Last Updated on March 13, 2023 by Cale Boyer
Men Short Haircuts Can Still Have Plenty of Style!
SHORT HAIRSTYLES FOR MEN 2023
As a man, there is at least a decent chance that you prefer to take a casual approach to hair care. Some men prefer to wash and go styles, while others prefer something a little tidier. One of the greatest things about short hair is that often, it can be both!
It also doesn’t have to be the same hair that you have had for the last 20-years. There are a lot of outstanding hairstyles that can ensure you look as casual, as cool, or as “clean-cut” as you want to be, today.
If you are looking for a change, you can get plenty of ideas from our list of the 30 most stylish short hairstyles for men. Trust us, you will love how you look, but only half as much as your partner!
The Best Short Hairstyles for Men
Pick one from our list of the best men short haircuts which fit with your age and face shape.
1. Textured or Curly Quiff
Men who have curls may enjoy a quiff style that isn’t slicked back. The textured or curly quiff allows your curls to go where they may, while the sides are nicely shortened.
2. Structured Quiff
The structured quiff is typically going to have pomade or some other product in it and makes it possible for you to flip the “bangs” back. The use of firming gels gives this hairstyle a more formal look.
3. Bowl Cuts
As the name implies, the sides and back are basically shaved so that you are left with a bowl of hair on your head.
4. Slicked Back Undercut
The undercut hairstyle means you have hair that falls over a closely trimmed area of your head. You can make it a dressier style by using a pomade to hold it “slicked back”.
5. Undercut with Bangs
This haircut leaves your hair undercut along the back and sides, but ensures you have bangs, which can look nice no matter how you wear them.
6. Classic Pompadour
The pompadour is a classic hairstyle that has short hair on the side and a fair amount of hair on top. It often looks like a pompom on top, but you can make it as big or small as you want.
7. Flat Top
The flat top kind of resembles a spike, but all hair on top is flattened and there are no spikes at all. It is just a platform of hair. Hair can be trimmed to a quarter or half an inch to ensure it stands properly.
8. High Top Fades
This men’s short haircut style involves a much higher platform than the flat top.
9. Mohawk
The mohawk leaves a strip of hair that runs front to back with everything else shaved. Because it is situated on the top of the head, it is often a great style for shorter men since it gives the illusion of height.
10. Curls and Fringe
Men may have curly hair as well. Take advantage of them with fringe and curls that dangle over your forehead while the rest of your hair is shortened.
11. Side Part Slicked Back Style
When you need to attend a formal event or always show up stylishly dressed, these “gentlemanly” men’s short haircuts could be for you.
12. Fade Meets Comb-Over
A combover is designed to hide baldness, but you can use it to add style. All you have to do is fade up the sides and leave enough on top to side part and comb over.
13. Low Fades
A low fade only fades into just above your ears. This leaves you plenty of hair on top and a very nice men short haircut hairstyle.
14. Induction Style
When inducted into the military, men are given a short haircut that leaves little to nothing behind. This hairstyle pays tribute to that look.
15. Short Finger Waves
Shortened hair on the sides or even a nice fade can blend in nicely with wavy, finger brushed the hair on top.
16. Textured Crop
A cropped hairstyle is short hair basically all over the head. When you add texture to it, you leave some of the unruly curls behind and let them do as they may freely.
17. French Crop
Like a bowl cut, the French crop hairstyle is a little freer to go where it may if it is curly or wavy naturally.
18. Traditional Side Part
The side part hairstyle will have shorter hair on the sides, but not always “shaved”. Longer hairs on top are then parted and pulled to one side.
19. Fade Spike
Spiky hair is often gelled to ensure that it sticks up in spikes. You want clumps of hair to stick together to form each individual spike.
20. High and Tight
High and tight means little to no hair on the sides and closely clipped hair all around the top. It can be as messy or as formal as you want it to be.
21. Ivy League
This hairstyle is very formal. The sides of your hair will be longer than with some other styles, with the top only long enough to style with a part or a flip, whichever you prefer.
22. Design Style Buzz Cuts
This style takes the idea of a buzz cut and makes it designer worthy. Once you have the buzz, move your outline trimmer into any design men’s short haircuts you prefer.
23. Short Buzz or Crew Cuts
This hairstyle can be short or long on the sides, longer on the top, and more. In short, buzz or crew cuts are mostly a blanket statement for a simple, easy-to-maintain hairstyle.
24. Side Parted Fade
This fades into a hard part and then leaves the top of your hair longer. You can then style it the way you need to.
25. High French Fade
The high French fade uses the idea of a French cut but takes it up a little higher on the side.
26. Classic Comb Back
A comb-back hairstyle is very formal and classic in style. It takes the longer hair on the top and pulls it back into a very neat style. This is often achieved with pomades to hold it in place.
27. Dapper Side Part
The dapper hairstyle is manicured, but slightly “higher” on top. Add a side part, and you will have a formal men’s short haircut style.
28. Hard Part Undercut
For this hairstyle, you have a definite part that cuts a hard line just under where your longer hair lays. This can also mean that the sides are trimmed short and tight against your head.
29. Fade with Bangs
As it sounds, this fade goes up the sides and around the back of the head but leaves a little bang upfront for a style that is uniquely you.
30. Spiky Side Part
This style combines the look of unruly spikes with the formality of a definite part. The spikes don’t have to be anything big, and they will still be impressive.
How to Talk to Your Barber
Have you ever gone into the barbershop and either said, “I need a trim” or heard someone else say it? And watched the barber kind of scratch their head? The truth is your barber can and will cut your hair in the same fashion that it appears to be at this moment. However, if you don’t tell him with some certainty what you want, it could end up being shorter than you want. He, or she, would much rather you step up to the chair with an idea of what you want length and style-wise.
The main thing they will want to know is exactly how short you want it. For this, you must understand the clippers and their guards. When you sit in that barber’s chair and they pull out a “1”, your hair will end up being about 1/8-inch long. This means you will see skin and basically have peach fuzz covering your head. Guard sizes go up from there, typically to a number 8, which is going to leave your hair an inch long.
Your barber may also appreciate it if you can go in and tell them exactly what you want. For instance, going in and telling him that you want a “short fade into a textured crop” will paint a pretty accurate picture in his mind of what you want to see when you look in the mirror.
How to Style The Best Men Short Haircuts: Expert Tips
One of the best things about short hair is that you don’t have to spend all your time fussing over it. However, this doesn’t mean that you can’t still have a little fun with it. Depending on how long your hair is, and the haircut that you have chosen, you can still style it in other ways for different occasions. Here are just a few things that can help you achieve the styles you want, no matter what the occasion may be.
• Regular Barber Visits: Keeping up with visits to the barbershop is an easy way to keep your hair healthy and styled the way you want it. With short hair, it is vital! In fact, we recommend that you plan to stick to every month or two to ensure you always look your best.
• Styling Time: Are you a wake-up-and-run type of person or do you feel that hair is important enough to spend a little more time in the bathroom? If you are always in a hurry to get out the door or start your day, a complicated hairstyle that requires chemicals may not be ideal.
Styles for Your Hair Texture and Age
• Your Hair’s Texture: Men with thin hair often spend a lot of their time trying to figure out how to hide their scalp and add depth. Short haircuts may not be ideal for you unless you want to go with a blunt haircut, which can give the illusion of more hair.
Men with thick, unruly hair will often spend their time taming it. The easiest way to tackle it is going to be shorter hair. A crew cut or longer short sides with more hair on top can help as well.
• Messy or Not: This is the big question. One lucky thing is that most short styles are cleaner and more structured by default, but it doesn’t mean you are forcing yourself to always look groomed. A tiny bit of gel can tame the curl or add a little mess. You get to decide.
• Age: Though we agree wholeheartedly that age is just a number, many men choose shorter hair because it makes them feel younger. It gives them the appearance of not getting a little thin on top if their hair is only an inch long. However, we also know that there are young men with thicker hair that may keep it short just so that they can live their active lifestyle without worrying about haircare.
Styles for Your Face Shape
Short haircuts are ideal for most face shapes. However, when choosing a style for your hair, you may want to take your face into consideration. Here is how it works.
• Oval or Round: Oval faces are the perfect platform for hair. It is a shape that works well with all hair types, with perhaps the exception of a lot of volume on top. This can make your face appear to be too long. This is the opposite of someone who has a more rounded face. Round faces need the elongated look that a little extra hair on top can provide. Please note in this case, tapered or faded sides are also going to narrow the face a bit.
• Square Cut Facial Features: A square face tends to have wide cheekbones and a jawline that is more angular. This is a great shape, but often, a short hairstyle is best because it will draw more attention to your face and those interesting angles.
• Triangle Challenges: Although your face may look appealing with a more triangular shape, it is going to be a little difficult to choose a good hairstyle. Our recommendation is that you keep the hair on the sides, or anywhere else for that matter. You can still have the fades and tapering, but we wouldn’t go for skin-showing hairstyles.
• The Diamond Face: If you look in the mirror and study your face, take note of your cheekbones and how they relate to your upper head. If it appears even slightly triangular, you may want to keep a little hair on the top to give yourself fringe over your forehead to even things out a little.
Conclusion
Mostly, the right hair care routine will come down to what you want to deal with, but if you ask the experts, there are other things that may make you love it or hate it when you step out of the barbershop. We personally prefer that you love it.
Even if you prefer to have a shorter hairstyle, you can still have plenty of styles. You simply have to decide which style you prefer. If you currently have a very tight hairstyle, you may need to let it grow out a little to achieve the longer on top styles, but it could be worth it if you love your new style.
Our hope is that our list of the 30 most stylish men’s short haircuts has helped you gain some insight into what would make a great style for you.
