It’s not just a phase. If you’ve stepped into a trendy neighborhood in Brooklyn, Silver Lake, or East London lately, you’ve seen it. The texture. The chaos. The sheer volume. We are living through a massive resurgence of the curly hair mullet women are using to reclaim their natural texture, and honestly, it’s about time.
For decades, the mullet was a punchline. "Business in the front, party in the back." It was Billy Ray Cyrus. It was 80s wrestling. But the modern iteration? It’s soft. It’s shaggy. It’s deeply feminine in a "don't mess with me" kind of way.
The shift happened fast.
Maybe it was the pandemic. Everyone stopped heat styling. We all rediscovered that our hair actually has a wave, or a coil, or a kink that we’d been flat-ironing into submission since 2005. When salons reopened, people didn't want the "perfect" Kate Middleton blowout anymore. They wanted something that felt alive.
The Physics of the Curly Mullet
Why does this specific cut work so well for curls? It’s basically math.
When you have curly hair, weight is your worst enemy. If your hair is all one length, the weight pulls the curls down at the root, leaving you with the dreaded "triangle head" shape—flat on top and wide at the bottom. The curly hair mullet women are wearing solves this by aggressively removing weight from the top and sides.
By cutting the hair short around the face and temples, you’re allowing those top curls to spring back to life. They aren't being dragged down by twelve inches of hair hanging off them.
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Texture and Tapering
Expert stylists like Shai Amiel (the "Curl Doctor") or Jayne Matthews from Edo Salon have championed these hand-carved, razor-cut shapes. They don't use a standard "one size fits all" approach. They look at where each curl lives.
A real curly mullet isn't a straight line. It’s a series of disconnected layers. You might have a micro-fringe that hits mid-forehead, sideburns that frame the cheekbones, and then a long, cascading "tail" that hits the shoulders or mid-back.
It looks intentional. It looks like you woke up cool.
Celebs and the Shift in Culture
We can't talk about this without mentioning Barbie Ferreira. Her curly mullet during the early seasons of Euphoria was a cultural reset for Gen Z. It took the style out of the "costume" category and put it firmly into high fashion. Then you have Zendaya, who has played with shaggy, mullet-adjacent shapes, and Rihanna, who has basically reinvented the mullet every five years since 2013.
It’s a queer aesthetic that went mainstream.
Historically, the mullet and the shag have been staples in LGBTQ+ communities as a way to subvert traditional gender norms. It’s a haircut that says you aren't trying to look "pretty" in a conventional, submissive way. You’re looking striking. You're looking sharp.
How to Ask Your Stylist for the Right Shape
Don't just walk in and say "mullet." You might end up looking like Joe Exotic.
You need to specify that you want a curly hair mullet women style that emphasizes "shag elements." Use words like "internal layers," "face-framing," and "weight removal."
- The Fringe: Do you want a blunt bang or a curtain bang? For most curly faces, a bottleneck fringe—shorter in the middle, longer on the sides—blends better into the mullet shape.
- The Transition: Ask for "disconnection." This means the front doesn't necessarily have to blend perfectly into the back. That’s what gives it the "mullet" edge rather than just being a standard layered cut.
- The Length: Decide now if you want a "rat tail" look or a "wolf cut" look. A wolf cut is basically a mullet’s cousin—more blended, more voluminous, less extreme.
Be honest with yourself about your curl pattern. A 2C wave behaves differently than a 4C coil. If you have tight coils, your mullet is going to grow "out" more than "down," which creates a stunning, halo-like silhouette.
Maintenance Is Actually Easier Than You Think
People think "edgy" hair means high maintenance. It's the opposite.
The whole point of the curly hair mullet women trend is to embrace messiness. You don't need a round brush. You don't need a blow dryer (unless you’re using a diffuser).
You need a good salt spray or a curl cream. Personally, I think a foam or mousse works best for this cut because it provides lift at the roots without making the "tail" of the mullet look greasy or weighed down.
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- Wash.
- Apply product to soaking wet hair.
- Scrunch.
- Air dry.
- Shake it out.
That’s it. If a piece sticks up weirdly? That’s just "character."
The Mid-Growth Awkwardness
The only real downside is the grow-out phase. Because the sides are so short, if you decide you want to go back to a bob, you’re going to have a few months where you look a bit like a mushroom.
But most people who go the mullet route don't go back quickly. There’s a freedom in it. Your neck is cool. Your hair is out of your eyes. You have a "look" even if you're just wearing a plain white T-shirt.
Common Misconceptions
People think you need a certain face shape. "Oh, I have a round face, I can't do a mullet."
Wrong.
Actually, the verticality of a mullet—the height on top and the length at the back—can actually elongate a round face. It’s all about where the stylist places the "corners" of the cut. If you have a long face, you just keep the top layers a bit flatter and the sides a bit fuller.
It’s a versatile geometry.
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Real-World Impact: Why It Matters
In a world of filtered Instagram faces and identical "clean girl" aesthetics, the curly mullet is a middle finger to perfectionism. It celebrates the fact that hair is frizzy. It celebrates the fact that curls aren't uniform.
It’s a low-stress hairstyle for a high-stress world.
If you’re thinking about doing it, just do it. Hair grows back. But the feeling of liberation you get when you chop off those heavy, boring side-lengths? That’s permanent.
Actionable Steps for Your Hair Journey
- Find a specialist: Search Instagram for #CurlyMullet or #WolfCut in your city. Look for stylists who post videos of the hair moving, not just a static photo.
- Audit your products: Toss the heavy silicones. Get a lightweight curl stimulant like Uncle Funky’s Daughter Curly Magic or a simple sea salt spray to enhance the grit.
- Focus on scalp health: Since the top is shorter and more exposed, make sure you're using a clarifying shampoo once a week to keep the volume high.
- Embrace the frizz: The modern mullet looks better when it's a little "cloudy." Stop fighting the flyaways and start seeing them as part of the silhouette.
- Trim frequently: To keep it looking like a mullet and not just an overgrown mess, you’ll need a "dusting" on the sides every 6-8 weeks.
The curly mullet isn't just a haircut; it's a structural solution for hair that wants to be free.