Whether you are a man born with naturally thin hair, or whether your hair has started to thin out as you have gotten older, there are still plenty of hairstyles available for you if you want a stylish haircut.
The men’s hairstyle options for thin hair depend on your preference. Do you prefer the bold look showing the thinning hair or just want to cover up the growing bald spot? Yes, men can definitely look great with thinner hair.
Many of the hairstyles for men look brilliant with only thinning hair. These styles help to show that thin hair can be just as good as thick hair, if not better!
One worry comes up constantly with thinning hair, and it is worth clearing up before the gallery: does a hat or helmet make it worse? Sanober Pezad Doctor, MD, a double board-certified dermatologist, says the fear is mostly misplaced:
“Wearing a hat, cap, or helmet does not ordinarily cause hair thinning, so the idea that hats themselves make you go bald is largely a myth. The concern is with repeated friction, pressure, or tension, particularly from a very tight head covering or from pulling the hair tightly underneath it, which can contribute to breakage or traction alopecia over time.”
Hairstyles for Men With Thin Hair
1. Gray Comb-Over
Older men looking for hairstyles for thin hair should opt to keep their natural color as the sleek silver shade can distract from the thinning.
Style your hair into a short comb over to hide a receding hairline. Don’t make it too tall or you’ll draw attention to the thinness instead.
2. Slanted Quiff
A more slanted quiff can help you out if the front section is thinning very badly. Adding height and drawing the eye to the side of your hair is much better than highlighting the thinnest area. Add a beard to further distract from the issue.
3. Curly Crop with Short Bangs
Texture does a lot to hide thinner areas as long as you keep the hair short and close together on the head. Don’t aim for too much curl definition and instead let your hair look natural after you wash it. Too much definition will show off the missing strands.
4. Mini Man Bun
Man buns give the illusion of having more hair than you do. Create one on the crown and shave the first centimeter or two of hairline. This is trendy and helpful for hiding hair loss. Want to distract people further? Grow a huge beard.
5. Ultra-Short Cut with a Fade
Wearing your thin hair as short as possible definitely hides patchy areas and uneven thickness. Get a slight fade on the sides so you appear more handsome. Grow a nice beard with a clean shaven area around the mouth to look your best.
6. Ear-Tucked Curtains
Take inspiration from curtain bangs by parting your hair and sweeping it to the side in curtains. However, brush it behind your ears and keep your overall hairstyle tame. Don’t let those curtains fall into your face!
7. Mohawk-Inspired Cut
Mohawks are usually long and go from the front of your hairline to your nape. Keep yours short and stop it at the crown instead. It’s a smart way to be stylish while keeping the hair short and respectable. The sides should be mostly shaved. Add stubble on the face.
8. Long Vintage Layers
Go vintage to create a talking point around your hairstyle. Add layers for thickness and fluff out the ends for volume. Sweep most of the hair back so it all gathers in one place, making it look more voluminous.
Get the shortest layers at the front of the hair. Then, let it fall gently over the ears to help frame your face a little.
9. Side-Swept Spikes
Put a little bit of styling product in your hair and then use a comb to pull your hair up into spikes. Draw your comb to the side to give a side-swept look. This gives thin hair the appearance of extra volume.
10. Thin Curtains
Tapered curtains actually look much better on thin hair than on thicker hair. These curtains look stylish rather than looking like a throwback to a 90s boy band!
11. Forward-Swept Textured Crop
Keep your hair a little longer on the top than on the undersides. Put lots of holding gel into your hair and then use your comb to sweep your hair across to one side with the tips angled forward.
12. Mid-Length Spikes
Spikes like this can help to add volume to thin hair. First, you need to apply a little holding gel to your hair. Start from the base of your hair and draw your comb quickly upwards to create spikes with subtle definition.
13. Wavy Side Fringe over One Eye
You can create a thick fringe even if the rest of your hair is thin. Front loading your hair over parts of your face like this can actually help to make the rest of your hair look thicker.
14. Volume from the Roots
Pulling your hair upwards from the roots gives the impression of more volume. Run your fingers upwards through your hair the day after you wash it to get volume without having to use any sort of gel or artificial holding product.
15. Layered Crop with Flipped Side Bangs
Subtle hairstyles are great for the office and for casual events. Use your fingers to pull your hair upwards into a small subtle flick. Use your fingers to lightly tousle the rest of your hair.
16. Military Buzz Cut
Long military buzzcut is a great choice for thin hair. A longer buzzcut is much softer than a severe, skin-length one.
17. Rollover
Give your hair upwards volume by rolling it over from the roots. Create this effect by using a barrel brush while you are drying it.
18. Textured Crop with Wispy Bangs
A style with forward bangs can help to give you a brooding and mysterious look. Comb your hair forwards and down over your forehead to create a fuller-looking finish.
19. Short Crew Cut with a Lifted Front
Use your finger and thumb to tease a small section of your hair up into a subtle flick at the front of your head.
20. Sleek Side Part with a High Fade
This hairstyle has a slightly vintage charm to it. Straight, sleek hair like this also looks great with a side parting.
21. Curled Fringe with Full Beard
To make the biggest impression with your curly quiff fringe, keep the rest of the hair on your head short so that it does not have the opportunity to curl over.
22. Man Bob
“If you have longer hair, try out a men’s bob similar to this one. Give your haircut an extra cool, modern look by pairing the chin-length cut with soft curtain bangs to frame your face.
23. Shoulder-Length Hair with a Side Part
If you have long, thin hair in a straight style, you need to make sure that you wash it regularly. Leaving your hair too long between washes can lead to it looking lank and greasy.
24. Asymmetrical Hairline
If you have an asymmetrical hairline, you can integrate this into your style. Sweep your hair in the opposite direction to the highest point in your hairline.
25. Messy Mod Cut
Growing your hair evenly down around your ears and around the back of your head will give it a full and thick look. Dishevel your hair a bit to give the style a slightly more modern twist.
26. Choppy Shag with Side Bangs
Having your hair cut into a choppy style will give you lots of different options with your styling and can help to give thin hair the illusion of extra volume.
27. Floppy Bangs
Floppy bangs are a great choice for people with thin hair. Either get thicker bangs by leaving them to fall naturally or use products to help you to style them so that they flop in a way that you want.
28. Rolled Quiff
Style the back portion of your hair as you normally would, but leave a small section at the front free. Use a little styling gel and a pocket comb to roll the front round into a stylish quiff.
29. Swirled
Use a fine tooth comb and styling gel to create a gently swirled pattern in your hair. This style works much better with thin hair than it does with thicker hair.
30. Sleek Shoulder-Length Hair with a Middle Part
You can still have a long hairstyle if you have thin hair. Straight and sleek hair is very eye-catching on a man.
31. Slicked Down
Use a little gel to slick your hair down so that there is never a hair out-of-place. Comb it gently to create a perfectly groomed look.
32. Choppy Mullet
Leave your hair longest at the back. Cut the rest of your hair in choppy segments at various lengths for a very rock and roll style. The mullet leaves short, jagged bangs across the forehead, with longer wisps showing just below the ears.
33. Brushed-Back Waves
Loose waves give this style lift at the front. Keep your hair relatively short and brush it back to show off the loose waves.
34. Buzz Cut with a Temple Taper
Buzz cut is a plain but classic haircut for men with thin hair, which gives you a whole new look while being low maintenance. Top hair cut short to the scalp with a neat frontline doesn’t put you in a lot of mess. Adding temple fade to the sides looks majestic.
35. Blonde Waves with Trimmed Sides
Having thin hair can sometimes lower your self-confidence, but not if you go with this high raised hairstyle. Use some pomade to raise your top blonde hair high at the front and then slightly to curve lower at the back. Add a subtle trim to the dark hair on the sides for a beautiful contrast.
36. Raised Hair with Shaved Sides and Line Design
Receding hairline problem doesn’t seem that much of a problem when you get a hairstyle for men with thin hair. For this look, raise your short hair into tiny spikes all over your head. Shave the sides and add a line design to sum up the style.
37. Crew Cut with Assorted Fade
Crew cut becomes everyone’s go-to look when they can’t handle the burden of long hair anymore. Cut your top hair short and work your fingers through them to give them some texture.
Shave the side hair completely to the skin and neatly trim the back hair. The curve between the two fades gives them the assorted fade look.
38. Cornrow Braids with Fade
For a trendy but classic look, go with men cornrows. Weave all of your top hair into thin cornrows which ultimately connect at the back. Add a high fade towards the sides.
39. Pompadour with Shaved Sides
Pompadour is a style as elegant as anything. For this hairstyle, raise your hair and then slick them back with a slight tilt. Shave the side hair completely to the skin for more style.
40. Curly Bangs with a High Fade
Who hates curly hair? Absolutely no one. So, if you have curly hair, consider it a blessing and go for cute curly bangs. Bring your curly hair to the front and cut them into bangs. Add a high fade and go out with style.
41. Spikes with Line Design and Low Fade
If you are a fan of spiked hair, then you better get your short fine hair raised into spikes instantly. This haircut for thin-haired men when combined with a low fade and a line design will give you a super trendy look that no one will be able to resist.
42. Crew Cut with Shaved Sides
The crew cut is a low maintenance haircut which doesn’t require a lot of styling products either. Cut your top hair short for a neat look and shave the hair towards the sides completely to the skin. No one can stop you now.
43. Uneven Forward Fringe
For a super edgy look, go against all norms and cut your forward fringe in an unequal manner. Include a low temple fade, and you have become everyone’s style inspiration already!
44. Azure Blue Raised Hair
Azure blue is a unique and magnificent color for a different look. Ask your stylist to dye your hair an azure blue. Use some pomade to raise your top hair, cut the hair towards the side and back relatively short and you have achieved the look of the year!
45. Tousled Wispy Bangs
If your lifestyle is all about aesthetics, then it is time to make your hairstyle an actual part of your lifestyle too. Grow your thin hair to a reasonable length and let them go absolutely wild. Bring some of the hair forward for a rough wispy bangs look. Mission aesthetics successful!
Men with thin hair have hundreds of different options available to them. Some people worry about styling their hair once it starts to thin out a bit, but this gallery shows that men don’t need to worry at all! There are plenty of things that you can do to maximize your style, and even to make your hair look thicker if you want it to.
One more thing before you settle on a cut. A lot of these styles spend hours under a beanie, a work cap, or a bike or motorcycle helmet, and thin hair shows the effects of that faster than thick hair does. It is the rubbing at the hairline and the pressure of a snug band that cause trouble, not the covering itself, so fit and fabric matter far more than how often you wear one.
“I recommend a comfortable fit, avoiding painful pressure or tight hairstyles underneath, and changing the routine if you notice scalp irritation, tenderness, or hairline thinning.” Dr. Sanober adds.
