Finding the latest cool hairstyles for men has never been easier. With dozens of cool new haircuts for guys popping up every year, short men’s hairstyles remain as popular as ever. Following the “short sides with long hair on top” hair trend, guys can achieve a variety of trendy men’s haircuts, including the undercut, quiff, pompadour, slick back, and modern comb over.
In this list, we’ll illustrate the best cool haircuts and how to style each of them. Whether you have short, long, medium, thick, thin, curly, wavy, or straight hair, you’ll find a new awesome hairstyle to try this year!
Contents
1 Cool Haircuts2 Cool Fade Haircuts3 Cool Undercut Hairstyles3.1 How To Style An Undercut4 Cool Quiff Hairstyles4.1 How To Style A Quiff5 Cool Comb Over Hairstyles5.1 How To Style A Comb Over6 Cool Pompadour Hairstyles6.1 How To Style A Pompadour7 Cool Faux Hawk Hairstyles7.1 How To Style A Faux Hawk8 Cool Spiky Hair8.1 How To Style Spiky Hair9 Cool Slicked Back Hairstyles9.1 How To Style Slicked Back Hair10 Cool Brushed Up Hairstyles10.1 How To Style Brushed Up Hair11 Cool Fringe Haircuts11.1 How To Style A FringeCool Haircuts
Fresh from the best barbershops around the world, check out these cool haircuts to get!
Cool Fade Haircuts
The fade haircut, along with the undercut, has become extremely popular with the emergence of the “short sides, long top” modern men’s hair craze. The fade refers to the way you cut the sides and back of your hair. As the name suggests, a fade gradually shortens (or “fades”) in length with your longest hair at the top and shortest hair at the bottom.
The haircut is exclusively cut using clippers and comes in a variety of styles – the most popular of which are the high, mid, low and skin/bald fades. The decision to get a low vs. mid vs. high fade is a personal choice and depends on where you want the cut to start. Similarly, the skin or bald fade determines how short the faded hair is supposed to get.
Cool Undercut Hairstyles
Instead of the gradual, faded transition to a guy’s long hair on top, the key feature of the undercut is the sharp contrast between shaved sides and the voluminous top.
How To Style An Undercut
Because the undercut has many variations, including the disconnected and slicked back undercut, styling each requires a different approach. Generally, you’ll want buzzed sides and at least 2 inches of length on top.
For the hair on top, you’ll want to apply pomade, wax or putty and distribute evenly. Then, depending on which hairstyle you want, you can slick all your hair back with a comb (slicked back), brush up and back simultaneously (pompadour), pull your hair forward for a fringe, comb to the side (comb over or side sweep), etc.
Cool Quiff Hairstyles
The quiff is typically styled with some height and volume, and finished with a messy brushed back or combed over texture. Like other thick, voluminous hairstyles such as the pompadour and disconnected undercut, the quiff is memorable due to its high-contrast style.
How To Style A Quiff
To style a classic quiff, you will need at least 3 to 5 inches of hair on the top of the head. If you have short hair, you may need to experiment to see if you can pull it off, but longer hair is obviously ideal.
Apply some styling product in your hair to achieve the proper height and texture. After evenly spreading the hair product, blow dry your hair while pulling it up and back to create volume. You can use a brush for a sleek quiff or your fingers for a messy quiff.
Cool Comb Over Hairstyles
While many barbers refuse to call it a “comb over” and instead refer to it as a “side part”, the hairstyles are pretty similar. The comb over hairstyle consists of hair combed to one side with a part. The primary difference between the classic side part and comb over is the side swept look, and the sometimes angular brush back of the hair.
How To Style A Comb Over
To get a comb over, we recommend at least 2 to 4 inches of hair on top and a fade or undercut on the sides.
To style the comb over, start with a high-quality pomade and apply it to your towel-dried, slightly damp hair. After thoroughly working in the product, comb or brush your hair to one side, noting the natural part in your hair if the side part style is desired. For extra styling, guys can brush their hair back diagonally or create some lift and volume in the process.
Cool Pompadour Hairstyles
Voluminous and dramatic, the pompadour hairstyle is longest at the front of the head to give the “pomp” and gradually shortens towards the back of the head.
How To Style A Pompadour
Clean, damp hair that is at least 2 to 3 inches long will give you the best base when applying a hair styling product. When styling a pompadour, be sure to evenly distribute the product into all of your hair in the front and back. Then brush your hair up and back with a comb, gently blow drying into a pomp. Comb your hair from the roots up to maximize the volume and hold of the pomade.
Cool Faux Hawk Hairstyles
The faux hawk (fohawk) mimics a mohawk, but avoids the shaved sides. Because the name literally means “fake hawk”, the fohawk hairstyle has short sides with long hair on top that is styled towards the center of the head.
How To Style A Faux Hawk
Because the faux hawk only emulates a real mohawk, men are able to get the style with a number of different haircuts. As long as you have at least 2 inches of hair on your head, then you can style your cut to create a fohawk.
Start after a shower and leave hair slightly damp. Apply a hair styling product and evenly distribute for a textured look. Use your fingers or a brush to spike your hair upwards until it stands on its own. Finally, to achieve the mohawk effect, start to push your hair together towards the center. The middle of your head should generally have the hair with the most volume and height.
Cool Spiky Hair
The spiky hairstyle is pretty self-explanatory and it is usually accompanied by short sides such as a fade, undercut or taper haircut. The long hair on top is then spiked up into “points”, which can be thick, thin, messy, neat, textured, or any combination of the above.
How To Style Spiky Hair
For the best spiky hairstyle, you’ll want buzzed sides and at least 1 to 3 inches on top. In some cases, it makes sense to have the bangs in front be the longest length.
To style a spiky haircut, a high-quality hair product is required. We recommend a medium to strong-hold pomade or putty with low to matte shine. For a more natural look, you’ll want to run your fingers through your hair, applying your styling product while simultaneously lifting and spiking your hair. After you’ve created the desired effect, consider blow-drying your hair in place for a firmer hold.
Cool Slicked Back Hairstyles
Slicked back hair is a style achieved with short faded or undercut sides with long hair on top. The slicked back hairstyle will require you to use a styling product, such as pomade, to “slick back” all your hair from the front to the back.
How To Style Slicked Back Hair
To get a slicked back hairstyle, guys must have short sides and long hair on top. Ideally, we recommend a high skin fade and at least 2 to 3 inches on top for a stronger contrasting look. The longer and thicker your hair on top, the more versatile and outgoing the hairstyle.
To style the slick back, start with fresh, slightly damp hair that’s been towel-dried after a shower. Work some pomade evenly into your hair. Now, depending on the type of slick back you want, you can use a comb, brush or your fingers.
For a natural, textured look, run your hands through your hair from front to back. Otherwise, for a neater, greaser-like hairstyle, comb your hair right above the forehead all the way back. To keep your hair in place, blow dry your hair afterwards.
Cool Brushed Up Hairstyles
The brushed up hairstyle requires hair to be styled straight up, similar to spiked hair. The difference is that the style doesn’t need your hair to be pointed and actually emphasizes a more textured, voluminous hairstyle. On the other hand, the brushed back style has hair that is pushed backwards, but not slicked. Generally, the brush back will still have some volume and height to avoid the slicked back look.
How To Style Brushed Up Hair
To style a brushed up haircut, you’ll need to leave at least 2 to 4 inches of hair at the top. Because long hair may not stay up throughout the day, you’ll have to experiment with the best styling product and length for your hair type.
Start by towel-drying your hair after a shower. Then apply enough pomade, wax or putty to coat all your hair. As you spread the styling product, use a brush or comb to lift your hair up. The trick is to style your brush up as you would a spiky hairstyle, but keep the hair messy and textured to prevent clumping. For a more natural and tousled look, run your fingers through your hair. If necessary, blow dry to create volume and disheveled style.
Cool Fringe Haircuts
The angular fringe hairstyle is a style where the sides are kept relatively short and the top is longer. The hallmark feature of the fringe is that the hair in the front (your bangs) are styled to hang over the forehead. In the case of the angular fringe, hair is styled at an angle.
How To Style A Fringe
The fringe is a short to medium-length hairstyle depending on your preference. Therefore, we recommend anywhere from 2 to 4 inches in length, especially at the front, so there’s some hair on top to work with. Pull the hair forward to create the fringe. As for the sides, a fade, undercut, taper or longer hair works fine as long as it is noticeably shorter than the hair on top.
