Men's Hairstyles

The Complete Guide to Taper Fade Haircuts

Over the century, haircuts have changed massively, with male grooming increasing. Previously we would go to the barbers and spend more time sat in the waiting area to get a number 1 or 2. Nowadays, we spend the majority of the time in the chair getting a form of artwork on our heads from the barber. Modern barbers have more tools than a gardener as we no longer have just a quick shave on our heads, we now have intricate designs to give us a sleek clean look. This article will give you all the information on taper fade haircuts, including why they are so popular today and different styles.

What is a taper fade haircut?

A taper fade haircut, is probably the trendiest haircuts in today’s society for men, as it gives a sophisticated yet stylish look which is ideal for working professionals due to its versatile look. A taper fade haircut is two haircut styles (taper and fade) combined to create one look, using scissors for the taper and clippers for the fade. It is where your hair is long enough on top to brush through and is shorter on the sides which is faded and gradually gets shorter to a skin fade.

The rise of taper fade haircuts…

We often see an outfit we like on television where we want it in our own wardrobes, well haircuts are the same. We see one of our idols having a trendy hairstyle and well quite frankly we want the exact same. For example, the characters in the popular TV show the Peaky Blinders are all sleek with their appearances and have taper fade haircuts, well we want to look like them and have this masculine dapper appearance and with the haircut we can feel like we are a Peaky Blinder. We see actors, singers, our sport star’s heroes setting new hairstyle trends and well quite simply, we don’t want to get left behind so we go to the barbers to get the new trendy haircut.

Types of taper fade styles:

Whilst you may decide you want a taper fade haircut, it is important to make sure you know what style of the haircut you want before running to the barbers. Before going to the barber look at hairstyles online and select a picture of the hairstyle you want and show it to your barber so they know the exact haircut you are after and the fade you want.

Taper Fade Pompadour

The pompadour hairstyle has been around for decades, however, it has only recently become more popular thanks to taper fade hairstyles as it creates a modern look with a twist. The top of your head should always have the most hair as this is where you can style your look and it should be long enough than the sides of you head so you are able to see the contrast. To get the finished pompadour taper fade style, hair products are needed. A vented brush is need to help dry your hair with a hairdryer and to give a sleek look. Styling products such as wax are your best bet to help style it and keep it in place as it creates a masculine yet elegant look, which is ideal for working professionals.

High Taper Fade

High taper fade is the shortest hairstyle fades. The fade is a lot more noticeable as the hair on top is longer than the sides, creating a very modern look due to the fade. This hairstyle is more noticeable when the hair on the top is curly, braided, quiff styled, or spiked hair. This hairstyle tends to be for young men or even trendy hipsters.

Taper Fade and Short Hair

Taper fade is so versatile for all hair lengths; that it even works with short hair. If you have short hair on top, then you will need to have a short fade on the side to make sure people can see the definition of the fade and the taper contrast. It is one of the easiest haircuts to maintain and better yet it is super quick to style, which is the perfect haircut if you do not like to use hair products. Or if you are open to hair products, then a matte clay will do the trick, just rub it through on the top of your head using your hands to get a natural look.

Taper Fade Afro

Afro’s are a popular hairstyle for black hair, however a full afro needs a lot of maintenance, thus comes taper fade afro. Ask the barber for a short neat afro that is short on the sides creating a taper fade look giving you a sleek look. You can also incorporate hair designs into this hairstyle, with a sharp line through the middle of the top and sides to give you an edge.

Taper Fade Slick Back

The taper fade slick back is the epitome of a trendy hipsters. It is the perfect look for people with mid-length and long hair, creating a sleek look but still giving you an edgy look. The top of the hair has to be long enough to be brushed backwards and stay in place. Hair products are recommended for this look as if none are used then the hair on top can drop to the faded sides, which does create a sleek look. To style the hair, a comb is definitely needed to get the slicked back look and products like wax or hairspray are needed to hold it in place.