Pompadour

What a pompadour is

Three things make a pompadour. The sides and back are much shorter than the top. The top is long, at least 7cm and often 10cm or more at the front. And the whole of the top is brushed up and back in one direction, so it forms a rounded roll of hair over the forehead that runs back to the crown.

The shape is the giveaway. From the side, a good pompadour is a smooth curve from the front hairline to the crown, highest at the front and sloping down behind. Nothing falls forward. Nothing is pushed to the side unless you add a parting.

The name comes from Madame de Pompadour, the 18th-century French courtier, who wore her own hair swept up high off the forehead. The men's version as most people picture it, tall and glossy with short sides, is a mid-20th-century barbershop look that never quite went away.

Pompadour vs quiff

These two get confused more than any other pair, so here is the difference in plain terms.

A pompadour sweeps the entire top up and back. The volume runs from the forehead to the crown and the finish is usually smooth, combed and a little shiny. It is taller, heavier and more formal.

A coiffure en crête lifts only the front. The hair at the hairline rises up and slightly back, while the rest of the top lies flatter behind it, and the finish is often matte and a bit messy. It is lighter and quicker to style.

Put simply, a quiff is a lifted front and a pompadour is a lifted top. If your pompadour drops by mid-afternoon and only the front is still standing, you are now wearing a quiff. If the height goes completely and the hair lies flat and back, that is a cheveux lissés en arrière.

Who a pompadour suits

Thick hair, straight or wavy, is the ideal. It has the weight to hold the roll and the density to look full from every angle. Thick hair may need some bulk taken out at the sides so it does not puff outwards.

Cheveux ondulés gives a softer, more textured pompadour with natural lift. It is the easiest version to make look relaxed.

Cheveux bouclés can do it with plenty of length on top, but the result is rounder and more textured than sleek. Blow drying straightens the roots enough to get the sweep.

Cheveux fins ou clairsemés struggles. A tall pompadour needs volume the hair does not have, and sweeping everything back shows the hairline and any thin patches behind it. A short pompadour with modest height and a light matte product is the realistic version. If the front is receding noticeably, look at the coupes de cheveux pour les hommes qui perdent leurs cheveux first.

Forme du visage matters with a pompadour because it adds a lot of height. On a round or square face that height lengthens the face, which usually helps. On a long, narrow face it stretches it further, so keep the pompadour shorter and the sides a little fuller.

Be honest about the morning, too. A pompadour does not survive being towel-dried and left. If you will not use a hair dryer every day, a quiff or a side part gives a similar classic look for far less work.

De quelle longueur avez-vous besoin ?

The front needs at least 7cm for a recognisable pompadour, and 9 to 12cm for real height. The top can shorten a little towards the crown, but not by much, because all of it is being swept back.

• Short pompadour. About 6 to 7cm at the front. Modest height, the most forgiving version and the one to try first.
• Classic pompadour. About 8 to 10cm at the front. The proper shape with a full roll.
• Tall pompadour. 11cm or more at the front. Dramatic, heavy and slow to style.

Hair grows roughly a centimetre a month. From a crop with 3cm on top, a classic pompadour is five or six months away. Keep the sides cut while you wait and ask the barber to leave the top alone apart from tidying the ends. Around the halfway mark you will have a quiff, which is a decent stopping point if you want one.

How to ask a UK barber for a pompadour

Bring a side-on photo. The pompadour is all profile, and a front view hides the shape.

• Ask for a pompadour. "Long on top, swept back, with short sides." Most barbers know it by name.
• Les côtés. For the classic version, ask for a grade 2 or 3 (6mm or 9mm) or scissor over comb, tapered at the neck. For a sharper, modern pompadour, ask for a fade, say a faible évanouissement starting at a grade 0.5 (about 1.5mm) just above the ears. A higher, closer fade gives more contrast but needs cutting far more often.
• The top. "Leave the length on top, just tidy the ends, and take some weight out if it is heavy." Do not let them thin the front, which is where the height comes from.
• The connection. Say if you want the sides blended smoothly into the top, or disconnected with a clear step, which is an undercut pompadour.
• A parting. Optional. A side part pompadour has the roll swept back and slightly to one side from a parting line. A shaved-in hard part needs touching up at every cut.

Then ask them to style it, and watch how they dry the front. That is the technique you will repeat every morning.

Styling a pompadour at home

The hair dryer builds the shape. The product only holds it.

1. Towel dry to damp. Not dripping, not dry.
2. Add a pre-styler. A little mousse or sea salt spray at the roots gives grip and lift.
3. Blow dry the front up. Medium heat, with a round brush or a comb. Lift the front from the roots and roll it back as you dry. Work back through the top in sections, always drying up and back. Keep the sides flat. Finish with a blast of cool air to set it.
4. Apply product. Pomade for the classic smooth, shiny finish. Clay or paste for a matte, more modern look. Warm a small amount in your palms and work it through from the roots, not just the surface.
5. Comb it into shape. Comb the front up and back, pushing it slightly forward with your other hand to build the roll. Comb the sides back flat.
6. Hold it if needed. A light mist of hair spray on longer pompadours or on damp days.

Expect ten minutes at first and about five once you have the knack.

For curly hair, use a curl cream rather than pomade, dry with a diffuser on low heat and use your fingers rather than a comb, so the curl stays.

Upkeep and how often to cut

Every four to six weeks for a classic pompadour with tapered sides. Every two to three weeks if the sides are faded, because a fade shows growth quickly and a pompadour looks scruffy with fuzzy sides however good the top is.

At each cut the barber should tidy the ends on top, take weight out if it is getting bulky, and keep the sides tight. Long sides are what most often ruin the silhouette, because they puff out and make the top look shorter.

A few fixes between cuts:

• If it collapses by lunchtime, the roots were not dry before you added product, or the product is too heavy for your hair. Dry the roots fully and try a lighter matte product.
• If it looks like a helmet, you are using too much product. Start with less than you think.
• If it splits at the front, dry the front forward first, then back, so it loses its natural parting.

Heavy pomades build up. Wash every other day and use a proper shampoo to clear them.

Variations

• Classic pompadour. Scissor-cut or tapered sides, smooth shiny finish. The traditional look.
• Pompadour fade. Faded sides for sharper contrast. Needs cutting every two to three weeks.
• Undercut pompadour. Short clippered sides with a clear disconnection from the top. Bold, and easy to style since the sides need nothing.
• Side part pompadour. The roll swept back from a parting, often with a hard part. Smart and office-friendly.
• Textured pompadour. Matte product, a looser roll, roughed up with the fingers. Less formal.
• Short pompadour. 6 to 7cm at the front. Less height, less daily work.

Growing out of a pompadour is easy. Comb it flat and back and you have a slick back. Push it forward and you are into coiffures mi-longues et longues.