Choosing a hairstyle for your young boy goes beyond simply making him tidy and presentable. A good hairstyle should be easy to maintain while reflecting your child’s personality. Tracking hairstyle trends can be tough, but parents seek out haircuts their children will love and feel confident sporting. This article covers 15 neat hairstyles that parents adore and that keep their kids looking awesome.
A common mistake I see parents making is assuming their boy’s haircut should be a mini adult hairstyle. This suggests the goal is to have the haircut look neat and polished enough to last an entire work day. Rather, the focus should be finding a style that looks ‘good’ when the boy wakes up and is still good ‘enough’ to last after recess. The hairstyle should not need any pushing or encouragement to get the boy to school.
A client I once had came in with her 4 year old son and a picture of a men’s magazine pompadour hairstyle. I appreciate the motivation, but I had to explain to her that her child’s hair is baby fine and will not hold a style like a pompadour. We moved on to a style that worked more with what he had, and she ended up liking that much more than the original idea. That’s pretty much the whole philosophy here. Work with the hair, work with the kid, and most importantly, choose something that makes everyone’s mornings easier. These 15 cuts are the most I recommend because they offer more than just a promise.
#1: Relaxed Tousled Waves with a Textured Crop
The messy waves on the left appear to have been made on the fly, which makes it work particularly well on young boys. With finer hair, the style works nicely since the waves can create the appearance of a larger volume of hair than what is present. The textured crop on the right is however, more sophisticated, intentional, and clean, and just enough to be modern without having you look like you’re pushing a five-year-old too much. If your kid has the sort of hair that just refuses to obey you, definitely go for messy. If you want something that will style itself post towel drying, then go for the crop and you’ll achieve a more polished look. Both styles involve a very low maintenance factor and that’s all that really matters.
#2 Fresh Short Crew Cut with Natural Texture
When my parents tell me they don’t want to spend any time in the morning to do my hair, I take this as a compliment to the haircut! There is just enough length on top to show the natural texture, and the shorter sides clean up the look so it doesn’t look sloppy! I also think this style is so great for fine hair because the little bit of length on top gives the full look that you would lose if everything was buzzed. The biggest commitment is definitely coming back to the salon every few weeks because once it starts growing out, the style loses the fresh feel.
#3 Vibrant Spiked Top with Tapered Sides
This style is fun and gives good reason for the little ones to love it. The spiky hair is super fun and the taper on the sides keeps it from going all the way to cartoon land. And with little kids, that’s a good thing! A very small bit of texturizing gel on damp hair will give you the spikes, so once your kid is old enough to start caring about their hair, he can do it! The lines on this style are a big part of the draw. If you take too long between cuts/trims, it’s going to get really shaggy. The hair is going to look like a shaggy mess. If you want it to look sharp, then keep it tight.
#4 Sleek Side-Swept Bangs with Tapered Cut
This hair cut looks great in pictures, and it’s so practical for everyday wear. The side-swept bangs clear the eyes and do not require any pushing back. The taper cuts keep the look fresh, so you can still look put together at the end of the day. This cut works best with straight to wavy hair that has a fair amount of natural volume. This will be a challenge if you’re dealing with a child a whose hair grows straight down and doesn’t like to be pushed, because the bangs will end up going in any direction. When paired with the right kind of hair, this cut is effortless and looks awesome.
#5 Tousled Waves with Natural Highlights
It is time to stop cutting those waves! Just take a look at the pictures! The waves have a nice, weathered, sun bleached look, sort of like a kid who has spent every summer playing in the ocean. When there are layers on the hair, it is designed to encourage movement, and to give that flowing beach look. The natural length and highlights pinned to the hair is something to appreciate, as adults spend lots of money to get those done. Your child will love the hair as it is easy to maintain, and even the growth is nice as the cut is designed to flow and move, making it look good as the hair reaches that long stage. The best bit is that your child will be encouraged to play with the hair, as a small wave defining hair cream will hold everything in place without that crunchy feeling. The more scrunched the hair gets, the more it will encourage play. Plus, because the hair will grow out nicely, and not everyone is faithful to the frequent haircut schedules, the hair cut is something to look forward to!
#6 Effortless Textured Top with Clean Side Fades
I’ve seen this look on almost every mood board my parents show me, and I absolutely get it. It’s great for any occasion! It’s neat enough for a family photo, but casual enough that no one will mind on a Tuesday morning. The top has some texture for that effortless look, and the fade on the sides keeps the whole style from looking like he just needs a haircut. A bit of molding paste worked through the top is great for hold without stiffness. Fades grow out faster than you’d like, but when it’s fresh, it’s one of the best looks you can give a young kid.
#7 Curly Tapered Top with Neatly Trimmed Sides
I wish parents would appreciate their children’s natural curls instead of trying to cut them off. Instead of working against the hair texture, parents can achieve a lot more by working with the hair instead of trying to cut the curls off. When a lot of volume is left on top, the curls can show their full structure. The look of having tight sides, or tapered sides as some may call them, with a big top is also a look that a lot of people try to get. One of the best things about good curly cuts is that they require next to no morning routine. The only thing I would advise is that a good leave-in is totally essential to keep the curls nourished instead of thirsty and frizzy.
#8 Playful Textured Tousle with Natural Highlights
This style exemplifies the freedom of being a child. Once again, the layers are shaggy, which achieve that volume that most stylists will spend 20 minutes in the salon trying to achieve. Imagine a child who has just been playing outside all day – that shaggy look is a given. The light pieces on top really help visually, otherwise with just one flat color, the whole hairstyle would lose dimension. This is the kind of cut that you can literally run your fingers through in the morning, and without a care in the world, step right outside. Most people would think that this style requires a lot of maintenance, but in reality, it actually can look nice after a decent amount of time since the last cut. The trick is that you need to go get it trimmed more frequently than you think to keep it looking purposely tousled rather than just overly grown.
#9 Textured Blonde Crop with Graduated Sides
This has an excellent standard of work on the graduated sides, merging to the textured top, so that it feels seamless and not jarring. It’s the kind of cut that looks like it takes a lot of effort, but actually is very little, which is exactly what you want when you’re dealing with a child who gives you about 90 seconds of collaboration with a comb. The majority of the styling work is done for you by the hair on top, but on days when it’s being especially flat, a tiny bit of product through the front will revive it. This style suits a quite a lot of face shapes and that’s one of the reasons I tend to default to it so much, because it’s genuinely difficult to get it wrong.
#10 Swooped Side Partition with Wavy Texture
I like the side part on this cut. It opens up the face and shows off the expression. With a little kid, that’s always the whole point! The waves through the mids give it some texture which keeps it from looking too precious or formal. The overall length is in that sweet spot where it’s got character, but it is not going to be in his eyes or food all the time. This cut works best if the hair has at least a little natural bend, since on completely straight hair you’d have to coax that swoop into place every morning and that gets old fast. But with the right hair type, it practically styles itself with just a side part and a quick finger comb after a bath.
#11 Curly Top with Crisp Fade
The defined curls contrasted with the fade is what gives this style its modernity. I appreciate that this style is not trying to change your natural texture. With the fade your sides stay neat and tidy without you worrying about the hair growing out and getting bushy. Maintaining your curls will ensure this cut looks its best because healthy curls will make this cut look its best. This is a rare style where the hair and cut work with each other and that is always obvious.
#12 Classic Side-Parted Tousle with Natural Highlights
This hair style is simple and charming and works for any occasion. Whether it’s family gatherings, school photos, or just a regular Wednesday, this style will work. The natural part helps frame the face and makes the hair look less stiff. Is also makes it fun, since no one wants a clean and slicked back part on six year old. Since this hair is fine, it is soft, light, and moves around a lot which creates a nice effortless look and catching the light makes it look even better. If you want the look to last longer throughout the day, a light styling cream would do the trick. Anything heavier would definitely kill the whole vibe.
#13 Soft Tousled Waves with Side-Swept Fringe
This cut has so much to offer, especially with the considered details on the fringe. Instead of going for the usual blunt edge across the front, they’ve done something softer so that it sits more naturally. The framing of the face is complemented by the bangs not just falling straight down like a curtain. The layers around the face also feel really good because they don’t take off too much length, and can give parents that in-between option when their kid wants longer hair but they want it to look maintained. The waves ‘\’ add personality that a flat, straight version of this same cut simply wouldn’t have. It’s a good one to grow into and grow out of, meaning you’ve got some flexibility on timing between appointments, which in my experience is the kind of practical detail that actually matters to parents more than anything else about a haircut.
#14 Sleek Buzz Cut with Soft Fades
Getting a good buzz cut isn’t easy and takes a distinct level of skill. An average person, however, wouldn’t think of it that way. Most people see buzz cuts as boring and wouldn’t say anything about it. However, with a good soft fade around the ears, it goes from looking like someone just ran clippers over your entire head, to a more intentional and thoughtful style choice. For families that are just done with hair it is a really great option. No product, no styling, no arguments. Just don’t forget that once it starts to grow out you will have to come back for a clean up in just two to three weeks. Some families see that as a downside, but for others it is a reasonable trade off for not having to style hair again.
#15 Rustic Textured Top with Soft Taper
The beauty of this cut lies within its relaxed, casual style, though cutting it takes more technical skill than people may think. It’s about how the layers are arranged to create an effect that looks intentional and messy, instead of just being disorganized and thrown together. This is a cut I would strongly suggest visiting an actual stylist for instead of attempting to get the cut at a walk-in place. The soft taper on the sides helps it look more fitted and keeps the entire look anchored so that it still is obviously a haircut. The look is particularly good for finer hair that tends to sit flat, since the cutting and layering will create a lot more lift and movement than there would be otherwise. Hair that has this cutting and layering tends to be a bit easier to manage than some styles, and when you do happen to have product in it, it’ll look awesome. On the contrary, if you fail to put in time and don’t add any product, it’ll still look good, and having that reliability is the most underrated quality any haircut can offer.
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