Taper Fade Haircuts: 56 Styles, From a Low Taper to a Skin Fade

We start with a short taper fade, where the taper only starts close to the ear and in the back of your head. It’s the least sophisticated style on the list and easiest to maintain too, as your hair grows. Keep the top short enough to towel dry and you’re done before the kettle is.

The low fade haircut, also called the taper fade low, moves things up a notch, with the fade starting just a little higher. It’s a subtle difference but can be more appropriate to your personal style and face shape. It’s also the cut behind all those “low taper fade” searches. The blend stays just above the ears, so it looks tidy rather than freshly shorn.

A choppy fringe falls forward over the forehead, and a low taper keeps the sides clean underneath. It works best on straight or wavy hair with some weight to it, since the texture comes from point cutting rather than product. Rough-dry it with your fingers and a little sea salt spray, and resist the urge to comb it.

A pompadour can look great depending on your face shape. Combine it with low taper fade on the side for a clean look. Because the taper sits low, the sides still carry enough weight to balance all that height up top. Blow-dry it back, then set it with a medium-hold pomade.

The mid taper fade sits between the low and the high, with the blend starting roughly in line with the top of the ear. It’s the middle ground if a low taper feels too quiet and a high one too loud (the haircut equivalent of a navy suit).

Mid fade is the same cut under the name most barbers actually use. This one is clipped a shade tighter through the sides. That sharpens the contrast without moving the fade line. Pair it with a quiff or a messy crop on top; both hold up well against the tighter sides.

The classy brush up with mid-fade is another classic interpretation of the style. Blow-dry the top up and back, then rough it into place with your fingers so it looks brushed without looking combed.

The airbrushed taper fade is another classic style with extra texture using a hairdryer. The blend on the sides is smooth enough to look sprayed on.

The temple taper fade focuses on keeping the hair at the temple shorter. Here the barber cleans up the temples and the sideburns and leaves the rest of the sides alone. It’s about as close to a pure taper as this page gets.

The high taper fade haircut takes the basic style higher, with the tapering starting much higher to the sides of the head. StyleSeat puts a high taper a couple of inches above the ears, so the short part takes up most of the side. It’s a statement, and like most statements, it needs repeating often.

The faux hawk tapered fade takes things up a notch with something more sophisticated and high-maintenance. The center strip stays long and gets pushed up, and the sides fall away with a high taper, so it’s a mohawk you can take to dinner.

Grow the top out, blow-dry it up and away from your face, and keep the sides tight with a low taper. The volume on top does the talking, and the taper stops it from spreading sideways into a mushroom. You’ll need a hairdryer and a pinch of matte clay each morning, so this one isn’t for the snooze-button crowd.

Use a hairdryer to blowout your hair at the top for a short blowout fade finish. Check our selection of the best hairdryers of the year if you don’t already have one. The top only needs a couple of inches, so it’s a gentle introduction to blow-drying.

The skin taper fade refers to how close to the skin you want the fade to be. When asking for a skin taper fade to your hairdresser, it means that we can see the skin through your hair. It’s sharp on day one and softens within a couple of weeks, so book the next cut before you leave.

The bald taper fade is so short that your hairdresser will use a stainless steel blade to shave off your hair where the fade ends. On close-cropped hair, that jump from skin to hair is the point of the cut.

Add more sophistication to the hairstyle by disconnecting the drop fade. The fade dips down behind the ear toward the nape, and the top is left long and separate from the sides, with no blend between them.

The neat and clean top with finely faded sides is an elegant take on the style, with a more gradual mid taper on the side of the head. Ask for it when you want the fade to be noticed only by the people standing close enough to see it.

Probably one of the shortest styles on our list, this haircut combines high fades with tight hair at the top. It needs nothing in the morning except a mirror. Expect to see your barber every couple of weeks, because a high fade to skin shows growth fast.

Definitely on the more sophisticated end of the range, combine a pompadour with a high fade. This style requires more maintenance in the morning, however. The high fade exaggerates the height up top, and it needs touching up every two to three weeks to stay crisp.

The clean temple fade is what most guys will ask their hairdresser. It does leave the door somewhat open to interpretation, though. The style is roughly defined as short and clean hair around the ear with a fade to skin. Bring a photo so the barber’s interpretation matches yours.

Guys with curly hair can play with the different styles of taper fade for a neat and tidy look. The low taper keeps the neckline and the ears clean, and the curls on top do the rest, no heat required. A dab of curl cream on damp hair keeps them defined.

The fade with messy curls is a close relative of the curly taper fade above. It works great for men with curly hair. The difference is the fade climbs higher and the curls are left loose and a little wild. Scrunch, don’t brush.

For guys with curly hair, just keep the hair at the top long enough to add a front fringe. The curls fall forward over the forehead, and a fade underneath keeps the shape from turning round.

The fade with taper can also be combined with dyed highlights if you like. Color sits best on the curls up top, while the faded sides stay your natural shade. Book the colorist first and the barber second, so the fade is fresh when the color is.

The wavy messy top taper fade is perfect for guys with wavy hair that want a clean and low maintenance hairstyle. Leave the waves to air dry and they’ll fall into place better than anything you’d do with a comb.

Add movement to your haircut with a wavy top fade taper. The mild line-up at the forehead and temples frames the waves without looking drawn on.

The taper fade haircut is a great fit for most black men too, with multiple variations of the style possible. Keep the top short and brushed for waves, or grow it out into coils; the taper at the sides and nape keeps either one sharp. For waves, twists, cornrows and locs, see our guide to haircuts for Black men.

If you have Afro hair, the taper fade on the sides is great for a clean finish. The top keeps its full height and shape, and the taper around the ears and neckline gives it an edge. Pick it out in the morning for volume.

Missing the ’80s? Opt for the flat top taper fade for a retro vibe. The top is cut flat and square. Your barber will need a steady hand and a lot of patience.

Want something more fun? Try the designer top with shaved hairline and taper with fade on the sides. A shaved part or line gives the cut a signature, and your barber can redraw it or leave it out at the next cut.

If you like your hair cut extra crispy, try the burst fade with line up, your hairdresser will use a razor blade to design a clean line around your hairline. The fade curves around the ear in a half circle and leaves length at the back of the neck. There are 30 more in our burst fade guide.

Another take on the classic pompadour haircut using clean fade on the sides. The top is combed rather than blow-dried, so it sits closer to the head and holds its line all day with a shine pomade.

Take your pompadour up a notch by bloating it up with your fade taper to accentuate the look. The height comes from a round brush and a hairdryer, plus a strong-hold product to keep it there.

The neat quiff with taper faded side is great for guys who want a sophisticated and clean look. A quiff is a pompadour’s more relaxed cousin: the front goes up, the rest goes back, nobody gets hurt.

A classic of Wall Street, the slicked back fade is somewhat retro but works great if you have the style to match it. Check our guide to business professional attire for men if you want some inspiration to match your haircut with your clothes.

The taper fade with slicked back hair is perfect if you want to use a wet-looking wax. The low taper keeps the sides fuller than a fade would, so the slick back looks lived-in rather than lacquered.

If you have thick hair, a voluminous top over a mid skin fade keeps things neat at the side. Tight sides make the top look even bigger (it’s an optical illusion, and a good one).

Perfect to add a little je ne sais quoi of preppy look to your style, the classic fade Harvard style elevates the fade haircut by keeping things balanced and elegant. Part it to the side, comb it into place and you’ll look like you row.

For the comb over taper fade you’ll need to keep your hair longer at the top but it works great with low to high fades. Comb it across with a light pomade and let the taper keep the sides out of the way.

The classic side part on top can add an extra layer of movement to your taper fade. A shaved part line keeps the part in place between cuts. The taper keeps it looking deliberate.

The side part tapered fade is a bit old school but can work great in some context. Wear it swept to the side with a soft finish and a little movement at the front.

If you have thick hair, the textured short top crop is a great option to keep things tidy. It’s a cousin of the French crop with a messier finish; our textured crop guide has 28 more of them.

The name says it all, combine the classic swiveled French crop with sides fade. The fringe is cut straight and short, and the top is pushed forward, so there’s nothing to style but the texture.

For a military look, combine the taper fade with a top crop style. The top is cut short and forward. The taper keeps the neckline clean enough for an inspection.

The Caesar fade combines tapering to the sides with brushing the hair forward at the top to cover the hairline. It’s short, it’s forward and it needs little more than a towel.

For guys with straight hair, the option is also available with a longer fringe. Let it and the fringe falls over one eye. The taper keeps the rest of the head neat.

A variation of the style is to brush the hair up on the top with short to medium temple fade on the sides. It suits thick, straight hair that holds its shape once it’s been blow-dried upward.

You can start adding some sophistication with a stranded brush up on top and fade to the sides. This works particularly well with men who have thick hair and want to use some wax for structure. Work the wax through with your fingertips, not your palm, so the strands separate.

Similar to the brushed up top, you can ask your hairdresser to shave the hairline to add an extra level of structure. A shaved part or line through the fade gives it the finishing touch.

The definition of low-maintenance style, you just need to hand brush and tousle your hair at the top for a messy look. It’s the cut for mornings when you’re already late.

Another classic variation of the style with the undercut taper fade and brush up on top. The sides are taken short up to the part line, and the longer top is brushed up and back over them.

For guys with thin hair, a low taper fade can help add volume and shape. Short sides make the top look thicker by comparison, and a matte product adds grip without weighing it down.

The taper fade is also a great hairstyle to test if you have a receding hairline and want to style it appropriately. Keeping the sides short draws less attention to the temples, and a textured top pushed forward covers the corners. Our haircuts for a receding hairline puts the taper next to 23 other options.