Buzz Cut

What a buzz cut actually is

The definition is simple. One clipper guard, run over the whole head. The barber may take the back and sides a grade shorter than the top and tidy the neckline, but the hair never gets long enough to push in a direction or hold a shape. What you see is your head, with a shadow of hair over it.

That shadow is the only real decision. The shorter the grade, the more scalp shows and the more the cut reads as nearly shaved. Longer grades look softer and more like hair. Fair and grey hair shows more scalp than dark hair at the same length, so a grade 1 on blond hair can look closer to a grade 0 on black.

The full breakdown of what each guard leaves, from grade 0 to grade 8, and the named versions built on them, lives on the buzz cut lengths page. This page sticks to the cut itself.

Buzz cut vs crew cut and the shaved head

These three get muddled more than any other short styles.

A buzz cut is one length, or near enough. Nothing on top is long enough to style.

A Militärhaarschnitt keeps the back and sides short but leaves noticeably more on top, graduated so the front is the longest part. The front can be pushed up or to the side. If the top has a shape you can comb, it is a crew cut.

A shaved head is taken to skin with a foil shaver or a razor. A grade 0 buzz, with no guard on the clippers, still leaves around half a millimetre to a millimetre of stubble. From across a room the two look alike. Up close, and to the touch, they are different things.

A buzz with faded sides sits in between. The top stays one grade and the sides drop gradually towards skin. It adds shape without adding any styling, and it borrows from the Hautverblassung if you take the bottom right down.

Who suits a buzz cut

The honest answer is anyone happy with the shape of their own head. A buzz cut shows the lot: the crown, the back of the skull, the ears, the hairline and any scars. That matters more than face shape.

Head shape. A fairly even skull takes any grade. A flat crown, a ridge or a scar shows more at grade 1 than at grade 3, so if there is something you would rather soften, go a little longer.

Gesichtsform. Oval and square faces take it at any length. A long face can look longer with very short sides, so keeping the sides the same grade as the top, or going a grade longer overall, keeps it in proportion. A round face does better with the sides one grade shorter than the top, which stops the head looking wide.

Haartyp. Straight, thick hair gives the most even result. Wavy hair loses its wave at the short grades and looks the same as straight. Curly and coily hair work well, and a grade 1 or 2 on coily hair can be brushed to bring out waves. A sharp line-up at the front and temples suits dense, coily hair particularly well.

Thinning or receding hair. This is where the buzz cut earns its keep. Taking everything to the same short length removes the contrast between thin areas and fuller ones, so the thinning reads as less obvious than it does under longer hair combed across it. The recession is still there, just less stark. The Frisuren für Männer mit schütterem Haar page goes into this properly.

Arbeit und Lebensstil. It suits anyone who wants no styling at all, wears a helmet or hat, swims, trains or simply has no interest in a mirror in the morning. It reads as tidy in most workplaces, though very short grades on a big build can look severe, and some men prefer to keep a grade 3 or 4 for the office.

How to ask a UK barber for a buzz cut

Give a number. A buzz cut is the one haircut where you can describe exactly what you want in three words.

• "Grade 2 all over, please."
• "Grade 3 on top, grade 2 back and sides, blended."
• "Grade 2 on top, fade the sides down from a 1, natural neckline."

Then decide on two edges.

Der Ausschnitt. A tapered neckline, where the hair at the nape fades out naturally, grows out tidier than a squared-off one. A squared or rounded neckline looks sharp for a week and then looks fuzzy.

The front. Say if you want the hairline left natural or edged up sharp. A line-up looks deliberate but needs redoing every week or two to stay crisp.

If you have a scar, a flat patch or a strong cowlick, mention it before the clippers start. A barber can leave a grade longer over it or blend around it.

If it is your first buzz cut, ask for one grade longer than you think you want. You can go shorter in the chair in a minute. Going longer takes a few weeks.

Doing a buzz cut at home

This is the one cut most men can manage themselves once it has been done properly once. You need clippers with a set of guards, a mirror, a second mirror or phone camera for the back, and something to catch the hair.

Start with clean, dry hair. Fit the guard you want, or one longer if in doubt. Run the clippers against the direction of growth in slow, overlapping passes, front to back over the top, then up the sides and the back. Hair at the crown and behind the ears grows in odd directions, so go over those areas from more than one angle. Feel for missed patches with your hand as well as looking.

Leave the neckline natural unless you are confident. Drawing a new line round the nape without being able to see it properly is how most home buzz cuts go wrong. Tidying stray neck hair with the trimmer, without shaping a line, is enough.

Brush the hair out of the blades after each cut and oil them. Sharp, clean blades pull less and leave less irritation.

Pflege und Schnittintervalle

Hair grows roughly 1cm a month. On a 6mm buzz that is a big change, so the cut looks noticeably grown within two to three weeks.

• Grade 0 to 1: every one to two weeks if you want it to look freshly cut.
• Grade 2 to 4: every two to three weeks.
• A buzz with faded sides: about every two weeks, because the fade blurs first.

The scalp is the part that needs care. Short hair offers little cover, so it burns. Wear a hat or sun cream on the scalp in summer, especially at grade 0 or 1. A plain shampoo is all the hair needs, and a light unscented moisturiser helps if the scalp gets dry or flaky, which shows more under fair hair.

Variationen und das Herauswachsenlassen

Within the same cut, the main dials are length, the sides and the edges.

• One length all over. The plain buzz.
• Shorter back and sides. One grade shorter than the top stops the round, helmet look on some heads.
• Faded sides. Top at one grade, sides dropping to 0 or skin.
• With a line-up. Sharp, squared edges at the forehead and temples.

The named versions (induction, burr, butch and the rest) are all length settings, and the lengths page linked above covers each one.

Growing out a buzz cut is easier than people fear. Keep the back and sides tidy at the barber every few weeks and let only the top run on. After six to eight weeks there is enough on top for a crew cut, and a few weeks after that, enough for a strukturierter Crop. The awkward stage is shorter if the sides never get shaggy.