Blog Archives

The Difference Between an A-Line, Graduated Bob, Inverted Bob, and Asymmetrical Bob | hwh<3

In this article, I am going to teach you the difference between an A-line, graduated bob, inverted bob and asymmetrical bob, along with a typical bob and a layered bob!

A-Line

A-Line Haircut

The term “A-line” generally refers to the perimeter of the haircut. It means that the hair is shorter in the back, and angles to a longer front. A true A-line haircut will not have layers or “stacking” in the back. It will also frame the face in the front and curl under the chin.

Graduated Bob

graduated bob

A graduated bob is typically the same thing as an A-line except with stacked layers in the back. The back is also more curved (in a horseshoe shape) rather than a hard angle. The shape of the layers should follow the angle of the perimeter of the haircut, getting longer towards the front. This type of haircut is the most common type of bob I see right now. The amount of stacking can vary. I have some customers that like a very low stack and others that like their layers in the back so short, that they can spike the back. The front is typically a little shorter than the front of an A-line haircut.

Inverted Bob

An inverted bob is another term for a graduated bob. The same haircut has different names in different places.

Asymmetrical Bob

An asymmetrical bob can be either non-layered or stacked in the back. The only thing that sets this type of bob different from the others is that one side in the front is longer than the other. In my opinion, this type of bob only looks good when it is very textured. Otherwise it will look very unfinished, un-blended and ugly.

Typical Bob

A typical normal bob will be the same length all around the whole head and it should slightly frame the face under the chin. It will be undercut all over, meaning the underneath sections will be slightly shorter than the sections on top, which makes your hair flip under on its own. Of course, it looks better when you flat-iron it to go under. There should be no layers in a typical bob.

Layered Bob

Last but not least, I am going to show you a layered bob. It is essentially the same thing as a typical bob, but there are a lot of layers, texture and body. I think that these types of bobs should have a lot of texture. There are also a lot of different angles that can be used in this style.

Do you have anything to add to this article? I’d love to hear your feedback in the comments.

If you liked this article, check out

The 8 Most Popular HAIRcuts of 2012!