The undercut hairstyle has undoubtedly become a modern classic. The look of luscious hair on top that tapers down to neat, short, shaved sides isn’t just fashionable—it looks clean and neat as well, no matter what undercut type you go for.
Any man who wears an undercut haircut is automatically seen as more handsome and stylish but also young, hip, and trendy. What’s incredible about it is that even if the style is so distinct and specific, there are many ways to rock it. So, there’s an undercut style that’s perfect for you, no matter your face shape or hair texture.
Need extra inspiration for your next undercut? Here are 30 undercuts any modern man will love.
Undercut Hairstyles For Men:
The Classic Brushed Back Undercut
Let’s start with something that isn’t so intimidating—the classic undercut. Here, we see freshly shaven sides that show off a lot of skin in the middle but get longer as you go up. The length of the top of the hair is retained. It’s so long that you can easily brush it back for a clean and tidy look.
If you use a little pomade or wax as you brush it back, you might even be able to create the illusion of a small pompadour—another classic that goes well with the undercut style.
Man Bun Undercut
While most undercuts are worn short, some creative men might love to do something like this. Instead of chopping off your long hair, create a disconnected undercut look to divide half of your head: the under-part shaven clean, while the top part is still long and luscious.
Of course, when you wear your hair down, no one will be able to see the shaved part. To turn it into an undercut, Put your hair in a high, messy bun to show off the contrast between the shaved area and the rest of your hair.
Pompadour and Smooth Fade
Here’s the classic undercut look—a gorgeous, meticulously styled pompadour that sits high and tall that smooths down to a taper, transforming into shaved sides. To make the pomp look flawless, use your favorite gel, oil, or pomade to give it extra hold and shine.
When people talk of an undercut, this is most likely what they picture. It’s a haircut fit for the stars or any man who loves to look sleek and photoshoot-ready every day!
Brushed Forward with Wispy Fringe
If you love rocking a punk emo look, this undercut style will be perfect for you. Instead of styling the top of your hair upward to add volume and length, brush your locks forward and maintain any natural wave or curl you have.
It’s even better when you have a few loose strands hanging by your forehead. It gives you a stringy, wispy fringe for a mysterious, edgy vibe. It’s the perfect haircut for you if you frequent rock concerts and grunge music shows.
Medium Fade Swooped Fauxhawk
Mohawks can sound intimidating, and for a good reason. They’re too bold and dramatic for most men, especially those who work in a professional setting. A fauxhawk is a much better fit for most.
The sides of the head should be shaven properly in a medium fade. A fade too high can make you look too punk style than you would want. Then, shape your hair and bring it towards the center to stand tall in the middle of your head. Create a swoop at the front of your hair to add extra height.
High Fade Mohawk
But if you have a daring streak in you, why not try an actual mohawk? When you think mohawk, you might think of a flashy, gaudy single strip of hair down the middle of your head. But the modern mohawk is nothing like that. Instead, it’s incorporated into an undercut.
Although this mohawk looks bold and showy, it’s still flattering because of the high fade undercut. There’s no harsh disconnect between your skin and mohawk, so it still works for everyday looks.
Caesar Cut with Brow and Temple Slit
While many men with undercuts style their hair upward in pomp or quiff, going the opposite direction looks just as attractive, too.
Instead of brushing your hair up, ask your barber for a classic Caesar cut with a high or medium fade and brush your hair forward. This gives you a short, blunt fringe for that tough guy, rockstar charm. To make it look extra sexy and rugged, get a slit in your brow and right by your temple.
Undercut with Oriental Design
Not all undercuts have to be a clean and simple fade. If you want yours to stand out, you can ask your barber to give you a unique design that holds a lot of meaning to you.
Some people like getting simple shapes like hearts, while others go for something more intricate, like this oriental design that kind of resembles a lotus flower.
Combover Undercut with Medium Fade
If you’re not a big fan of brushed-back styles or pomps, you can always style your undercut by combing all your hair to one side of your head. This style looks incredible with a medium fade.
Of course, you don’t want your locks to look too flat, so make sure you use a bit of wax or pomade to pull up the shape of your combover towards the front for more volume.
Triangle Taper Undercut
A true-blue undercut will have shaved sides that blend into the backside of your head, which also shows a lot of skin because of the fade. But if you’re not comfortable with that look, you can always leave the hair near the back of your head longer and thicker.
Shaping your hair into a triangle at the back is a strategic, creative way to do that. By doing this style, you still have those classic shaved sides from the front view, but not the skin fade at the back.
Ponytail and Grown-Out Undercut
Some people may think that a grown-out undercut looks messy and is a sign that you need to go back to your barber soon. But if you style it the right way, it might just give you a laidback hippie vibe.
This long, grown-out undercut sits just below a ponytail of dreadlocks. The carefree length of the shaved areas pairs nicely with the dreads, giving the wearer a mellow and chill demeanor.
The Disconnected Undercut
One form of the undercut that is getting more popular these days is the disconnected undercut. Instead of the smooth, tapered fade that goes from shaved skin to longer hair on the top, a disconnected style doesn’t have a gradual fade.
It goes from smooth, shaved skin to longer hair in a stark way with no fade upwards. It sounds awkward, but it surprisingly looks fantastic on many men when the long hair is styled well!
Buzzed Undercut
Since a buzz cut is already short, to begin with, you may think that it’s impossible to have an undercut with it. Well, if you have precise clippers, it is possible. Instead of having one short length across your head, your short buzz can fade into an even shorter, smoother fade going down the sides of your face.
This look is great if you’re sick of styling long hair but don’t want any simple buzz cut, either. It’s a wash-and-go style that’s perfect for the athletic, low-maintenance man.
Wavy Quiff Undercut
Some people with natural waves and curls in their hair try to stay away from undercuts because they assume it will look messy and unkempt. But if you have fine-quality wax, you can easily play around with your wavy hair and create a thick, voluminous quiff like this one.
This hairstyle is a great way to show off your natural waves while making the most out of your stylish undercut. It looks fantastic with a high fade or disconnected cut.
Caesar Undercut with Geometric Design
We’ve already seen a Caesar cut on this list. But if you want to elevate that Caesar cut and make it even more dramatic, you can add a geometric design to your shaved sides, like this one that has multiple lines that meet towards the back of the head.
A proper Caesar haircut creates a straight line across the side of your head. You can play around with this angular look by adding more straight lines through little “slits” on your fade. It’s an edgy way to turn heads with your undercut!
Disconnected Cut with Greek Pattern
Here’s another bold pattern you can adopt in your undercut—the Greek design. This is perfect for anyone with Greek roots that they are proud of and want to show off!
All you have to do is create a disconnected undercut with long hair on the top. Shave the sides so that they’re still thick enough to cover your scalp. Then start shaving the bottom part with your Greek design to reveal more of the skin. You’ll end up with long hair you can tie up at the top and a stunning shave design at the bottom.
Curly Temple Fade
If you have naturally curly Afro hair, this is the type of undercut you should be gunning for. A temple fade, also known as a low fade, shows off a lot more of your hair on the sides since the fade starts relatively low.
It’s a great option if you don’t want the back of your head to look too bare or if you still want to show off your curls somehow, even with a short haircut.
Wild, Colorful Scissor Cut
Undercuts may have a reputation for looking sleek and presentable, but you can adjust it according to your personal style, even if you love wild, free-spirited, colorful hairstyles.
Take this one, for example. Instead of going for a pompadour or combover, this daring man went for a blunt fringe and pastel-colored highlights for his undercut. Coupled with the messy, wavy texture, it’s an inventive way to recreate the usually “clean” style.
Spiky Hair with Sharp Fade
Here’s another version of a disconnected undercut. This time, it’s not just the sudden switch from shaved skin to spiky, long hair that is bold. It’s also the sharp, smooth line that runs across that transition as if a razor swiped and grazed your skin lightly to create that division between long and short hair. There are even two more added razor lines toward the back of the head for extra attitude.
Ponytail with Very Low Fade
This unique undercut with a super low fade does a couple of things. First, it allows you to keep your long hair, which is perfect if you’re emotionally attached to it and don’t want to stop wearing your hair in a high pony when it’s hot out.
Second, it doesn’t show off a lot of skin—something that people with fine hair might not want. An extremely low fade also gives you shaved sides without exposing too much of your scalp.
Super Long, Disconnected Combover
This undercut style combines three key elements we’ve already seen on this list previously— long hair up top, the disconnected cut, and a combover style. It’s a grungy, dramatic look, for sure. If you love that rockstar look, this will be amazing for you.
We specifically love this look on dirty blonde hair. It may also work nicely on hair with different-colored highlights for that wild feel.
Curly Top with Feather Pattern
We’ve already established that undercuts look gorgeous even on curly hair. Having thick, luscious curls on the top of your head that tapers down to a smooth fade is super dashing. But to take it up to the next level, you can also ask your stylist to spice it up by adding a shaved design to your sides.
We love this simple feather pattern. It seems pretty basic, but it makes all the difference in the overall look and appeal.
Colorful and Shaved Down the Middle
Now, if you really want to turn heads, you should go for something like this. Not only are there streaks of bright and vivid colors across the hair, but there’s also a thick, stark shaved line that goes down the middle of the mop of hair. To top it all off, it’s a disconnected undercut style, making it bold, flashy, and noticeable even from afar!
Braided, Disconnected Undercut
Sick of having your long, brushed-up hair ruined by the wind? Keep it in place by styling it in a braid instead! Create a plait from your hairline going down to the back of your head and tie it in a tiny bun at the end with an elastic. We love how this style looks with a sharp, disconnected undercut!
Anime-Inspired Long Undercut
Get that mysterious, anime-boy look with a long, messy undercut like this. To make the hair look a bit fuller, the fade should be low, and the buzzed hair should still be thick. Meanwhile, the long hair at the top must be brushed to one side—kind of like a combover, but in a much more natural finish. Use your fingers to comb the hair in one direction instead of using a brush for that effortless look.
Double Razor Line Undercut
We’ve seen the huge difference it makes when you create a sharp line that divides your shaved hair at the bottom and long hair on the top. So for an edgier look, why not create two of those lines? It’s bound to give you a few extra double-takes when you walk down the street!
Curly Quiff with Zig-Zag Shave Design
The texture of curly hair adds beautiful height and volume to any undercut. But it can sometimes look too clean-cut. Add a bit more boldness to your hair by adding a design as an accent to the back of your head, like this zig-zag shave pattern. It’s an excellent way to make any look more fun but still professional when you look at it from the front.
Blonde and Pink Cut with Line Design
This undercut style may be on a man, but it’s gender-neutral enough to be on a woman or non-binary person, too. This is mostly because of the blonde and pink combination of the hair colors, but also because of the waves and spirals in the shaved line design on the sides of the head.
Mullet Undercut
Put together the modern undercut and an old-school mullet, and this is what you get—fluffy, voluminous hair with smoothly shaved sides. You can also keep the length at the back of your head longer, like a traditional mullet. This retro-style undercut is incredible for those who want the best of both worlds—length and buzzed skin-revealing sides.
Undercut with Spider Web Design
Another unique way to incorporate creative shaving designs into your undercut is by mimicking a spider web pattern on your shaved area.
What’s cool about this is that it’s not just lines and curves. The design also plays with different lengths, creating the illusion of shadows and textures in the hair to make it look more realistic. It’s an attention-catching design for anyone who wants to wow the people around them!
