A crew cut is one of the most popular hairstyles among young men. However, as time passes, older men take advantage of this haircut as well. The main requirement for a crew cut is at least a couple of inches of hair on top.
Because the sides are not standard, you can do whatever you want with them, including shaving them off to create a crew-cut mohawk.
What is a Crew Cut?
When you ask your barber for a crew cut, he or she will focus on the way the top part of your hair is cut. It will be the longest in the front and gradually get shorter toward the back.
You’ll get high hair in front to create spikes, a pompadour, or whatever else you can come up with. The sides are usually clipped with a trimmer, and the hair is all the same length, but significantly shorter than the top.
Most Popular Crew Cuts for Men
What is a Tapered Cut?
If you ask your stylist for a tapered cut, she or he will focus on the way the sides are styled. The hair on the sides will be faded from top to bottom. Depending on your wishes, you can get a high, medium, or low taper.
The level at which the hair is shaved, or at which it is left almost completely uncut, makes a difference. Most of the time, men who get taper fades, ask for short hair on top, since they are trying to save themselves some hassle. A short and high taper is the ideal worry-free hairstyle.
High and Low Taper Fade Styles for Men
Tapered Cut + Crew Cut = Tapered Crew Cut
If you are not afraid of a little hassle, you can try something called a “tapered crew cut.” This means styling the top as you would in a crew cut and styling the sides as you would in a taper fade.
A tapered crew cut is the best option for men who like small and harmless hair experiments. Remember, the longer the hair on the top of your head is, the more hairstyles you can come up with.
A tapered crew cut looks very stylish, especially if you are ready to do a few tricks with the top part. Before saying the magic words to your hairdresser, you can take a look at the below 15 cool and simple tapered crew cut styles. You can decide if you like this style by looking at these more or less traditional options.
1. Fluffy Tapered Crew Cut
When you opt to keep the top of your tapered crew cut pretty short, there isn’t a lot of styling that you can do. Create a fluffy texture towards the back so your hair doesn’t lay too flat. It’ll add some volume and personality to your overall style.
2. Tall Grey Bristles
Going grey? No problem. Embrace that color by styling your long bristles tall. It’s an easy style to achieve every day with your fingers and a little soft hold styling cream or gel. Opt to keep the sides a little longer than your average tapered cut. This will let you go longer between haircuts.
3. Bristly Crew Cut for Thin Hair
A crew cut with a bristly texture may be just what you need if your hair is thin or sparse. The way the hair stands up will disguise the thinner areas. Keeping the hair tapered and short on the sides will ensure people don’t notice the thin, fine strands either.
4. Blonde with Gradient Taper
marcakamr13/Instagram
Getting a taper so precise that it looks like a gradient will make you look so clean-cut and impressive. A blonde hair color paired with dark facial hair creates contrast that makes you look interesting and will have everyone looking at you twice each time you walk by.
5. Tall Front Spikes
anson.9821/Instagram
So far, we’ve seen mostly shorter styles. Here the hair is much longer and is styled towards the front in spikes. The hair is brushed forward from the crown and at the crown it gets shorter towards the back. The tapered sides have a very nice gradient.
6. Hard Side Part
daniel.hoffman/Instagram
Want a sharp look? Get a hard side part with the hair on top neatly styled to each side of your head. The tapered side sections should have a lot of contrast that create a masculine, handsome look. A high bald fade requires less maintenance.
7. Flat Top
theoutro_lobo/Instagram
Having the hair on top very flat and an even length will give you a masculine, rugged look. People won’t be able to tell why you look so appealing. Opt for a gentle curved shape at the highest point of the fade. Then, let the gradient of the fade be straight like the flat top of your hair.
8. Slicked Back
edisonchu7/Instagram
Longer tapered crew cuts can have the hair on top slicked back for a style that makes you look like a true gentleman. If you’re a more mature guy, then let your grey hair start to grow out. That’s very on-trend right now.
9. Black and Blonde Mini Quiff
chamberbarbershopseoul/Instagram
Guys with natural dark hair should add some blonde to create immediate contrast in their look. A small quiff at the hairline with a slightly wet look will show that you care about your appearance.
10. Long Hard Part Slicked Look
anson.9821/Instagram
Many guys get a very short hard part, but here it goes all the way along the head. The hair is slicked to the side neatly to create a dapper and gentlemanly look in natural grey.
11. Low tapered crew cut
As you can see, the hair on top is kept rather long to give you some room for imagination. You can create various hairstyles with the top part of this tapered crew cut without worrying about the sides.
The hair on the sides is neatly styled into a low fade. The shaved part starts about an inch above your ears. This is a great choice for men with thick hair since they can achieve a spikey style without too much effort.
12. A neat scissor taper
Most of the time, a taper fade is done with the help of trimmers and a razor. Only the best hairstylists can create a scissor taper. This is exactly what you should ask for if you want a low-maintenance style that looks fashionable.
The hair on top is kept short in the back and a little longer in front to create a neat pompadour. Because it is kept in check, this hairstyle is appropriate for men with thick, curly, or wavy hair.
13. Stylish drop fade crew cut
When you want your hair to look impressive, you should combine several popular hairstyles. This one is a combination of a taper, a drop fade, and a crew cut. The sides are tapered, while the back is left a little longer.
The hair on top is about 2 inches long in front and about 1 inch long in the back. Such a hairstyle makes a great impression while keeping maintenance to a minimum.
You can always spike up the small pompadour with a drop of hair gel.
14. High tapered crew cut
The higher you ask your hairstylist to make your new tapered crew cut, the shorter you can leave the hair on top. Why?
The secret lies in the contrast. The shorter you make the sides, the more prominent the top part will look. This very high taper crew cut is a great example. The hair on top is about 1–2 inches long but looks voluminous and effective. Consider spiking it slightly up or combing it over to one side.
15. Medium tapered crew cut
A medium tapered crew cut is a wonderful choice for men who like neat hairstyles. The shaved layer starts about two inches above your ears. The hair on the sides is slightly tapered, and the top stays rather long. If you leave the hair on top long enough, you can practice creating a fashionable comb over like you see in the photo.
Whenever you are tired of spikes, crests, and other modern hair tricks, an elegant comb over is always ready to save the day. This medium tapered crew cut is suitable for men with all hair types.
Taper Fade Plus Mohawk Hairstyles
See how to give a simple short crew cut
A tapered crew cut is a great choice for men of all ages and with all hair types. Make sure you know how to explain exactly what you want to the stylist. These examples are the most popular and usable ones out there. But you can come up with your own variations or ask the hairdresser to wield his or her imagination. Good luck!