Meet the workhorse of men’s hairstyles. This is the foundation from which all other styles can be built. Hairstyles for taper hair Can be classic yet cutting-edge at the same time. They’re versatile. They are more durable than the most heavily clipped styles. And if our word isn’t good enough (come now…), take it from Messrs Beckham, Gosling or Timberlake. All of them love a taper cut.
“It’s a feature of every good haircut,” agrees Dan Glass, senior barber at Murdock London. Just don’t mistake it for a fade. “A fade is a haircut where the back and sides are faded from the temple downwards, to a length anywhere below a grade two. A taper haircut is shortening the length of the hair roughly a centimetre above the ear, around to the nape of your neck.” If it’s shorter at the bottom than the top, it’s a taper haircut.
The great thing about tapers is that they can be as safe – or as extreme – as you want them to be. If you’ve got thick or wavy hair, they’re great for removing weight and you’re making your mane more manageable. If you’ve got a face the shape of a football, they add length, lending you some much-needed definition. “Your barber is likely to always finish your haircut with a taper, unless expressly asked not to,” says Glass.
The only face shape where caution is advised is ‘triangular’. A taper cut will only exaggerate the width of your face at the temples compared to the chin if you have a wide-set face. Everyone else should have this as their default. “It helps make a haircut pop.”
If you want one that’s more pronounced, but don’t fancy anything as extreme as a fade, let your barber know. “State in your consultation that you want the hair nice and sharp around the ears and back of the neck,” says Glass. “Tell them your preferred shortest length of taper too – so not down to the skin – and whether you want a natural or sculpted neckline.”
After that, it’ll look after itself. “Because it’s short, clippered hair, it doesn’t need extra styling.” Just get it tidied up every couple of weeks, so wisps don’t blunt its edge.
What is a taper haircut?
The hair is longer on top and gradually gets shorter on the sides, back and crown as you get closer to the crown.
Taper vs Fade:
If you’re scratching your head, thinking that a taper sounds about the same as a fade, here are some key distinctions that separate the two haircuts:
“It’s a feature of every good haircut,” agrees Dan Glass, senior barber at Murdock London. Just don’t mistake it for a fade. “A fade is a haircut where the back and sides are faded from the temple downwards, to a length anywhere below a grade two. A taper haircut is shortening the length of the hair roughly a centimetre above the ear, around to the nape of your neck.” If it’s shorter at the bottom than the top, it’s a taper haircut.
Fades differ from taper because they start out with no hair, and gradually grow to a shorter length. This is different than a taper which can accommodate long hair as opposed to fading which usually starts from baldness or extremely short hair.
With a fade, you’ll almost always see the scalp at some point, whereas tapers have shorter hair, but nothing as drastic.
Can a taper haircut be worn on all faces?
The only face shape where caution is advised is ‘triangular’. A taper cut will accentuate your widest part of the face, the temples. Everyone else should have this as their default. “It helps make a haircut pop.”
How to Ask for a Barber’s Taper
If you want a taper haircut that’s more pronounced, but don’t fancy anything as extreme as a fade, let your barber know. “State in your consultation that you want the hair nice and sharp around the ears and back of the neck,” says Glass. “Tell them your preferred shortest length of taper too – so not down to the skin – and whether you want a natural or sculpted neckline.” After that, it’ll look after itself. “Because it’s short, clippered hair, it doesn’t need extra styling.” Just get it tidied up every couple of weeks, so wisps don’t blunt its edge.
You can bring pictures of celebrity taperers to your barber. That being said, make sure to work closely with your barber to find a taper that will suit your face shape and style, rather than going after a look that’s impossible to achieve.
The Best Taper haircuts
Since men’s ‘taper haircut’ mainly refers to what’s going on on the back and sides, the term actually refers to a wide range of men’s haircuts. Our roundup of the most popular tapered styles will inspire you to avoid the barnet festival.
1. The No.2 Front and Sides
This is the tapered take on the buzz cut or crew cut – he haircut that won the war. “It’s a clean, sensible staple of men’s haircuts,” says Glass. If your morning grooming ritual is a shower, then this would be the perfect choice. “Ask your barber to finish off by tidying up around the ears and back of the neck.” Complete with a matte hair product, something low-shine and not too strong, like men’s hair mousse, clay, putty or even a non-shine pomade.
Styling
2. The Tapered Pompadour
If you are more of a lead singer or drummer, then a taper is a great way to achieve styles that have a little more volume. For example, the pompadour. “This is the archetypal, ’50s T-bird haircut,” says Glass. Take your taper a few grades down to update it. “Ask your barber to give you a skin taper, blended up to the greater length on the back and sides that help give this haircut its rounded shape.” To finish, use pomade. Use a lot of pomade. Although maybe swerve the Cuban collar shirt trend – the two together is probably overkill.
Styling
3. Scissor Cut with Taper at Mid-length
The taper hairstyle is for men who want to have a style that people will like, but not necessarily comment on. “At around one-to-three inches, it can retain an incredibly masculine shape when completed with a taper,” says Glass. “Without a taper, a scissor cut will be soft and natural around the neckline and the hair will casually hang over the ears. There’s nothing wrong with this, but often men will want longer length on the back and sides without losing the smart, clean finish of clipper work around the ears and back of the neck. Tapering the hair at either grade three or four is the perfect compromise in this situation.”
Styling
4. High Taper with Textured Qiff
You can create a more seamless gradient by starting your taper higher on the head. This will make styles with a lot of top, such as a quiff feel less disjointed. Because there’s a bit more length all the way up it’s also more versatile; you can rework as a parting if you’re not in the mood for height. Sea salt spray gives your hair volume without making it stiff, allowing you to re-zhuzh at will.
Styling
5. Tapered Skin Fade
The beholder decides where a taper begins and ends. If you blur the boundaries, you can have a taper/fade that gives the best of both worlds. “Ask your barber to use either foils or a cut-throat razor to decrease the length of the hair around the ears and neck to take your taper right down to the bone,” says Glass. “This will help your fade look super sharp for just that little bit longer.” A good option if the full fade seems a touch extreme.
Styling
6. Tapered Hard Part
The hardest part of this cut is, in fact, styling it every day – the extreme lopsidedness of hard part styles, with one side long and the other trimmed super-short along a ruler-sharp line, means it’s not one if you like those extra minutes in bed.
“The best hard parts are usually grade 0.5 or one fades, and look even more dapper when finished with a clean skin taper,” says Glass. “Ask your barber specifically for a skin taper whilst keeping the hairline from the ear back to the neck sharply defined.” Keep it in place with gel or pomade.
Styling
7. Tapered Top Knot
We’re still undecided on the man bun; unless you’ve got the cheekbones to pull it off, more often than not it looks more amateur magician than samurai warrior. It can be made more wearable if you taper it down to the neckline. Contrary to a sharp fade the extra length along the sides helps balance the face. This prevents it from appearing top-heavy. Also, you can avoid going to the barbershop so often.
Styling
8. Slicked Back Undercut
Try a slicked-back undercut for one of today’s most edgy taper hairstyles. This style is defined by longer hair at the top and a uniform taper to the sides and back. Use a product with high shine to keep the hair up top in place as you brush towards the back or finger-comb it for extra texture.
9. Wavy Crop with Classic Taper
10. Braided Taper Fade
How to style a taper haircut
The fact that a taper cut can be styled so many different ways is one of the main reasons why men love it.
When styling a taper, you can use a product to style the hair by moving your fingers quickly through the top and to either side. If you have parted your hair, taper haircuts look fantastic. To style them, warm up some matte product and use your fingers to brush the longer hair at the top of your head towards the back.
If you’d prefer a glossy finish to your taper haircut, try a shiny pomade.