Hairstyles for balding men can be a sensitive subject for guys experiencing hair loss. But as Hollywood stylists have shown, you don’t have to pick a shaved head or bald haircut to make your thinning hair work for you. The best haircuts for balding men cut and style your thinning hair and receding hairline to create a trendy look while covering up bald spots. Whether you’re balding at the hairline or crown and have short or long hair, there are a number of good hairstyles for male pattern baldness.
With a fade haircut on the sides and back coupled with a crew cut, buzz cut, slick back, comb over, spikes, and pompadour on top, guys have many cool short and long haircuts to choose from. If you’re going bald, losing hair, or simply have a receding hairline and want to bald gracefully, check out the best hairstyles for balding men!
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Short Hairstyles
Short haircuts are the traditional look for balding men. Short hair on top with a fade on the sides and back minimizes the contrast and takes the attention away from bald spots. Similarly, guys with thinning hair on the crown, a widow’s peak, or a receding hairline can get very short hairstyles to make the balding hair part of their look.
Young men who can pull off edgy modern haircuts will want to ask their barber for a high skin fade and a buzz cut or crew cut on top. Even a short comb over fade with a side swept front or slicked back undercut can look nice.
To maximize coverage, volume and texture, use a matte pomade or wax and style the short hair messy. Avoid gels that clump hair together.
Older men may not be able to get very short bald fade cuts that blend into the skin and expose the scalp. Good haircuts for older balding men include a high taper fade on the sides for a classic look. The styling on top can be brushed back, parted to the side, or styled messy and textured.
Long Hairstyles
Bald men with long hair may prefer to find longer hairstyles to try. While it may seem counter-intuitive, hiding bald spots with long hair is actually harder unless you also have thick hair.
In fact, guys with thinning hair can exacerbate the issue and make it more obvious that they are trying to cover up certain areas. For this reason, we highly recommend a medium to longer hairstyle on top with short sides.
For instance, men with widow’s peaks or receding hairlines can get shaved or faded sides. A high fade can blend the hair for a gradual transition. Long haircuts for balding men include the pompadour, slick back, comb over, modern quiff and messy mop top. Textured styling with wax or clay can give your hair a thicker, fuller look.
Buzz Cut
The buzz cut is a simple and easy men’s hairstyle that looks great on guys who are balding, have thinning hair around the crown, or a receding hairline. This very short haircut will focus attention back to your face and is especially ideal if you have a masculine face shape.
While there are different types of buzz cuts you can get, men can generally cut their own hair at home. Using professional hair clippers, apply a number 2, 3 or 4 guard size and buzz your entire head one length. One variation of a buzzed hairstyle is the high and tight fade, where the short hair on top is complemented by faded sides.
If you want low-maintenance haircut styles for balding hair that are effortless and require no styling, you’ll appreciate the buzz cut.
Crew Cut
The crew cut continues to be one of the most popular hairstyles for men, whether they are balding or not. Like the buzz cut but longer, the crew cut is versatile and manly. With more length on top and a taper fade haircut on the sides, the crew cut allows for styling options.
Men can brush the hair forward to cover up a widow’s peak and style a textured crop or sweep the hair in front to the side for a classy finish. Apply a matte wax styling product to thicken your hair for a fuller texture.
Comb Over
The comb over is an excellent hairstyle for thinning hair. When cut and styled properly, the modern comb over fade can do a great job of incorporating your receding hairline or widow’s peak into your hairstyle.
With medium to long hair on top and a fade haircut, combing your hair to one side can give the illusion of more volume.
When styling a comb over, the goal is to use a small amount of light product, comb your hair back and to one side, and not make it obvious you are trying to hide bald spots. The brushed hair should be subtle and airy, not flat with thick clumps. Use a wide-tooth comb with a light touch.
Textured French Crop
The textured crop top hairstyle is a trendy look where you style your hair forward. With a skin fade or undercut on the sides, short haircut on top and some extra length in the front, styling a French crop will actually hide your receding hair.
Use a medium-hold pomade, wax or clay with low to no shine for a textured finish that works well with the thinning hair on your crown. Lightly comb your hair towards your face and leave the top messy while the front hangs over your forehead. Guys with longer hair in the front can even style a fringe to hide balding areas.
Slicked Back Hair
Balding men love slicked back hair. As a balance between classy and cool, slicked back hairstyles draw attention away from your receding hairline or bald spots and focus it back on your sleek look.
Depending on your level of baldness, you can style a short or long slick back. For deeply receding hair, we recommend keeping things short. Start with a high fade or undercut on the sides to limit contrast and make the thin hair on top look thicker.
After applying some men’s hair product, slick your hair towards the back of your head with a brush or comb. As you comb back, make sure to lift to add volume.
Fringe
The fringe could be the perfect haircut for balding guys who want to conceal a bad hairline. Short sides and short hair on top with longer bangs, fringe hairstyles are achieved by combing your hair towards the front and letting it partially cover your forehead.
You can ask your barber for a short or long fringe and sweep it to one side for an angular styling. The rest of your hair, especially around your crown if you have thin hair, should be tousled to avoid exposing the scalp.
Faux Hawk
The faux hawk is a badass, edgy haircut that will definitely keep people engaged with how you styled your hair and not any male pattern baldness. Spiked up and bold, the faux hawk fade requires you to push your hair towards the middle of your head.
While your hairline may be more exposed here, the fohawk plays into your hair loss and makes it part of the style. Keep the top short to medium-length, and use a strong pomade for styling.
Side Part
The side part has been known for generations as the gentleman’s hairstyle. Like a comb over but with a defined part, the side part haircut is neat, sophisticated, and stylish.
Some guys may be concerned about parting their hair and highlighting a bald spot on one side, but you can ask your barber to cut a very high skin fade on the sides to better blend the transition.
Pompadour
The pompadour has traditionally been a medium-length hairstyle with a poof in the front. To work with thinning or balding hair, guys will need to style a short pomp.
With short hair on the sides and 2 to 3 inches of length on top, you’ll want to brush your hair up and back.
A soft touch with a blow dryer can also add volume and flow for men dealing with hair loss.
Quiff
The quiff haircut looks great on guys with short to medium hair who want a casual yet fashionable style. The modern quiff is often paired with a fade on the sides.
Styling requires a light hair cream or mousse, and generally styles best when you run your fingers through your hair for a relaxed finish.
Spiky Hair
Spiky hair is one of the best hairstyles for a balding head. For starters, you’ll want short spiky hair that is short in the back and longer in the front. Spikes can be flattering when styled messy with a matte product. Avoid the bad 90’s spiky hairstyles by not using shiny, sticky gel.
The textured haircut styles will give your spikes a thicker appearance, while the messy finish will cover more surface area on your head. Furthermore, guys can spike the hair on the sides forward to hide bald spots along the hairline.
High and Tight
The high and tight is a simple, military-inspired haircut that will hide your hair loss and thinning hair. Functional and easy to get, the high and tight fade is similar to the buzz and crew cut, except it isn’t one-length all around.
The high and tight starts with a high fade on the sides with a very short haircut on top. Cropped and faded, it’s one of the best haircuts for a balding crown, receding hairline or guys with fine hair. While you don’t need to style a high and tight fade hairstyle, a little product can add texture for a natural but fuller finish.
Bald Head
If you’re bald on top with hair on the sides, we highly recommend you simply shave your head. A bald head can be sexy and masculine, especially since women starting loving bald men with beards.
Use balding clippers and trim your hair very short before shaving it all off with a top-rated razor.
Best Products For Thinning Hair
The best products for thinning hair can improve the health of your scalp, promote growth and potentially slow hair loss. There are even hair thickening products that will give your strands a fuller look, which can be especially helpful when you want to style the most popular hairstyles. The trick is finding good hair growth products that actually work without wasting time and money on false promises and marketing gimmicks.
If you’re not ready to try Propecia (finasteride) and Rogaine (minoxidil) because of their side effects, then here are the best hair thickening products for men with thin hair.
Shampoo
The best hair shampoo for thinning hair comes from Ultrax Labs Hair Surge. Rated as the top shampoo for hair regrowth stimulation, this hair loss shampoo is formulated with caffeine, ketoconazole, and saw palmetto. Proven to stimulate hair growth and backed by a money-back guarantee, it’s worth investing in a bottle.
- TOP RATED 2019 SHAMPOO FOR HAIR REGROWTH...
- Contains highly effective CaffinoPlex blend...
- Contains powerful caffeine compounds which have...
For a cheaper option with great results that also prevents dandruff, you’ll want to consider Nizoral A-D Anti-Dandruff Shampoo.
- CLINICALLY PROVEN: Dandruff stays off your head &...
- KETOCONAZOLE: This dandruff relief shampoo is made...
- ITCHY SCALP: Dandruff is caused when scalp-cells...
We also recommend supplementing your hair care routine with a biotin shampoo. Shown to prevent hair loss by strengthening and thickening hair, biotin can be a good natural treatment for thinning hair.
- BIOTIN FOR HAIR GROWTH this is a thickening...
- HAIR FOLLICLE STIMULATOR our hair growth shampoo...
- NATURAL HAIR VOLUMIZER hair thinning can cause...
Styling Products
The best styling products for thinning hair generally result in a naturally textured finish. Because matte products make hair look thicker, most men choose to style their hair with a no shine pomade, gel, wax, clay, or cream. However, because of the ingredients used to make them, styling with light to medium-hold waxes and clays maximize the effect.
To get all the coolest men’s hairstyles right now, try styling products like Baxter of California’s Clay Pomade, TIGI Bed Head’s Wax, Layrite’s Natural Matte Cream, Smooth Viking’s Styling Clay, and Suavecito’s Matte Pomade.