Temple Fade (Temp Fade): A Small Fade at the Temples and Sideburns

A temple fade only touches the front corners

A temple fade is confined to a small patch: the temple corner, down the sideburn to about the top of the ear. Everything behind that, the sides above the ear and the whole back, keeps the same even length, often a single guard all over.

Because the fade is so small, it lives or dies on the lineup. The front hairline and the angle at the temple are cut crisp with a trimmer and razor, and the tiny blend beneath them is what stops the line from looking pasted on. The result is a cut that looks sharp at the front and completely natural from the side.

Why it is also called a temp fade or Brooklyn fade

Temp is simply short for temple, and the name Brooklyn fade comes from New York barbershops where the style became a staple for short, textured cuts and wave styles. You will hear all three names used for the same cut in Mississauga shops.

Some barbers use the term more loosely to mean any fade that starts at the temple line. If that is what you want, you are describing a mid fade, which carries the fade around the whole head. Say clearly whether you want the back faded or left alone.

Hair types it works best on

A temple fade works best on hair that is already short and even, where a little shaping at the front makes a big difference. It suits textured hair especially well because tight curls hold their length evenly across the sides.

Common pairings in the chair:

• 360 waves: the temp fade keeps the wave pattern intact across the sides and back while the lineup frames it. More on the 360 waves page.
• Short afro: cleans up the front corners without reducing the round shape. See afro fade if you want more removed.
• Buzz cut or Caesar: a single-guard cut that looks deliberate once the temples are blended and edged.
• Twists and sponge curls: the corners stay clean while the top grows.

What a temple fade will not do

A temple fade will not slim the sides of the head or remove bulk, because it only touches a small area. If your sides puff out as they grow, you need a fade that goes all the way around.

It also leaves the neckline and back at whatever length the rest of the cut is. Many people add a tapered neckline for balance, which makes the cut halfway between a temple fade and a low taper fade.

Keeping a temp fade sharp

A temp fade stays sharp with a lineup every one to two weeks and a full cut every three to four. The blend itself is small enough that regrowth shows only at the corners, and those corners are what a lineup refreshes.

Resist the urge to edge it yourself. Home trimmers used in a mirror tend to push the corners back a little more each time, and a receding temple is hard to undo; read should your barber push back your hairline before you try. Our Beard Only + Lineup service covers a front refresh between cuts.

1. Sleep in a durag or on a satin pillowcase if you wear waves, so the pattern survives the night.
2. Keep hands off the lineup: rubbing the temples with product can irritate freshly edged skin.
3. Book a lineup around day 10 to 14 when the corners start to blur.
4. Book the full cut when the overall length is about 5 mm longer than you like it.

How we cut a temple fade

We start with the consultation, look at your natural hairline and where the temples sit, and agree how sharp you want the corners. The all-over length is cut first, then the temple blend, then the lineup is taken with a trimmer and finished with a razor.

Your hot towel, wash and head massage come with it. Book a Haircut Only at our booking page or read what is a lineup if you want to understand the edging in detail.