Looking for a new haircut? This guide lists the most popular men's haircuts by length, from fades and buzz cuts to mullets and flows, with a one-line description of each and a link to the full guide. Use it to learn the names, then show your barber a photo.
How to choose a men's haircut
- Start with your face shape. Round faces suit height on top and short sides. Long faces suit more width at the sides and a fringe. Oval faces suit almost anything. Check yours with the face shape detector and see our guide to men's face shapes.
- Work with your hair type. Thick, straight hair holds crops and quiffs. Wavy hair suits fringes and flows. Curly hair looks best with length on top and a taper.
- Be honest about maintenance. A skin fade needs a barber every two weeks; a scissor cut can go six.
- Try it first. See any cut on your own photo with the AI hairstyle changer.
Fades and tapers
- Taper fade: A taper fade is a haircut where the hair gets gradually shorter toward the sideburns and the neckline, usually down to skin at the very edge.
- Low taper fade: A low taper fade is a haircut where the hair gradually shortens only at the very edges: the sideburns and the neckline.
- Mid taper fade: A mid taper fade starts around the temple, roughly halfway between the top of the ear and the corner of the forehead, and fades down to the sideburns and neckline.
- High taper fade: A high taper fade starts above the temple, high on the sides of the head, and fades down to the sideburns and neckline.
- Taper vs fade: A taper and a fade both shorten the hair gradually, but they cover different areas.
- Fade haircut: A fade haircut blends the hair on the sides and back from longer at the top to very short, or bare skin, at the bottom.
- Low fade: A low fade starts just above the ears and follows the hairline around the back of the head, blending from short at the bottom to longer hair higher up.
- Mid fade: A mid fade starts halfway up the sides of the head, around the temples, and blends down to very short hair or skin.
- High fade: A high fade starts high on the head, near the temples and the curve where the sides meet the top, and blends quickly down to very short hair or skin.
- Skin fade: A skin fade, also called a bald fade, is any fade that blends all the way down to bare skin at the bottom.
- Drop fade: A drop fade is a fade whose line curves downward behind the ear, dropping toward the nape instead of running straight around the head.
- Burst fade: A burst fade is a rounded fade that curves around the ear in a semicircle, like a sunburst.
- Temple fade: A temple fade, also called a temp fade, is a fade limited to the temples, and usually the nape.
- Blowout taper: A blowout taper is a haircut with a taper at the temples and neckline and a longer top that's blow-dried up and out for volume, so the hair looks windswept.
- Line up: A line up, also called a shape up or edge up, is a finishing technique where the barber uses a trimmer or razor to cut sharp, straight lines along the hairline: the forehead, temples, sideburns and neckline.
Short haircuts
- Buzz cut: A buzz cut is a haircut clipped to one short length all over with electric clippers.
- Haircut numbers: Haircut numbers are clipper guard sizes.
- Crew cut: A crew cut is a short haircut with tapered sides and back and slightly longer hair on top.
- Ivy League haircut: An Ivy League haircut is a longer version of the crew cut.
- High and tight: A high and tight is a military haircut where the sides and back are clipped very short or shaved high up the head, leaving a small patch of slightly longer hair on top.
- French crop: A French crop is a short haircut with faded or tapered sides and a slightly longer top that's brushed forward into a short, blunt fringe.
- Textured crop: A textured crop is a short men's haircut with a choppy, layered top worn forward or slightly messy, and short faded or tapered sides.
- Caesar cut: A Caesar cut is a short haircut with the hair brushed forward into a short, straight fringe.
- Edgar cut: An Edgar cut is a short haircut with a straight, blunt fringe cut across the forehead and a high fade or taper on the sides.
- Flat top: A flat top is a haircut where the hair on top is cut to stand upright and trimmed into a flat, level surface.
- 360 waves: 360 waves are a pattern of ripples that runs all the way around the head on short, Afro-textured hair.
- Spiky hair: Spiky hair is a short to medium style where the hair on top is styled upward into points.
Medium-length haircuts
- Textured fringe: A textured fringe is a men's haircut with the top left longer, cut into choppy layers and pushed forward so it falls over the forehead.
- Fluffy hair: Fluffy hair is a medium-length men's style with loose, airy volume on top and a soft fringe.
- Mod cut: A mod cut is a medium-length haircut with a full fringe brushed forward, layers through the top and hair that covers part of the ears.
- Middle part haircut: A middle part haircut is a medium-length men's style parted in the center so the hair falls to both sides of the forehead.
- Two block haircut: A two block haircut has the sides and back cut short while the top is left long enough to fall over them.
- Korean perm for men: A Korean perm for men is a salon treatment that adds soft, natural-looking waves or volume to straight hair.
- Quiff: A quiff is a hairstyle where the hair at the front is brushed up and slightly back, creating a lift at the forehead.
- Pompadour: A pompadour is a hairstyle where the hair on top is swept upward and back from the forehead, with the most height at the front.
- Comb over: A modern comb over is a haircut with a side part and the top combed across to one side, with tapered or faded sides.
- Side part haircut: A side part haircut is a classic men's style where the hair is parted on one side and combed neatly across, with the sides tapered shorter.
- Slick back hair: Slick back hair is a style where the top is combed straight back from the forehead and held in place with product.
- Undercut: An undercut is a haircut where the sides and back are clipped to one short length and the top is left much longer, with no blending between the two.
- Old money haircut: An old money haircut is a classic, medium-length scissor cut with natural layers, worn in a soft side part or swept back.
- Faux hawk: A faux hawk is a haircut with shorter sides and a strip of longer hair down the middle that's styled upward.
- Haircuts for curly hair: The best haircuts for men with curly hair keep length and shape on top, where curls look best, and control the sides with a taper or fade so the outline stays clean.
Longer haircuts
- Modern mullet: A mullet is a haircut that's shorter at the front and sides and longer at the back.
- Burst fade mullet: A burst fade mullet combines a mullet, shorter at the front and sides and longer at the back, with a burst fade: a rounded fade around each ear.
- Wolf cut for men: A men's wolf cut is a shaggy, layered haircut that mixes a shag and a mullet: choppy layers and volume on top, with the length getting gradually longer toward the back.
- Flow haircut: A flow haircut, or bro flow, is medium-to-long men's hair grown out and swept back off the face so it flows behind the ears and toward the neck.
Haircuts by concern
- Receding hairline: a textured crop, French crop, buzz cut or crew cut. See hairstyles for a receding hairline.
- Thin or fine hair: shorter, textured cuts make hair look thicker. See hairstyles for thin hair.
- Curly hair: see haircuts for curly hair.
- Not sure: take the what haircut should I get quiz.
FAQ
What is the most popular men's haircut right now?
Tapers and fades with a textured top are the most requested, especially the low taper fade with a textured fringe.
What haircut should I ask for?
Pick by face shape, hair type and how often you're willing to visit the barber, then bring a photo. Names vary between barbers.
What is the lowest-maintenance haircut?
A buzz cut or a crew cut. Both need no styling.
What is the difference between a taper and a fade?
A taper shortens the hair only at the sideburns and neckline. A fade shortens it all the way around the sides and back.
How do I know if a haircut will suit me?
Check your face shape, then preview the cut on your own photo with a hairstyle try-on tool before you commit.
