Mid Taper Fade

What a mid taper fade is

A taper only touches the edges of the hairline. The height is what changes its character, and a mid taper starts higher than a low one.

At the sideburn, the short section runs from the bottom of the sideburn up to around the middle of the ear, then blends into the length above. At the back it climbs a little higher on the nape than a low taper would. The bottom is normally a grade 0 or 1 (bare clipper to 3mm), or skin if you want more contrast, blending up through a grade 1 and 2 into sides that are left at a grade 3 or longer.

The difference from a low taper fade is a few centimetres, but you see it. On a low taper the short part hides below the level of the ear and is hard to spot from the front. On a mid taper it reaches up alongside the ear, so the sideburn reads as clearly short and the outline looks sharper.

Mid taper vs low taper, high taper and mid fade

Die Kegelfading page compares every version side by side. For the mid taper, the useful comparisons are these.

• Low taper. Starts just above the ear. Softer, grows out more slowly, less visible.
• Mid taper. Starts around the middle of the ear. Visible from the front, still conservative.
• High taper. Starts at the temple. The most contrast and the most upkeep.

People also mix it up with a mid fade. A mid fade starts at a similar height but takes the short band all the way round the head, above the ears and across the back. A mid taper only shortens the sideburns and the neckline and leaves the hair above and behind the ear at length. The types of fade page covers the fade side of the family. If you want to keep hair around your ears, say "taper", not "fade".

Who suits a mid taper fade

Straight hair. Shows the taper very clearly, which looks sharp but also shows every clipper step. Fine straight hair needs a patient barber, and sometimes a scissor-over-comb finish where the taper meets the sides.

Wavy hair. Sits well. The waves on top stay loose and the edges stay tidy.

Curly and coily hair. A natural match. The higher start clears more of the bulk at the temples, so curly hair does not spread out over the ears as it grows. It is a common base for waves, twists and short afros.

Thick hair. Good, because the bulk that pushes outwards sits right where the mid taper removes it.

Fine or thinning hair. Workable. Keep the top textured rather than slicked flat, and if the temples are receding, step down to a low taper instead. The taper at mid height starts close enough to the temple to draw attention to recession.

Gesichtsform. For most faces it makes little difference. On a round face, a mid taper with some height on top lengthens things a little more than a low taper would.

Work. A mid taper with a neat top passes in almost any office. It is visibly a modern cut, but not a statement.

How to ask your barber for a mid taper fade

Barbers mean different things by "mid", so give them a reference point rather than just the word.

Point to where it starts. Ask for a mid taper and touch the middle of your ear. That is roughly where the short part at the sideburn should end.

Say how short at the bottom. A grade 0 or 1. If you are new to it, ask for a grade 1 or a half grade (about 1.5mm) and go shorter next time. Skin gives the sharpest version, but adds a visit or two each month.

Keep the sides above it. Ask for the hair above the taper to stay at length and be blended in, not cut down. A grade 3 or 4 on the sides is common if they are clippered at all.

Explain the top. Give the length in centimetres and say how you wear it. "About 5cm, pushed up into a quiff" tells the barber far more than "a bit off the top".

If you wear a beard, ask for the sideburn to be blended into it and for both to be cut in the same sitting, so the lines meet. And bring a photo of the side, not the front.

What to wear on top

A mid taper works under most short to medium tops, which is a large part of why it is so popular.

• Tolle. 5 to 7cm, brushed up at the front. The cleaner sideburn makes the volume stand out.
• French crop oder strukturierter Crop. 3 to 4cm pushed forward. Neat and very little work.
• Waves or twists. On coily hair, the mid taper frames them without taking the sides to skin.
• Hard part. A parting shaved in with a trimmer. Sharper and more deliberate, and it needs redoing with each cut.

Styling

The taper needs nothing. The top needs whatever it needs. A crop takes a small amount of matte clay or paste on dry hair. A quiff wants a blow-dry with the front lifted and a light cream or clay to hold it. Wavy hair responds well to a little salt spray or cream on damp hair. For curls and coils, a curl cream or leave-in conditioner on damp hair keeps them defined.

Keep product off the short hair at the sideburns. It darkens it and makes the blend look patchy.

How often to get it cut

Every two to three weeks. Because the short section reaches further up the side of the head than a low taper, the regrowth shows sooner. Hair grows roughly 1cm a month, so after two weeks the grade 0 at the bottom is closer to a grade 1.5 and the edge has softened.

At three to four weeks a mid taper still looks like a haircut, just not a fresh one. If you go to skin at the bottom, expect to want a cut every two weeks. Tidy the neckline at home between visits if you like, but leave the blend to the barber.

Variations

• Mid skin taper. The bottom taken to bare skin with a foil shaver or razor. More contrast at the sideburn, shorter life.
• Mid taper with a line-up. A sharp edge added at the forehead and temples.
• Mid taper into a beard. The taper carries straight on into the beard.
• Moving to a low taper. If the upkeep is too much, ask your barber to start the taper lower next time. It takes a cut or two for the old line to grow out.