A high fade haircut is when the sides and back are shaved shorter starting closer towards the top of the head. This popular hair trend for men has been proven to be a bold way to make a statement with your hair.
Notably worn by Hollywood hunks Zayn Malik, Brad Pitt, Justin Timberlake, and Justin Bieber, a fade haircut is for men who are seeking to focus all attention on the hair on top.
High Fade vs Low Fade
High fades feature a blended shaved cut that begins at or above the temple area. Low fades, on the other hand, start an inch or less above the ears.
There’s a whole bunch of trendy men’s haircuts and hairstyles that can be raised up by the high faded cut – buzz cut, slick back, faux hawk, crew cut, man bun, and a lot more. You’ll surely have a long list of options to choose from before you head to the barbershop.
Before your next haircut, check out these photos of the most popular high fade haircut ideas!
#1: High and Tight Fade
Such a skin-bound high and tight haircut produces a bald-like appearance that makes everything look well-put. A high and tight fade like this adds contrast when worn with a sharp line-up around the hairline. This cool cropped cut also looks great on a low fade, if that’s your thing. A low-maintenance style is always a good way to go, especially for military guys.
#2: Blonde Waves with a High Fade
No matter your hair type, these blonde waves with a high fade will add height and texture to your style. One of the most popular versions of this look, for men who don’t have naturally wavy hair, is a mohawk section with a perm. Don’t forget to use curl cream or pomade to tame your frizz and show off the blonde highlights.
#3: Thick Brunette Faded Cut
An option for thick hair is to keep it short and easy to manage, and this thick brunette faded cut is a good example. My favorite way to fade thick hair is to take it high, you can create a nice transition into the top. You might be tempted to keep the fade low, but there’s a chance of it mushrooming as it grows out. For a natural finish, I would use sea salt spray and a good styling powder.
#4: High Fade for Thick Hair
If you have blonde thick hair, then a high fade will suit your cut very well. Taking it high and working it into the top tightly creates a nice illusion of color contrast. The back of the hair has been dried in the direction of the crown, and it’s important to do this to avoid any of it sticking up. The front has been scrunch dried to form the wave and it has been finished off with a design that is known as tiger scratches.
#5: Dark Brown Mohawk with a High Fade for Men
#6: Sharp Skin Fade with a Long Top
If you have a square or round face shape then it’s worth considering a sharp skin fade with a long top. The length of the fringe elongates your face, drawing attention away from the shape. Taking the sides down to the skin creates more emphasis on the style on top. Be prepared to style this daily as it needs attention. Use a dry sea salt spray and finish off with a good styling powder.
#7: High Fade for Thick Coarse Hair
This high fade for thick coarse hair has been kept quite tight around the crown area with more weight at the front. This allows you to style your hair into curls. It’s helpful to have the fade high as this will enable your hair to grow out well without leaving you with too much weight on the sides. I suggest a combination of sea salt spray and styling powder to leave you with a natural finish.
#8: Textured Messy Crop
A lot of gents are now opting for a longer top, and these can be described as textured messy crops. The sides have started at the skin and faded up into a heavy blend, creating the illusion of an undercut and allowing more weight to be left on top to style. When I do these cuts I leave length on the sides to style. My preferred way is to rough dry it with sea salt spray and use a styling powder to create the texture and movement.
#9: Fresh Blonde Waves
You’ll look styled to perfection with these fresh blonde waves. The fade finishes the look and leaves a lot of length for creative styling. One of the biggest advantages of curly hair is how easy it is to create volume without too much work. Use a styling powder on your dry hair to ensure a natural finish.
#10: Dapper Sharp High Fade
More guys now are wanting a nongreasy finish and slick sides as can be seen with this dapper sharp high fade. It has been faded high and heavily blended into the top to leave weight and length to carry off the sharp finish. One of the easiest ways to get volume is to dry some volume spray from the root up, so as to get the height. If you can use a hair drier effectively then the finished look can be achieved. The best product to finish with will be hairspray, as you can spray small amounts and style each section.
#11: Handsome Short Quiff and High Fade
A handsome short quiff and high fade leaves you with a very sharp and clean finish. It starts at the skin around the ears and then fades tightly into the top. The top is cut short and graduated leaving a longer fringe to style into the quiff. When it comes to styling, I would recommend blow drying your front up to hold it in for the day. If you have thick hair or your hair naturally goes forward, then you will need a strong paste to hold it in place.
#12: Amazing Sharp Fade
An amazing sharp fade is a very popular and on-trend style at the moment. You can see that the fade has been left heavy to work into the shape of the fringe to give an incredibly sharp finish. One of the best ways to describe this to your barber is to ask for a heavy blend and have a photo ready to back up your explanation. This has a very natural finish, it would be best to avoid heavy products like clays and pomades. Instead, it’s best to stick with a light styling powder to achieve the look.
#13: Brunette Combover and High Fade
#14: High Fade with Platinum Frosted Tips
Men’s coloring is becoming more and more popular, with blondes and greys being the most requested. The color has slightly grown leaving platinum frosted tips and brilliant contrast with the high fade and dark roots. You do need the right aftercare to keep the platinum look. If you can get the products from your barber then do so. If not, a good purple shampoo once a week to tone it will work nicely, and don’t forget to leave it on for a few minutes for best results.
#15: High Fade + Beard Fade + Natural Texture
A popular cut at the moment is a high fade paired with a beard fade and lots of natural texture. This has been skinned down perfectly, disconnected from the beard, and blended heavily into the textured top. His beard has been faded at the base of the neck to keep a natural look and then lined sharply at the cheeks to create the perfect contrast. For styling, I would recommend a good sea salt spray and texturizing powder to give the volume and matte finish. You will need to see your barber every 2-3 weeks to keep this fresh.
#16: High Skin Fade with Brushed Up Top
The skin fade remains a classic style that will be chosen for years. A modern twist can be seen in this high skin fade with a brushed-up top. It has been taken down to the skin and blended up into the scissor work leaving enough to line in the sides. The top has been cut in a graduation layer to create the volume for the finished style. Drying some volume spray into it will give the lift and finish off with a styling powder to create a hold and natural look.
#17: Purple Top + High Fade with a Beard
Men’s coloring is getting more and more popular, as you can see with this purple top. It pairs with the high fade and beard really nicely, and it has been faded high and tight creating a disconnection with the color. Keeping the fade and color fresh will require some maintenance, and a fade-up every 2-3 weeks will be needed. Vivid colors do drop quicker than your natural colors, but this depends on the guy. Still, on average, you’ll need to get the color touched up every 6-8 weeks
#18: High Fade Comb-Over
The trending high skin fade comb-over resembles a faux hawk, all defined by the hard-line. The high fade haircut rounds the face and accentuates the comb-over even more.
#19: High Fade with a Man Bun
The ultimate cool guy haircut is the high fade with a man bun. You get the best of both worlds by keeping the sides short and cleaned up with the option to wear your long locks up or down.
#20: Super High Fade Haircut
A super high fade haircut is suitable for guys wanting a low-maintenance style. Super high fades give anyone 3 weeks to a month between visits and a clean look along the way. This cut is mostly worn by military personnel, but it’s still a very effective style for any guy.
#21: High Fade Buzz Cut
A high fade buzz cut is a very sharp haircut for any occasion. Regardless of age or lifestyle, a high fade is a go-to. Low maintenance and very appealing for any man with any hair type or texture. Remember, make sure your barber executes a sharp hairline to tie the haircut together.
#22: High Fade with Dreads
High fade with dreads is a modern spin to dreadlock style. This cut is for men if they’re having issues with their dreads falling on the neck or if they have too much hair but don’t want to cut it too short. It will give you everything your looking for and is very stylish when paired with dreadlocks.
#23: High Fade + Fringe
High fade + fringe involves clippering close to the head, on the sides and back, and above the midway line. Styling the hair with a fringe falling forward with either a blunt line or texturizing sweep softens the forehead height. It can either add structure to a softer face shape or diminish angles for a strong conformation.
#24: High Fade + Slick Back
A high fade with a slick back style works well for men with long-shaped faces as it complements the head and face shape well. Plus, it’s quick and easy to style. This slick back and been faded at the sides from skin taken high into the sleek top. The maintenance of this style is relatively low. A good pomade will give you the hold required throughout the day.
#25: Curly High Top with High Fade Haircut for Afro
Black men enjoy this well-kept high top fade, as it highlights their afro curls even more with all the ease of the fade around the head. A clean line-up and easy maintenance would also complete the package of this high top with high fade hairstyle!
#26: High Fade Pompadour
This high fade pompadour tells us that if all else fails, you just have to pomp it up with a wide-tooth comb with your medium-length hair. The high fade cut matches the longer hair like the modern pompadour on top and makes a nice gradation with the clipper-shaved sides.
#27: Higher Fade on Curly Hair
A sharp blade is required to make a curly high fade this sleek! Complementing a high skin fade with curly hair will sure add emphasis to the hair’s natural texture.
#28: High Faded Cut with a Side Part
This side part haircut is a go-to for men’s high fade hairstyles. Stylist Dion made a precise skin fade that highlights the ducktail styling. What’s really great about this high fade with part is how versatile is it as you can play with various styles using the hair on top.
#29: High Temp Fade
What’s good with a high temp fade is that it gradually gives a change in hair length in such a smooth manner as it reaches the back of the head. The sideburns add a contrast to the faded area and connect your whole look together.
#30: Spiky Hair with High Bald Fade
Keep it straight and simple with a clean high bald fade that goes smoothly around your head. Pair it with a spiky texture to achieve one of those edgy high fade hairstyles that are worth flaunting!
#31: High Skin Fade Faux Hawk
Ask for zero on the razor to achieve this high skin fade around the sides while having a short, dense trim at the top. The added shaved hair designs on a high fade with faux hawk such as this one can make the casual look one of a kind.
#32: High Fade with Long Hair and Hard Part
This high fade cut gives the head a more rounded look while the quiff maintains an area to be styled freely. Ask your barber to clean up the edges on the side of the head when you have a high fade with long hair on top like this. When it comes to hair products you can’t go wrong with a simple matte pomade.
#33: Quiff with High Faded Line
Cool haircuts like this high fade with quiff aren’t for every guy. What more can you add to a seemingly normal fade? A very stylish, geometric razor cut line, and a combed-up faux hawk fade!
#34: High Fade Undercut
The high faded style is highlighted more by an undercut. The textured hair resembles a light mohawk for a very diversified undercut fade.
#35: High Fade on Short Hair
If the beard doesn’t say it all, then this higher fade on a short haircut is a work of art. A smooth fade style that cleans the ear area of any hair while maintaining a thick hair styled up the flat top. It’s a super clean cut that only takes a pro who knows how to use their trimmers.
#36: High Taper Fade with Part
For all the sharp-edged shape faces out there, try this high taper fade to mimic a rounder look. It’s a very professional style. For something more rugged, go with slicked-back hair. It’s one of the more popular styles for guys in their 30’s.
This high fade with taper takes more maintenance than most other styles, according to Allen, so be prepared to spend more time styling your hair.
#37: High Drop Fade
This haircut’s fade is its maximum potential, says barber Jorge Luis Barranco of California. “It’s a nicely blended high drop fade. It’s razor-sharp for its sharpness and style,” says Barranco.
The ideal face shape for such short haircuts for men should be oval, round, or oblong. The length must be kept short and smooth at all times to look sharp. A trim is recommended once a week.