Flatter Yourself: The Best Hairstyles for Men With Thin Hair
Because real men never go down without a fight.
In a perfect world, we’d all have a gloriously full, thick head of hair until we die. Alas, aging is a reality for everyone, and for a lot, that unfortunately comes with hair loss. Looking for the best hairstyles for men with thin hair is a more challenging process, as new issues now come to the fore, such as receding hairlines and all-over thinning strands.
What used to be a thoughtless process of just copying the hairstyle of your fave celebrity now becomes a bigger deal.
Worry not: We’ve rounded up some of the most flattering hairstyles that perfectly address each of your hair-thinning issues. We even suggest some styles that enhance your work because a real man goes down fighting! Read on:
The Best Hairstyles for Men With Thin Hair
Issue: Widening forehead, allover thinning
Best haircut: Scissored short crop
Scissors cut hair at the thickest part of the hair shaft, giving the appearance of fullness to thinning strands. A clean cut with some soft volume at the top—keep the length around 2 to 3 inches at the hairline—softens your forehead and crown area.
To style: Rub a finger-swipe of soft styling cream, such as Axe Natural Look: Understated Cream, all over the hair. Comb or finger-groom the top to whichever side you part, and mat down the back and sides with any leftover product to keep the look neat.
Issue: Devil’s horns, receding hairline
Best haircut: High and tight fade, side comb-over
Oh, those dreaded devil’s horns—that gradual recession that starts near the temples can sneak up like that. The best way to deal with them is to ask your barber for a high and tight fade that starts where the base of the horns starts, a.k.a. right at your temples. This gives the illusion of a straighter hairline across your forehead (no telltale, weird-looking swoops) and makes the hair at the top and crown seem fuller. Bonus: One of the best hairstyles for men with thin hair, this is probably the simplest hairstyle you will ever have to maintain, next to shaving it all off.
To style: A dime-sized amount of wax such as Bed Head for Men by TIGI Pure Texture Molding Paste mussed all over the top gives a sexy, quiff-like look for the day. For a more formal or professional look, use some gel, such as Bed Head for Men by TIGI Power Play, and do a side-parted comb over instead.
Issue: Curly and receding
Best haircut: Textured taper
So not only is your hair thinning, you also have texture to deal with. Good news: All that extra fluff can work to your advantage. Ask your barber for a high fade that starts tapering immediately at the temples, but leave around 3/8” to ¼” on the sides and back—no white walling. This hot, fullness-enhancing look is great for men who want to enhance their natural texture as they grow older. Awesome when paired with some sideburns and a groomed beard, if you can grow those in.
To style: Rough, dry damp hair with a blow dryer for a few minutes and rake through some light styling cream, such as Axe Natural Look: Softening Cream, for tousled control that can also be restyled throughout the day.
Issue: Thinning crown, bald spot
Best haircut: Slicked-back undercut
If you’re at the onset of crown baldness, nip it in the bud by immediately sporting a cut that takes advantage of the longer hair you still have at your hairline. Those cool-kid undercuts you’ve been seeing on baristas everywhere actually work to cleverly cover that shines on your crown and even provide some styling options as well. Ask your barber for a classic men’s undercut but with a tighter, more gradual fade on the sides instead of a full disconnect. The top of the hair should be around 4 to 6 inches long to be slicked back (go shorter if you’d like to comb it back at a slight angle instead). Match with some facial hair—keep it trimmed, gents—and style with a tiny drop of high-shine pomade such as Dove Men+Care Defining Pomade for a dapper feel.
To style: Rub a dime-sized amount of non-greasy shine pomade onto palms and distribute from the root to tip. Comb hair back from the hairline or to an angle, carefully leaving a bit of lift at the crown.
What do you think are the best hairstyles for men with thin hair?
