What Is A Fade Haircut? All You Need To Know About Fades
Originally worn in the 40s and 50s in the US military, and continued in black and hispanic barbershops, the fade really got elevated into "popular culture" in the 90s with people like Will Smith in the Fresh Prince of Bel Air.
The fade haircut would have previously been seen as an edgier hairstyle that may not have been accepted in the workplace, but with the resurgence of the fade in the last few years has come a great acceptance for rocking these sort of styles.
And with that it wasn't until the last few years the fade haircut has taken a huge leap into all hair types with more and more gents looking to rock it combined with almost any hairstyle imaginable.
Tapers, skin fades, low, medium & high fades are all types of fade haircut and it's easy to get confused by what they are and how to ask for them.
So here's our guide to what a fade haircut is and all you need to know about them, plus some fade haircut inspiration.
Haircut by @tuckercuts
Jump to the content:
What Are The Different Types Of Fade Haircut
5. What Is A Skin Fade / Bald Fade?
How To Ask Your Barber For A Fade Haircut?
What Is a Fade Haircut?
A fade essentially means a transition of lengths and colour on the back & sides of the hair. This means that the hair is not all buzzed to one length and has some sort of variation of lengths blended in together.
The level of the fade - taper, low, mid or high is defined by how high the shortest part of the hair goes up the head and starts to transition into another longer length.
What Are The Different Types Of Fade Haircut?
A fade can essentially be split up into 4 key categories based on how high the fade goes up the head.
Taper vs Low vs Mid vs High Fade
1. Taper fade
We've seen a lot of definitions of taper vs fade, but the way we see most barbers describe a taper is when it's a fade around the neckline or sideburns. This should be a small subtle fade that is the lowest and least harsh of all of the fade types. It is often worn to fade out a beard into the hairline or with longer hair on the sides to add something different!
Haircuts by Top left: @nickbarford Top right: @drewrys_ Bottom left: @nickbarford Bottom right: @nickbarford
2. Low fade
Next up in terms of height on the side of the head is the low fade. Let's use a skin fade haircut as an example - if you went down to skin, then the skin would be kept very low and the fade into longer length would start around a third of the way up your head. This is great for those gents that don't want a harsh haircut, but who still want to add some transition to the back & sides.
Haircuts by Top left: @jakelansley_jbs Top right: @nickbarford Bottom left: @tuckercuts Bottom right: @zeke_the_barber
3. Mid fade
As with all of these it's pretty self explanatory. The fade will start around half way up the head and somewhere between a third to two thirds of the side of the head. This will often be just above eyebrow height and can frame the eyes nicely. It's also around the maximum height you want to go if you have a longer head, as a high fade can make the head appear even longer.
Haircuts by Top left: @anthonythebarber916 Top right: @nickbarford Bottom left: @zeke_the_barber Bottom right: @patty_cuts
4. High fade
You guessed it, the highest of all of the fades! The high fade will start anywhere in the final third or so of the head and is the harshest of the four fades. When worn high and tight the high fade can almost reach the crown before transitioning into longer lengths, which makes it a lot more harsh.
Haircuts by Top left: @hayden_cassidy Top right: @nickbarford Bottom left: @nomadbarberldn Bottom right: @hayden_cassidy
What Is A Skin Fade (Or Bald Fade) Haircut?
When talking about the fade, the skin fade haircut is often mentioned. A skin fade once again does what it says on the tin. It means that the side of the hair is taken down to the skin to bald. This is normally done with a foil shaver (or even sometimes a straight razor) as opposed to a clipper to really get that ultra close shave. A skin fade haircut though can still be split up into the four categories above, so it's up to you and your barber whether you go for a taper, low, mid or high skin fade.
Not all fades are skin fades though - a fade is just transitioning from one hair length to another so it does not mean that you have to go down to skin to have a fade. A lot of people won't want to go down to a 0 so you can still ask for any guard length fade. The skin fade is the most defined fade however as it's very clear to see hair going from bald to say a 0.5 into a 2 at the top of the sides. Whereas when you start at a number 2 and work into a 3 it may not be as clear and obvious, depending on the colour and thickness of your hair.
Haircut by @patty_cuts
How To Ask For A Fade Haircut?
To ask your barber for a fade haircut you'll really want to know 4 things -
1) How high do you want to go with the fade? Low, mid, high or taper. Talk to your barber to see what they think for your face shape, the style you're going for and your lifestyle. Different fade heights will work with different face shapes and different styles too.
2) What do you want to go for on top? The fade just defines the style of the back and sides, it's not a style on its own. Figure out which style you want on top too (there's some inspiration down below).
3) How short do you want to go? A fade again just defines the style. It's not a length on it's own. You'll want to know how short you want to go with the fade just like any other haircut - skin fade (completely bald), 0, 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3?
If you're not sure start with a say a number 2 to be safe and ask your barber to work down if you want it shorter. It's better to start longer than go too short and not like it. Tell your barber beforehand though that you're not sure how short you want to go, then they can do a test area on your head so you can see. The last thing you want is to waste your barbers time, they finish the fade and you say "can we go shorter actually".
4) Take a picture. If this all sounds too much then just find a picture of what you want. By far the easiest way to get what you want and not worry about any of this is to show a picture or even better a few different pictures. This makes sure you and your barber are on the same page, rather than asking for a high skin fade and not really knowing what this is or what it will look like.
Now you know what the different levels of fade are and exactly how to ask for a fade haircut, here's some inspiration for popular haircuts that work great with a fade.
Fade Haircut Inspiration
Crop Haircut With Fade
Haircuts top left to bottom right: @hayden_cassidy, @hayden_cassidy, @poz.does.trims, @hayden_cassidy
Wear the crop with a longer fringe or a shorter fringe, mainly dependent on your face shape and where your hairline sits. Get your barber to add loads of texture thoughout for the textured look.
This haircut will often be seen paired with a low to mid skin fade. To style use the Regal Gentleman Matte Clay for a natural finish that shows off the texture in the haircut.
Matte Clay - Regal Gentleman
Pompadour Fade Haircut
Haircuts top left to bottom right: @blackfishbry, @blackfishbry, @nickbarford, @blackfishbry
The pompadour fade is a great one for those that want to leave quite a bit of length on top but like to keep the back and sides short. This will often be seen worn with taper, low and mid fades rather than anything too dramatic and high. Being a classic style with lots of length on top, you probably don't want to go too harsh with this one. And you may also want to leave it with a longer length fade as opposed to going down to skin. To style use a paste like the Regal Gentleman Texture Paste.
Buzz Cut Fade Haircut
Haircuts top left to bottom right: @mtominay, @hayden_cassidy, @nomadbarberldn, @jakelansley_jbs
The modern day buzz cut is often worn with a fade on the back and sides and a slightly longer length on top as opposed to the more traditional one length all over. This adds an element of style to the cut to show that you have visited a barber and not done it yourself at home. The fade will normally be worn quite high in a mid to high fade and will commonly be seen with an ultra short skin or #0 fade on the back and sides, with anywhere from a #1 to a #5 on top. This will need no styling at all, just get up and go!
Side Parting Fade Haircut
Haircuts top left to bottom right: @blackfishbry, @blackfishbry, @domthebarberian, @blackfishbry
The side parting is a classic that most gents have experimented with. For a softer look wear with a low to mid fade, but if you want something a little harsher then it can easily be paired with a high skin fade too. This is a versatile haircut that can be worn with any length on the back and sides. To style use a medium to high shine pomade like the Regal Gentleman Pomade.
Quiff Fade Haircut
Haircuts top left to bottom right: @tombaxter_hair, @alan_beak, @domthebarberian, @toastiestyles
The quiff can be worn at almost any length you like, we've seen a lot of shorter length textured quiffs being worn over the last 6 months, but the more classic quiff is a longer medium length style. The most important part of this cut will be to leave more length in the front and add texture throughout for a messier look.
The shorter and more textured you go on top the higher up you can probably go with the fade, and if you leave more length on top then you probably want to look for low to mid fades. To style use the Regal Gentleman Matte Clay for a matte finish with a strong but reworkable hold, perfect for the textured quiff.
Faded Undercut
Haircuts top left to bottom right: @daniellebarr_3, @tuckercuts, @ruffians, @ruffians
The modern version of the undercut is the faded undercut, not leaving the hair as heavily disconnected as it has been in the past. The faded undercut will probably be seen most often with slightly higher fades, mid to high. How you style will all depend on how much shine you like to your hair, but for a more versatile look use a paste like the Regal Gentleman Texture Paste.
Curly Undercut Fade
Haircuts top left to bottom right: @hayden_cassidy, @bentham_barbers, @handsome_._ransom, @cutsandbruisesbarbershop
Exactly the same as the faded undercut but this one is for the curly haired gents. The hair will often be worn down almost into a fringe and the sides taken to around a mid fade. To style use a salt spray like the Regal Gentleman Salt Spray in damp hair and then finish with a leave in conditioner or a product that locks in moisture to protect your curls.
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