Having short hair as a man opens up a world of stylish, low-maintenance hairstyle options. Whether you prefer your hair long on top and short on the sides or a more overall cropped look, the right short men’s hairstyle can make you look sharp while also being easy to style.
Factors to Consider When Choosing a Short Men’s Hairstyle
When selecting a short hairstyle as a man, there are a few key factors to take into account:
- Face shape – The shape of your face should influence the type of short haircut you get. For example, if you have a rounder face, angled cuts that add dimension can help make your facial features appear more chiseled.
- Hair type – Thicker, straighter hair tends to hold its shape better when cropped short compared to thin or super curly hair. Make sure to select a short style suited for your hair density and texture.
- Lifestyle – Maintaining very short buzzed hair often requires more frequent trims versus a slightly longer style. Think about your ideal upkeep before committing to a high-maintenance look.
- Personal style – While short hair is often seen as trendy or professional, make sure your cut aligns with your personal sense of style. An edgy undercut, for example, has a very different vibe than a side-parted Ivy League cut.
Crew Cut
The crew cut is a classic short style where the hair on top is trimmed upright and close to the head from front to back and side to side; it’s easy to style by just rubbing in some pomade or wax for light hold and shine. This cropped hairstyle flatters square face shapes and looks great with thick straight hair that lays nicely when trimmed close to the scalp.
Buzz Cut
Simple and low-maintenance, the buzz cut is shaved extremely short all over with electric clippers; it suits guys who want an easy hairstyle option that works well if they have a receding hairline or are involved in sports or the military where short manageable hair is a priority. To style a buzz cut, simply maintain even trims all over the head every 1-2 weeks as the hair grows out rapidly to keep the hair buzzed close.
Edgar Haircut
The Edgar cut and Edgar haircut is identified by blunt, thick straight fringe hair cut horizontally across the forehead in a strong line, with the fringe allowed to hang naturally downward with a weighty feel and no styling products used. To complement the dense fringe, the Edgar cut haircut features cropped short back and sides tapered near the neck, creating high contrast against the signature Edgar bangs. Overall this dramatic forward fringe cut makes a bold men’s hairstyle statement.
Faux Hawk
Distinguished by longer hair worn tall and spiked up in a mohawk-style down the center of the head, the faux hawk also sports closely cropped short hair on the sides; this attention-grabbing short men’s cut looks best modeled up using matte pomade or wax and trimmed every 2-4 weeks on the sides to accentuate height contrast.
Pompadour
A retro throwback pompadour hairstyle sweeps hair up and away from the face in a rolled, curled crest, tapering the back and sides down short for contrast around the head perimeter; use pomade to style hair brushed upwards and backwards and get regular high skin fade trims to play up height created by the front pomp section.
Quiff
The stylish quiff cut features hair clipped short on the back and sides yet longer in front where it sweeps up diagonally from the forehead in a suave curl, creating the signature quiff point that arcs up; style with wax or pomade using fingers or a round brush to direct the front hair backwards while raising the targeted quiff area.
Ivy League
A clean classic men’s hairstyle, the Ivy League cut tapers hair in a gradual shortened slope from front to back while leaving hair longest at the front hairline for a polished look; style by combing all hair including bangs backwards and sideways across the forehead or brush up for slight lift.
French Crop
A popular fashionable men’s style, the French crop haircut is short overall yet distinctively leaves thick fringe length long across the forehead and hairline while the back/sides are cropped; style fringe hair swept forward toward brows for casual texture or spike slightly using cream or beach spray.
Extured Crop
Covered in choppy short layers all over the head for movement and dimension, textured crop haircuts leverage mix of lengths to achieve an intentionally messy style; style by working styling foam through hair to separate pieces, then scrunch and arrange layers in place with fingers, allowing ends to splay outward.
Undercut
A high contrast style shaving back/sides ultra short with longer hair on top styled tall, the undercut allows guys to achieve height and a look that stands out; maintain by buzzing back/sides extremely short every few weeks and style longer top hair by allowing it to fall naturally or sweeping it dramatically upwards.
Spike
Arguably the edgiest short cut, spiked hair stands hair straight up from the head around the crown created by using stiff styling products and fingering hair into distinct separated peaks; maintain spikes by trimming lengths often, styling daily, and distributing gel or wax evenly throughout hair using fingers to pull tufts upwards.
How to Style Short Men’s Hair: Quick Tips
The right short men’s hairstyle can look killer…but styling it properly is still important.
Follow these tips when styling shorter guys’ hair:
- Start with clean hair – Freshly shampooed hair not only makes styles last better, the heat from blow drying also activates styling products.
- Work in sections – Especially when using gels or waxes that require finger distribution, divide hair strategically first then style a section at a time with focused attention.
- Get a cold blast – After achieving the structure of your short ‘do with hot air blasting, hit hair with cool air on the dryer to lock styles in place. The temperature shift helps seal and set hair.
- Be stingy with product – A little styling product goes a long way on cropped cuts. Using too much can make hair limp and sticky. Err on the side of using less first until you perfect ideal amount.
- Reactivate in-between washes – To revive limp strands without washing, gently mist hair with water then work a couple drops of pomade between palms. Smooth over hair and style to reactivate hold.
Putting just 5-10 minutes of effort into thoughtfully styling even short men’s hair each morning can make all the difference in looking dapper and put together. Test out products until you find your favorites and practice working with your natural texture. Achieving an intentional, styled look (even with short hair) trumps just letting your hair air dry aimlessly.
Key Takeaways
Sporting short hair when done stylishly can make you look well groomed, feel low maintenance yet edgy, and require only basic upkeep. The hottest trending men’s short hairstyles range from precision undercuts to messy textured crops. Just make sure to:
- Select a cropped cut that flatters your face shape and lifestyle
- Style thoughtfully each day using the right grooming products
- Keep steadily trimming your hairstyle so it doesn’t lose its edge
Short hair on guys may seem simple. But there are still ample styling products to play with and fresh barbershop cuts to explore. So go ahead and experiment with new short ‘dos finds to switch up your look! Confidence and owning your personal flair always beats chasing restrictive ideas of masculinity.
In addition to working as a top colorist and stylist, Nicole frequently contributes tips and guides to lovethishair.co. She draws from her wealth of experience to write articles helping readers find the right cut and care for colored hair.
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