Best Low Fade Haircuts For Men 2023

Best Low Fade Haircuts For Men 2023

The DMARGE men’s hairstyle pages are overflowing with inspiration and the latest on-trend haircuts for men, giving you the guides you need when it comes to deciding upon a fresh new haircut. One men’s haircut that unifies the vast majority of them, however, is the low fade. The low fade – and its assortment of low fade haircut subcategories – is a hairstyle option that is paired with an array of other classic haircuts, resulting in a hairstyle that is undoubtedly modern and supremely stylish.

To this, we mean you wouldn’t just ask your barber for a low fade haircut, but rather, a low fade on the sides, combined with a style of your choice for the hair on top of the head. Fortunately, the world is pretty much your oyster, as we can’t think of many haircuts that don’t pair well with low fade haircuts.

How To Ask Your Barber For A Low Fade Haircut

Any barber should understand what you mean by a low fade haircut, but it’s always good to be as specific as possible with them when you sit down in the chair. By definition, a low fade concerns just the small section of hair over your ears, moving down to the neckline. Once cut short, this low fade portion will be blended with the mid-section of the head.

However, the length you have your low fade is entirely up to you, although it must be said, for the greatest effect, you’ll want to go pretty short: a number 1 or a number 2 on the clippers, for example. You could also opt to introduce a skin fade here, but that is technically a completely different style of fade haircut.

With the low fade taken care of, you’ll also need to let your barber know how you want the rest of your hair to be styled, and this is where this guide will come to your aid. Read on below for the best low fade haircuts to rock in 2022.

How To Style A Low Fade Haircut

This is a tricky one to provide a finite answer to, since the overall hairstyle you choose will differ from person to person. However, for the most part, a foolproof styling method for virtually any haircut is to apply some product to towel-dried hair, work it into the shape you want, and finish with a light spray of hairspray.

Remember, that whatever hairstyle you do choose for the top of your head, it will be slightly accentuated with the introduction of a low fade haircut. This is because the low fade serves to remove some hair and weight from the side of your head, which naturally draws the audience’s attention upwards.

For some styles, such as pompadours and quiffs, you’ll want to enlist the help of a hairdryer to give you the extra volume from the outset, before applying your styling product and hairspray.

Best Low Fade Haircuts

So, now you know how to ask for a low fade haircut and how to style it (sort of) read on for the most on-trend haircuts to pair with your low fade.

Low Fade with Crew Cut

Starting with an absolute classic, the crew cut. The crew cut haircut is a timeless hairstyle for men to rock, is one of the easiest to achieve and suits virtually all face shapes and hair types, since its proportions can be adapted easily. A crew cut is defined as being a simple scissor haircut, with the hair on top being kept marginally longer than the hair on the back and sides.

RELATED: Best Short Back And Side Haircuts For Men

This makes is a prime contender for the low fade, since the hair on the sides of the head is already going to be relatively short. Having it fade out over the ears will only serve to increase its stylistic credentials, and give you a much cleaner, more sophisticated look in the process.

Low Fade with Quiff

Similar to the crew cut, the quiff haircut is another that pairs perfectly with a low fade. The hair on top of the head is longer still than that seen on the crew, as it’s needed to style upwards – in the front section at least – and incorporating a low fade will help to accentuate that volume, which is what you want, after all.

Incorporating a low fade over the tops of the ears helps to slim down the style just a small amount, making it a foolproof option for pretty much everyone. Guys with slightly longer face shapes will benefit the most here, too. As previously mentioned, the quiff is a hairstyle that benefits from the use of a hairdryer to help provide the extra volume required and finished with a styling product of your choice.

Low Fade with Faux Hawk

The faux hawk hairstyle is an incredibly popular option as it allows guys to get playful with the styling, which sees the hair styled forward, with a spiky strip down the middle. It’s not quite as drastic as its mohawk cousin, however, as it retains the hair on the rest of the head. It’s because of this that a low fade is a perfect partner since removing the hair over the ears helps to draw attention towards that spiky styled section.

Low Fade with Buzz Cut

Ok, so the buzz cut is already an incredibly short haircut, as its military origins saw men having their hair cut incredibly short so as to prevent enemy soldiers from grabbing hold of it and slicing their throats. A lovely image, we agree. Usually anything from a number 1 to a number 3 all over, the buzz cut is a great option for guys with rounder faces, guys with big foreheads, or men who are losing their hair – hey, you may as well get rid of all it and save yourself some pride.

But because it doesn’t take the hair down to skin level, it means there is still a little bit of length to play with, and this means a low fade can be introduced, and boy should it be. Something as simple as tapering the hair low over your ears can help to introduce some contrast can do wonder for this hairstyle, giving it a far more contemporary appearance.

Low Fade with Pompadour

One of the most head-turning hairstyles available to men today is the pompadour. It may have started life as a women’s hairstyle in 18th century France, but it’s slowly but surely changed ownership and is now a mainstay as a haircut for men. Big and voluminous – if you rock the classic pomp, anyway – the pompadour is a haircut that does require some maintenance and a bit of time in front of the mirror in the morning, but the results are more than worth it.

You’ll definitely want to consider pairing a low fade with your pomp, as, like with the quiff and faux hawk haircuts, introducing a low fade helps to accentuate the large and in charge style on top. As for the length of your pompadour, well that’s entirely down to you. Ultimately, the longer the better, but if you don’t feel as up to the daring challenge, a short pompadour can still suffice and will still look great paired with a low fade.

You don’t even need to have it as structured if you don’t want to, as a messy pompadour is most definitely a thing. Experiment with various looks until you settle on something that works best for you.

Low Fade with French Crop

Like the crew cut, the French crop is a men’s hairstyle staple, and you’ve probably rocked one before without even knowing it. Defined as a haircut that sees the hair kept slightly longer on top compared to the back and sides, and finished with a blunt cut or point cut fringe, the French crop is one you need to try if you haven’t already.

It can look the absolute business when paired with a low fade too, as the tapered section creates an even more contemporary look, and the minimal amount of hair removal low over your ears will help to draw attention towards the fringe section, which is what the French crop is all about. The French crop can look great with any style of fade haircut, but for first-timers, a low fade is the best option to go with.

Low Fade with Slicked Back

A favourite of corporate big-wigs and certified ‘lads’, the slicked back hairstyle is one of sophistication, with a small dose of casual charm. You will need some good hair length on top of your head before you attempt a slicked-back style, of course, so if you don’t already possess some slightly long locks, be prepared to be patient.

Adding in a low fade over the ears will help add to its sleek nature, and, since the slicked back hairstyle only concerns the hair on top of the head, you may as well get rid of the superfluous hair on the sides anyway. If you have long hair that you like to slick back, however, a low fade probably isn’t the best course of action.

Low Fade with Comb Over

The comb over hairstyle may get a bad rep, as it can often be associated with something you’d seen on your grandpa as opposed to someone more youthful. That shouldn’t be the case, as it can be an incredibly effective hairstyle for men to rock. It’s also one of the few men’s haircuts that can look great with both shiny and matte-effect styling products applied to it, with each likely being used for different situations.

Adding a low fade into the mix is a great option in our opinion, as, like with other hairstyles on this list, a low fade helps to give a comb over a far more contemporary and on-trend look, and shows you take your styling seriously. A low fade also provides just the right amount of balance between office-appropriate and off-duty weekend casual cool.

Low Fade with Short Messy Hair

Short messy hair isn’t something you’d necessarily ask your barber for, but is rather how you style your hair after it’s been cut. The key to achieving effective short messy hair is to have plenty of texture cut into it, so be sure to mention this key piece of information to your barber when you take a seat.

A short and messy haircut also lends itself perfectly to having a low fade incorporated, making a contemporary men’s hairstyle even more modern. And, as with other hairstyles on this list, incorporating a low fade just over the ears helps to draw the eyes upwards to the messy section on top. Styling is pretty simple, as there is no ‘right or wrong’ answer in effect. Simply grab some product, work it through and leave. Job done.

Low Fade with Side Part

As with any other men’s haircut on this list, the side part is another perfect contender to be given the low fade treatment. Already a sleek and sophisticated hairstyle, the side part can have its ante upped with the introduction of a low fade, as it gives it a far more modern appearance, as well as making it even sleeker.

Again, introducing a low fade will help to draw more attention to the side part on top, which can be cut to any length you wish. We’d say a slightly shorter side part is the best partner for a low fade, but if you like your hair on top to be long, then you’ll still look the business with a low fade on the sides.

Low Skin Fade

Ok, so we know we said earlier that a skin fade and a low fade are two entirely different haircuts for men, but it is possible to combine the two. A skin fade could, technically, see the entire section of hair on the side of your head be removed, making it a high skin fade. With this logic, a low skin fade completely removes the section of hair that just concerns a low fade.

It can also be known as a bald fade or a zero fade, but whatever you call it, prepare to say bye bye to an entire portion of hair and hello to your skin. A low skin fade will further accentuate the hairstyle you have on top of your head, as it removes even more hair weight compared to a traditional low fade. A low skin fade is a great low fade option to pair with all the other haircuts on this list, as well as afro hair for black men.