Are Pretty Popular so Far in 2019

You’ve now had a chance to look at some of the hottest medium length hairstyles for 2019, and you have a list of questions to ask yourself when choosing a hairstyle that is right for you. Hopefully, you have a few great ideas now for your next look!

Which medium hairstyles would you like to see on the list?