The Viral Korean 2-in-1 Haircut Lets You Have A Bob & Keep Your Length

The moment I get a few inches cut off my hair, all I can think about is growing it back to Rapunzel-like tresses. It’s a familiar dilemma and one I’ve fallen into many times, thanks to my love-hate relationship with the bob haircut. From the Italian bob to the “boyfriend” bob, I’ve more or less tried them all, and while I do enjoy the look, there’s always a part of me that misses the ease of having longer hair.

But what if there was a haircut that allowed you to dabble in both? I’m talking a short, sharp bob and flowing lengths — no post-salon regret here. Happily, there is, and it’s all thanks to the innovative two-in-one haircut, a trend that’s flooding Korean hair salons and TikTok feeds.

The Korean two-in-one haircut involves splitting the hair into two sections and cutting the underside straight across into a bob. The top layer is left untouched, besides a subtle trim if you need it. When the top section is tied or clipped up, it reveals the bob underneath, giving the appearance of shorter hair, and when worn down, it looks as though your hair hasn’t been cut at all. Genius, right?

“This style is a clever optical illusion,” says hairstylist and hair trend forecaster Tom Smith. “You get the polish of a bob when your hair is tied up, but still enjoy the length and versatility of long hair when it’s down,” he says. Adding, “It’s perfect for anyone who wants to experiment with a shorter look without fully committing, or for those who like to switch up their vibe regularly.”

Even better, this work with different hair lengths, says Philipp Haug, cofounder of Haug London Haus hair salon, who recalls doing many of these cuts — a step up from the undercut — in the early ‘00s: “One person might have a shorter baseline and another might prefer something more mid-length, but then when you put the hair down, you’ve got a long haircut no matter what length you’ve gone for underneath.”

Mercedes, a hairstylist at The Young American in California, has recently cut several of these styles. She thinks it’s a lot of fun: “I love both long and short haircuts, so I’m always excited to do one of these,” she says. Mercedes suggests it’s a more wearable version of the also-viral “jellyfish” haircut, which is shorter on top and longer underneath. “The two-in-one Korean cut is like this, but flipped,” says Mercedes, allowing you to conceal the shorter section and wear your hair up or down with ease.

Haug points out that this cut works especially well on medium to thick hair, as the underneath needs to be proportioned correctly. “When you cut the underneath short, you need to have enough length left on top to fall over the top of it,” he says. Smith agrees that a cut like this works best on thick or medium-density hair, and this is because there’s enough hair bulk to split into two lengths. “Straight to wavy textures will find it easiest”, he says, “as the contrast between layers is more defined and the hair holds its shape.” 

Smith adds that those with very fine hair might not have enough weight to disguise the shorter undercut when worn down, so it could peek through and look slightly disjointed. “Very curly or textured hair will need to be styled to allow the disconnection to fall into place as desired,” Smith says.
Mercedes points out that if you have very thick or curly hair, this might not be the cut for you. This is because you’ll likely need to put the top part up often, adds Mercedes, which could feel too heavy or put strain on claw clips.

Unlike the jellyfish cut, which requires regular trims to stay in shape, the reversed two-in-one haircut is surprisingly low-maintenance, says Smith: “The shorter underlayer is hidden most of the time, so you won’t notice regrowth as quickly as you would with a typical bob,” says Smith. He believes you can easily go a few months between trims, much like with very long hair. “If you do find yourself wearing the shorter length more frequently, you may prefer to have it trimmed more regularly or start the length at a slightly shorter point so that you keep it looking sharp more of the time,” he adds.

If you want to maintain a clean trim, Mercedes recommends visiting the salon every eight to 10 weeks. “Otherwise, the shorter pieces will start to look a little funky,” she says. That is, unless you’re growing out the underside of your hair. In that case, you can simply let it do its thing.

As expected, the comments are full of questions — mainly, are there any downsides? Underneath a video of the haircut posted to Instagram by Hove Salon, one person replied that they have no regrets since their hair is much lighter and easier to dry. That said, they noted it can be a bit inconvenient when trying to tie all their hair up, like when brushing their teeth or washing their face, as it now takes both a claw clip and a headband to keep the long and short pieces out of the way.

Thanks to its low-maintenance nature and the versatility of wearing your hair two ways, Mercedes thinks this trend will be everywhere soon: “It’s a two-in-one haircut! Who hasn’t had the ‘Should I go short or leave it long?’ struggle? I think everyone has said this at some point.”

Likewise, Haug thinks this style is a really good introduction to shorter hair. “Especially if you want a bob haircut but aren’t confident enough to take the plunge,” he says. “This is like an in-between step.”

So how do you ask for the two-in-one cut? Photos might not do it justice, so it’s best to show your hairstylist the cut in action. TikTok offers plenty of inspiration, but since it’s still a relatively new trend, it’s only been shown on a select few hair types, typically straighter hair. If you’re unsure whether it will work for you, consider booking a (usually free) consultation with your hairstylist before committing to the full chop.