Il taglio "mullet" moderno

What makes a mullet modern

The old mullet was a hard step. Short, often clippered sides met a long, unbroken tail with very little in between, and it looked like two haircuts on one head.

The modern version keeps the outline and softens the joins. The sides are faded or tapered close to the head, the top is a few centimetres of choppy texture, often with a loose fringe pushed forward, and the length at the back is layered so it sits into the neck. From the front it can pass for a textured crop. From the side the mullet is obvious.

It varies a lot in strength. A short mullet has the back just brushing the collar and reads as a slightly grown-out cut. A long mullet drops well past the collar and is a statement whichever way you look at it.

Modern mullet, burst fade mullet and the wolf cut

Il burst fade mullet is the most common modern version. The sides are faded in a half-circle arc around the ear, leaving weight above and behind it that flows straight into the length at the back. The fade stops before it reaches the nape, which is what lets the back stay long. The burst fade page covers that fade in detail.

A taper mullet only tapers the edges, around the ears and sideburns, and leaves more weight on the sides. It is subtler and grows out more gracefully.

Il wolf cut is a near relative: a shaggier, more heavily layered cut with a mullet shape at the back and a lot of texture all over, often with the sides left longer. If the photo you like has no clipper work on it at all, you are probably looking at a wolf cut or a shag rather than a modern mullet.

Tende sometimes get combined with a mullet, a middle parting at the front with length at the back. It works, but it needs a lot of length everywhere.

Who the modern mullet suits

Curly and wavy hair make the best mullets. The curl fills out the back and gives it shape without any styling, and a taper or fade at the sides keeps the volume where you want it. Curly hair also looks longer than it is, so the shape arrives sooner.

Thick straight hair works well too, but it needs texturing through the top and back or it sits flat and heavy. Ask for point cutting.

Fine or thinning hair is the hard case. The length at the back needs density to look intentional. Thin hair at length looks stringy, and a faded side shows how thin the top is by comparison. A shorter, tighter version with plenty of texture is the best bet, and even then it may not be the right cut.

Forma del viso matters less than with most cuts. The length at the back adds nothing at the front, so oval and square faces carry it most easily. A long face can benefit from a fringe pushed forward to break up the height.

Work is the real question. In creative or relaxed workplaces it barely registers now. In conservative ones, a short mullet with a low taper, the back just at the collar and a tidy fringe is the version that passes.

How much length you need

The back is the bit that takes time. Hair grows roughly a centimetre a month, and the back needs to reach at least the collar before the mullet shape reads as deliberate. From a short back and sides, that is typically three to four months of not cutting the nape.

The top only needs 4 to 8cm, depending on how much fringe you want. The sides can be as short as you like and are cut fresh every visit. So the right order is to grow the back first and leave everything else alone. The sides and top are easy to sort out at any point.

During the grow-out, a good barber will keep the sides and top tidy, cut the top into a textured crop so it looks finished, and simply not touch the back. Tell them that is the plan at every visit, or a reflexive tidy of the nape will cost you a month.

How to ask a UK barber for a modern mullet

Bring a side-on photo as well as a front one. The profile is the whole cut, and "modern mullet" covers everything from barely noticeable to very loud.

• The sides. Choose the fade or taper. A low taper at grade 1 or 2 (3mm or 6mm) around the ears is the conservative option. A burst fade, faded down to grade 0 or 0.5 in an arc round the ear, is the popular one. Say where you want it to start and say clearly that it should not run round the back.
• The top. "Keep about 4 to 6cm on top, point cut for texture." Say whether you want a fringe pushed forward, a short textured fringe or the top swept back.
• The back. Point at the spot on your neck where it should end. "Leave the length at the back, layered so it sits into the neck, not a hard step." If your hair is very thick, ask for weight taken out so it follows the neck instead of flaring out over the collar.
• La scollatura. A clean-shaved nape under the length gives the sharpest finish. A natural one looks softer.

If you wear a beard, mention it. A sharp fade mullet looks best with a well-kept short beard and clean cheek lines. A shaggier mullet sits better with something softer. The elenco degli stili di barba has the options if you want to match the two deliberately.

Styling a modern mullet

Once the cut is right, this is a two-minute job.

Towel dry until damp. Work a small amount of texturising cream, clay or paste through the top and the back with your fingers. Rough-dry with a hair dryer, lifting at the roots on top. For straight hair, bend the back slightly under as you dry so it follows the neck rather than sticking out. A little sea salt spray on damp hair gives more grip and a messier finish.

For wavy and curly mullets, do less. Scrunch curl cream into damp hair, leave the back to sit where it falls and air dry or use a diffuser. Brushing curls once they are dry ruins them. Curly hair at length dries out, so a leave-in conditioner on wash days keeps the back from going frizzy.

Matte products suit the style better than shiny ones. The point is separation and movement, not a polished surface.

Upkeep and how often to cut

A mullet has two schedules.

The sides need doing every three to four weeks if you have a fade, a little longer with a taper. A burst fade especially loses its shape quickly, because the arc softens as it grows.

The top and back need cutting every six to eight weeks, mostly to keep the layers working and the ends healthy. Once the back is at the length you want, the barber trims it to hold that length rather than to shorten it.

Shaving the neckline under the length, or trimming stray hairs around the ears, is fine to do at home between visits. Reshaping the layers is not. The balance between the crown, the sides and the back is easy to get wrong and slow to fix.

Variations and growing it out

• Short mullet. Back just past the collar. The easiest one to live with and to grow out of.
• Burst fade mullet. Faded in an arc round the ear. The popular modern version.
• Taper mullet. Only the edges tapered. Subtler, and softer as it grows.
• Curly mullet. Curls left in at the back, sides tight. Very popular on curly hair.
• Textured mullet. Choppy all over with a matte finish. Deliberately messy.

If you change your mind, the way out is simple. Shorten the back a little at each visit while keeping the top. Within a couple of cuts you have a textured crop or a longer cut on top, and nobody will remember it was ever a mullet. Taking it all off in one visit also works, if you do not mind a few weeks very short.