Short Haircuts for Men: Choosing by Hair Type and Face Shape

The short family at a glance

Most short cuts are variations on the same frame: short sides, a top between a few millimetres and about five centimetres, and a choice of how the top is shaped. The table sorts them from shortest to longest on top.

Start with your hair type, not a photo

Hair type decides what the top will physically do, so we start there. The same crop looks spiky on coarse straight hair, flat on fine hair and fluffy on waves.

Coily and tight curly hair suits short cuts that work with its density: the Caesar cut and the buzz. Wavy hair makes a textured crop look effortless. Thick straight hair needs weight removed or it stands up, so a crew cut with some thinning works well. Fine hair looks fuller when the top is point cut and pushed forward, which is why the textured crop is the go-to.

• Thin or receding at the front: crop or buzz, both hide recession better than a spiked top.
• Thinning at the crown: shorter on top, longer at the front; avoid a high and tight that shows the crown.
• Strong cowlick: a crop with a forward fringe usually sits better than a combed style.

Then adjust for face shape

Face shape controls where to add or remove visual weight. Round faces look longer with height on top and tight sides: a high and tight or a crew with a lifted front. Long faces look better with a flatter top and a little fullness at the sides, which makes the buzz cut and the Caesar good choices.

Square faces carry almost any short cut, though a very flat top can make the jaw look heavier. If you are not sure what you are working with, our guide on finding your face shape takes two minutes with a mirror.

Fade, taper or scissor on the sides?

Once the top is chosen, the sides set the tone. A skin fade looks sharpest and most modern; a taper is softer and grows out more slowly; scissor-cut sides give the classic look of a short back and sides.

The height matters as well. A high and tight is defined by very short sides running high on the head; putting a low taper under the same top turns it into a relaxed crew. If you want the full fade breakdown, see our journal piece on low, mid or high fades.

What short hair costs you in time

Short cuts save styling time but not barber time. The shorter the sides, the faster the cut shows regrowth, and a skin-short look is at its best for one to two weeks.

A buzz with a taper can go three to four weeks; a crew or crop with a taper, four to five. Hard lines and skin fades are the exceptions that need two to three.

1. Pick your hair type row in the table above.
2. Check which of those cuts suit your face shape.
3. Choose the sides: skin fade for sharp, taper for soft, scissor for classic.
4. Bring a photo and tell us how often you are willing to come back.