Some stylists say you must have been living under a rock so far if you don’t know what a fade haircut is. But let’s not jump to superficial conclusions. Fade haircuts have been in fashion in the last years and you have seen men showing them off everywhere, from the subway to the TV screen. You may not know what they’re called or what the catch is, but certainly you noticed them around. They go great with straight or curly hair, are pretty easy to accomplish (if your barber knows what he’s doing) and particularly stylish if you know how to take care of them. Today we will tell you everything you need to know about fade haircut styling so you can catch up with our contemporary times and even get one for yourself.
What Is a Fade Haircut?
The simplest definition is this: you get a haircut in which your barber tapers in length the hair on your sides and back of the head until it progressively fades away and disappears from your skin.
TIP: The best part of a fade haircut is that it doesn’t affect the hair length on the top of your head. This allows barbers to be as creative as they can get and adapt any type of fade to your wishes, hair type, face features and current trends.
Three Things You Didn’t Know about Men’s Fade Haircut Styles
- Fade haircuts are the contemporary, bold versions of the classic undercut which replace the usual disconnect with a fading effect from hair to skin.
- A fade haircut can compliment any type of haircut
- Our boys in the military started featuring fade haircuts with no problems (sometime back in 2014), as they meet the short length requirements and look great in the same time.
What Types of Fade Haircuts Are There?
There are seven basic fade haircut types which make the foundation for tens of different cuts and designs. If you want to try this style in the future, this is what you have to know to speak the same language with your hairdresser. There is a great number of fade haircut styles to achieve starting from these ones.
1. The Regular Fade Haircut
The regular or the classic fade haircut involves a hair taper to the skin at the perimeter hairline. At the parietal ridge, the fade may increase to around ½ inch in length.
2. The Low Fade Haircut
You have seen this usually accompanied by a well designed beard. The low fade means that your hair disappears half way through the sides and the back of your head. This is not all. You hair will also disappear 1 inch before your natural hairline both on the sides and back of head. Best part is that you decide the actual line of fading.
3. The High Fade Haircut
The high fade cut removes your hair to up to two inches on the sides and back of head – calculated from below the top hair line. You remember Will Smith in the Fresh Prince from Bel-Air? That’s the retro high fade, leaving almost all of your scalp bald and your hair standing vertically on top of your head. Don’t fret though! Such ?do was popular in the 80s, disappeared in the 90s and came back more versatile and stylish. This cut is usually preferred by black men, as it requires the scalp to be of the same tone color as the face and skin. However, you don’t have to be a Will’s Philly boy to pull this one off in style!
4. The Mid Fade Haircut
You’ve seen this in the military, but it’s so mainstream now, the military prefer more complex fades nowadays. A medium fade has your hair on the sides and back of head very closely shaved to the skin.
5. The Temple Fade Haircut
Also known as the Afro Blowout or the Brooklyn Fade, the temp fade is a version of a low fade, but showing off a more abrupt transition between hair lengths. After a ½ inch area around the hairline on sides and back of head are faded from the skin, but the rest of the hair is tapered up in length for 1-2 inches. Sometimes, this cut involves the fading on the forehead hairline as well.
6. The Taper Fade Haircut
This is probably the most versatile and popular one, as it allows the creation of stylish Mohawks, comb over dos, a fohawk and many other designs. They go great with beards, curled hair, straight long strands, side parted cuts and so on. This is a version of the traditional undercut which clearly transitions the hair from short to naked skin. They can be worn high or low, depending on your preferences and your barber’s creativity.
7. The Scissors Fade Haircut
This one requires only the use of scissors and not clippers, but it does require a skilled hairdresser. It is great for those guys who want a longer fade and a wilder look.
How to Give Yourself a Fade Haircut at Home
We strongly recommend you go ask a hairdresser for a new hair design as a first step and see if such hairdo is the right one for you – if this is your first Mohawk or low fade. Show him a picture or a guy whose hairdo you like. In case you have some experience with clippers and you’ve seen your barber do it many times before, this is what you should have:
- Heavy duty clippers
- Folding mirror to perfectly see the sides and the back of your head
- A razor, just in case you need some extra finishing you couldn’t achieve with clippers
- A tutorial, Internet pictures, videos and photos-based books to learn how to give yourself that cool uptown swept-back tapered quiff you always wanted.
- Plenty of light in the room
- A friend to give you an extra hand
What’s Left to Know about Fade Haircuts?
It doesn’t matter if you’re white, black, Asian or anything in between, most women love well-made fade haircuts. You may have blonde or dark hair, lush voluminous hair, little hair or even a tendency to balding. Make the right fade haircut choice and you will look stunning. Pics and images come in great numbers, so get inspired, step out of the shadow and treat yourself with a fade haircut to compliment your male attitude and your contemporary style!
