Classic Men's Haircuts

What makes a haircut classic

There is no official list, but the classic men's hairstyles have a few things in common.

The sides are short but rarely down to skin. Most are cut with a grade 2 to 4 (6mm to 12mm) or scissor over comb, and the neckline is tapered into the neck rather than squared off. That is why they look acceptable at three weeks and still respectable at six.

The top carries the style. A centimetre or two gives you a crew cut, five or six gives you a side part, and ten or more gives you a pompadour. Same back and sides, very different haircut.

They also suit almost every workplace. If you want a cut nobody will comment on in an interview, a wedding or a funeral, you will find it on this page. For the newer styles too, the full men's hairstyles directory covers everything else.

The short end

Short back and sides

O short back and sides is the traditional British barbershop cut and the base most of the others are built on. Grade 2 to 4 on the sides, 3 to 6cm on top, worn with a parting or combed into place. If you are unsure what to ask for, start here.

Crew cut

O crew cut is shorter on top, about 1 to 3cm, and graded so the front is the longest part. It needs almost no styling and suits fine hair well, because short lengths make thin hair look fuller.

High and tight

O high and tight takes the sides very short, often down to a grade 0 or skin, and runs them high up the head, leaving a small patch of short hair on top. It has military roots and looks it. It is the most severe cut here and needs the most frequent visits.

Flat top

O flat top stands the hair on top straight up and cuts it level, like a deck. It needs thick, coarse hair that will stand on its own, and a barber who can cut a level surface with clippers over a comb. Fewer barbers do it well than claim to.

Caesar

O Caesar haircut is short all over with a short, straight fringe brushed forward. It hides a receding hairline better than anything else on this list and takes seconds to style.

The longer end

Ivy League

O Ivy League is a crew cut left long enough on top, usually 3 to 5cm at the front, to take a side parting. It is the smart, slightly dressier version of the same shape, and where a crew cut ends up if you let the top grow.

Side part

O side part is any cut worn with the hair divided on one side and combed across. Most of the classics can be worn this way. The page covers how to find your natural parting and whether to have a hard line shaved in.

Comb over

The modern comb over is a side-parted cut with more length on top, swept firmly to one side, usually over short or faded sides. It has nothing to do with covering a bald patch, which does not work, and the haircuts for balding men page has the cuts that do.

Taper haircut

O taper haircut is the old way of finishing the sides, with scissors or longer clipper grades that get gradually shorter towards the neck and ears, with no skin and no fade line. It is the softest finish on this page and grows out the best. If you want a closer finish at the edges, that is a desvanecimento cónico.

Slick back

O slick back combs the whole top straight back with little height, held with a shine or matte product. It needs at least 7cm on top and suits straight or wavy hair best.

Pompadour

O pompadour is the tallest classic: all of the top swept back with real volume at the front. It needs the most length, a hair dryer and a firm product. It is often confused with the quiff, which lifts only the front and lets the rest lie flatter.

The classics side by side

The lengths are starting points. Your barber will adjust them to your head and how your hair grows. If faded sides are part of the plan, take a week or two off each cutting interval.

Escolher entre eles

Start with the length you actually have. Hair grows roughly a centimetre a month, so going from a crew cut to a pompadour is the best part of a year. The cuts in the short group are available today. The longer ones are something to grow towards.

Then think about your hair. Fine hair looks fuller kept short, so a crew cut, Caesar or Ivy League is the usual answer. Thick hair gives you the full list, and the tall styles need it. Curly hair suits the shorter classics and a soft side part more than a slick back. The hairstyles by hair type page goes into this properly.

If your hairline is receding, avoid anything that lifts the front up and back, which means the pompadour and slick back. A Caesar or a short crew keeps the hair forward and is far kinder.

Last, styling time. A crew cut, Caesar or high and tight needs nothing. A side part needs a comb and a minute. A pompadour needs a hair dryer and five minutes every morning.

How to ask a UK barber for a classic cut

Barbers who have been cutting for a while know all of these by name, but the names are used loosely. Give them three things and you will get what you meant.

The sides. Say the grade, or ask for scissor over comb. A grade 3 (9mm) is a sensible default. Say "tapered at the neck, no fade" if you want the traditional finish, because many barbers now fade by default.

The top. Say how much to take off rather than how long to leave it. "Just a tidy on top" and "take a couple of centimetres off" are both clearer than a number in your head.

The finish. Name the parting side, or say you want it forward, back or standing up. If you want a hard part shaved in, ask for it. If you do not, say so.

A photo of the side and back helps more than one of the front, because the front of most classic cuts looks much the same.

Frequently asked questions