Medium and Long Hairstyles for Men

What counts as medium and long

Medio is roughly 8 to 15cm on top. That is enough to push back, sweep to the side or part, and short enough that it still has a shape without much work. The sides can be anything from a grade 2 to the same length as the top.

Lungo starts when the hair reaches the collar at the back and covers the ears at the sides, and runs to shoulder length and beyond. At that point the weight of the hair does most of the styling for you, and the job becomes keeping it healthy and tidy at the ends.

Hair grows roughly a centimetre a month. From a short back and sides, medium on top is three to six months away and properly long is more like a year or two. Nothing you buy changes that, so pick a route you can live with for the whole of it.

Growing it out without the awkward stage

The awkward stage is real, and it has a predictable cause. The sides and back grow at the same rate as the top, but they have less room. Around the third month they start to puff out over the ears and curl up at the neck while the top is still too short to fall over them.

There are two ways through it.

Grow the top, keep the sides

Keep getting the sides and back cut short every four to six weeks and leave the top alone. You pass through a crop, then a quiff oppure un slick back, and at every stage it looks like a deliberate haircut. When the top is the length you want, stop cutting the sides and let them catch up.

This is the slower route to properly long hair and the one most men should take. Tell the barber you are growing it out and ask them to "keep the shape, not the length".

Let it all go, but keep the edges

If you want to get to long hair faster, let everything grow but keep visiting every six to eight weeks for a tidy. Ask the barber to take weight out of the sides so they lie flat, and to clean up the neckline. Over the ears, ask them to point cut the ends so they sit softly instead of flicking out.

Either way, avoid the temptation to cut it yourself in month three. That is the month most men give up, and it is usually two or three weeks before it starts to look right.

Medium length styles that work at 8 to 15cm

Il quiff is the classic medium length style. The hair is pushed up and back at the front, and it needs enough length there to stand up, which on most hair means at least 8cm. A blow dryer helps, product holds it.

Il slick back is the same length taken straight back off the forehead. It wants straight or gently wavy hair and a product with some hold. On fine hair it can show the scalp, so a matte product works better than a shiny one.

Tende part the fringe in the middle and let it fall either side of the forehead. They are the least effort of the lot once the length is there.

Il undercut with a long top keeps the sides clipped short and lets the top grow to whatever length you like. It is the easiest way to wear medium length hair if your sides grow thick and wide.

Il modern mullet keeps the front and sides shorter and lets the back grow. It is the one style here where the awkward growing stage is the style.

Long hairstyles for men

Past the collar, the options narrow to what the hair does naturally and how you wear it.

Worn down and loose works on wavy and curly hair, which has its own shape. Straight hair at this length can hang flat, and a few layers cut into it give it movement.

Tucked behind the ears is how most men wear chin to shoulder length day to day. It keeps the hair off the face without needing a tie.

Tied back in a low ponytail or a bun is the practical option for work, sport or anything that involves leaning forward. Use a soft tie, and vary where you put it, because pulling the same spot tight every day can stress the hair there.

A beard changes long hair more than anything else. Long hair on a clean-shaven face reads quite differently to long hair with a full beard, and it is worth looking through the stili di barba to see what pairs with it.

Keeping it in good order

Trim the ends every two to three months. The point is to cut off dry, split ends while keeping the length. Ask for a "dusting" and the barber will know what you mean.

Wash it less often than you did when it was short. Longer hair takes longer for the scalp's natural oil to travel down, so the ends dry out. Two or three washes a week, with a conditioner on the lengths, suits most men.

Comb it wet with a wide-tooth comb, and work from the ends up. Pulling a brush through tangled long hair from the roots breaks it.

Let it dry before styling. Most styles here hold better on hair that is dry or nearly dry, and product goes on more evenly.

If you want to know which of these will behave on your hair, the hairstyles by hair type page covers straight, wavy, curly and coily hair. For everything shorter, the men's hairstyles directory has the rest.

Frequently asked questions