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10 Best Haircuts And Hairstyles For Balding Men

Man inspecting hair loss in mirror

Losing your hair? Don’t worry! There are many hairstyles for balding men that can improve your confidence and help you bald gracefully.

If you’re like most guys, chances are you will experience some thinning or baldness eventually, assuming you’re not already. In fact about 85% of men will have significant hair loss before the age of 50, with hair loss for some unfortunate men beginning as early as 21.

The onset of balding, thinning hair or a receding hairline is a major bummer for anyone, often inducing feelings of stress, anxiety, panic and depression. After all, a thick head of hair as long been a symbol of physical strength and virility.

Be that as it may, you should handle your hair loss like, well, a man. Accept your baldness! Heck, embrace it! Instead of stressing about the problem, why not focus on a solution?

There is still no cure for baldness, but there certainly are a myriad of hair loss solutions that can help you bald gracefully, ranging from expensive hair transplants to affordable hair fiber products like TooManly FULLER. The simplest but often overlooked option, however, is a suitable hairstyle.

Now, before setting out to find hairstyles for balding men that suit you, it helps to know how bald you are.

Norwood Scale: How Bald Are You?

Norwood Scale for measuring male baldness

The Norwood Scale helps men evaluate the extent of their hair loss to determine the best course of action.

Knowing how bald you are — that is, the extent of your hair loss — can help you to better manage your “condition”, and there is no better measurement tool for that than the Norwood scale.

The Norwood scale uses seven stages to measure the severity of hair loss, illustrating each one in easy-to-follow images.

  • Stage 1: Minor, if any, hair loss or receding hairline.
  • Stage 2: You have a mature hairline, which means it is slightly receding around the temples.
  • Stage 3: First signs of significant balding appear. The hairline is deeply recessed at both temples and resembles an M, U or even V shape.
  • Stage 3 Vertex: A more severe case of Stage 3, plus significant hair loss on the top of the head.
  • Stage 4: More severe receding hairline than Stage 3, sparser hair or no hair on top of the head.
  • Stage 5: The two areas of hair loss (hairline and vertex) are larger than in stage 4, and the band of hair separating them is narrower and sparser.
  • Stage 6: The two balding areas finally join, with the band of hair across the top of the head either sparse or gone.
  • Stage 7: As the most severe stage of hair loss, only a band of hair going around the sides of the head remains.

The Norwood Scale should serve as a reference point to evaluate the extent of your male pattern baldness, assess possible solutions, and measure the effectiveness of your chosen solution.

Bald Gracefully With TooManly FULLER

Using Hair Fibers Before And After

Side by side comparison showing the results of using Too Manly FULLER.

Of all the hair loss solutions currently available to you (not considering wigs), hair building fibers like Too Manly FULLER give you the most immediate results.

Too Manly FULLER doesn’t regrow hair, but it does effectively hide thinning hair and small bald spots by dramatically giving you thicker and fuller hair instantly.

Its hair fibers bind with your existing hair, blending in and staying in place until you wash them out. Moreover, they look like real hair and are so versatile that they can improve the look of many hairstyles for balding men.

See: 8 Reasons Balding Men Should Use Hair Building Fibers

Unlike hair loss treatment options like hair transplants and finasteride (propecia), TooManly FULLER is incredibly affordable, easy to use, and has no side effects.

If you want thicker, fuller hair quickly and easily, hair fiber products should be part of your hair loss management regime.

Top Hairstyles For Balding Men

After determining how bald you are and accepting it as natural and even healthy part of life, your next bet is to manage the hair you have left in a way that makes you look your prime.

Ask any barber or hairdresser and they will tell you that, as a general rule, it’s best to keep your hair short. It might sound counterintuitive, but short hair actually reduces the appearance of balding and gives your hair some lift.

Don’t be one of those desperate guys who tries to hold on to his old styles despite having far less to work with. Our list best hairstyles for balding men will help you manage your hair so that you feel confident and look outstanding for the rest of your life!

1. Clean Shaven (Dwayne Johnson)

Dwayne The Rock Johnson Bald And Happy

Some would argue that Dwayne Johnson looks better with a clean shaven head than he did with a receding hairline.

What better way to start off a list of best hairstyles for balding men than with the tried and tested clean shaven look? The complete bald look has many benefits and is a great option for men in advanced stages of hair loss (Norwood 4 and above).

For starters, you never have to style your hair again, and washing is as easy as putting your head under running water. Shampoo? Who needs it? The same bar of soap you use on your body will suffice.

Shaving your head also makes a statement. It’s you telling the world that you’ve accepted your hair loss and identify with it.

Finally, studies suggest a clean shaven head makes you look more confident and more attractive to women. It can become such a signature look that people can’t help but remember you.

Characters like Dwayne Johnson and even Mr. Clean make a strong and compelling case for the clean shaven head.

2. Buzz Cut (Jason Statham)

Hairstyles For Balding Men Buzz Cut

Jason Statham is a prime example of how a buzz cut can give you a clean, yet edgy look.

Like the clean shaven look, the buzz cut is a great hairstyle for balding men with significant bald spots, offering all of the same benefits. It’s clean and doesn’t require much maintenance

Go with the buzz cut if you find a completely shiny head to be too extreme or feel you don’t have a nice head shape to look good with it. This hairstyle works especially well for those who have hair that’s thinning on the crown or near your hairline.

Need an example of how masculine buzz cut can look? Check out British actor Jason Statham. A grizzled shaven head is one of the reasons why women and some men swoon over him and why he is often casted in badass action movies.

3. Short Caesar Cut (George Clooney)

Hairstyles For Balding Men Caesar Cut

The Caesar cut is ideal for men with thinning hair at the back of the head.

Named after Julius Caesar and made popular by George Clooney, the infamous Roman Emperor, the Caesar cut is a stylish and timeless hairstyle for concealing a thinning back head and less so a receding hairline. To get the look, cut your hair the same length all around and style the bangs forward to create a fringe.

If you’re looking for a hairstyle that’s not too common, the Caesar haircut should fit the bill. It’s simple, tidy, and versatile, suitable for all hair types ( straight, curly hair, etc.) and requiring little maintenance and styling.

It works best for men in the early stages of balding (Norwood 1 and Norwood 2).

4. Shaggy Layers (Prince William)

Hairstyles For Balding Men - Shaggy Layers

Price William sported a shaggy layer hairstyle for many years before he lost most of the hair on his head.

This is a hairstyle for balding men in the early stages of hairloss who aren’t ready to go super short just yet and can afford not to, especially those who, despite not having significant recession of the hairline, have sparse and thin hair on top of their head.

Have the top of your hair cut in uneven layers, and then style it by tussling it around a little to achieve a sort of disheveled look that hides your thinning hair.

Granted having shaggy layers is more sophisticated and requires more maintenance than a clean shaven head or buzz cut, it’s still a fairly straightforward hairstyle.

5. Sleek Ivy League (Leonardo DiCaprio)

Leonardo DiCaprio with Ivy League

The slick-back Ivy League is an elegant and timeless hairstyle that looks good on all men with sufficient hair, not just Leonardo DiCaprio.

The ivy league is one of the most sleek and timeless hairstyles for balding men.

No matter the size of the bald spot at the back of your head or how far your hairline recedes, slicking back your hair is usually a recipe for a preppy yet cool aesthetic that look just as good at the office as it does at the bar.

Is it a wonder why ivy league haircuts have been around for decades, if not centuries? Actor Leonardo DiCaprio sure does know how to sport one.

6. The Peninsula (Jude Law)

Hairstyles For Balding Men Peninsula

British actor Jude law is one man who makes a patch of hair on the center of the head look good.

Like shaggy layers, the Peninsula is a fine hairstyle for balding men who still have plenty of hair to work with (Norwood 2 to Norwood 4).

When your hair has receded so much that you are left with a strip of hair pointing to where your hairline used to begin, don’t try to overcompensate with a crazy hairstyle or — god forbid — a comb-over. Just go with it.

Think of that patch of hair in the center of your head as a peninsula that shows off your life experience. Don’t be afraid to trim it down to achieve a balanced-looking head and to keep things nice and tidy.

7. Faux Hawk

Hairstyles For Balding Men Faux Hawk

Adam Levine shows how good a faux hawk can look on a balding man.

Just because you’re balding doesn’t mean you can no longer rock fun and adventurous hairstyles. The faux hawk is proof of that.

Think of a faux hawk as a less dramatic take on a Mohawk. All you have to do is shave the temples of your head, have a short fade along the sides, keep the hair longer up the back of the head, and spike the top if you are so inclined.

The faux hawk is excellent for receding hairlines and helps disguise thinning hair.

8. Taper Fade

Taper fades are excellent hairstyles for balding men who can afford to have a swirling tuft of hair on top of their head. Fading that tuft fairly quickly into baldness on the sides and back makes it appear thicker.

The taper fade goes well with a short pompadour or quiff, and looks especially great on men with wide faces or large foreheads.

9. The Power Donut (Sean Connery)

Hairstyles For Balding Men Power Donut

“Anyone can be confident with a full head of hair. But a confident bald man–there’s your diamond in the rough.” – Larry David

For men in the advanced stages of hair loss (Norwood 5 and beyond), the power donut is your only viable option aside from a clean shave. Let the hair at the sides and back grow out to form a ring (“donut”) around your bald top.

Although this look communicates to the world that you’re not really affected by your hair loss emotionally enough to care, keep you hair groomed so that you don’t come across as someone who doesn’t care about his appearance.

Seinfeld creator Larry David and James Bond star Sean Connery are examples of men who rock the Power Donut like a boss.

10. Grow A Beard

Bald Black Man, Sunglasses

Facial hair draws attention away from your balding head and gives you more personality.

Let’s face it, although it makes you appear more masculine, a completely bald head can be a bland look, and you certainly don’t want to look like every other bald man. A beard or any other type of facial hair can help you with that.

There is a reason why beards are in style and why many celebrities with thinning hair rock some sort of facial hair. It shifts attention away from your balding head to your face, and gives you more personality. Men with beards are even seen as more dominant than those without.

Facial hair isn’t exactly the first thing that comes to mind when discussing hairstyles for balding men, but it might as well be. Be it a mustache, goatee, or a well-groomed beard, they all can do wonders for your overall look.

Never Do A Comb-Over

Bald man with funny comb over

A comb over never looks good on balding men. It just makes you look balder, goofy and less attractive.

No matter what style you go with, refrain from using a comb-over. You won’t be fooling anyone.

In fact, not only don’t comb-overs hide anything, but the long strands of individual hair actually do the opposite by highlighting the bald head underneath. It’s somewhat like wearing a thong to the beach.

With a comb-over, every day is a bad hair day, and despite what you might think, no woman is going to want to run her fingers through those strands.

You probably don’t need any more reasons. No matter how much hair you have lost, there is a hairstyle out there for you that doesn’t require an embarrassing comb-over.

If you’re not sure what to go for, don’t feel embarrassed to ask your barber for some advice. He or she will know a thing or two about making balding men look good.

Hairstyles For Balding Men: Conclusion

Hairstyles For Balding Men Happy Man

To bald gracefully means accepting and embracing your baldness and having a suitable hairstyle.

For most men, hair loss is a natural part of getting older, yet often a great source of distress for many men. It lies on a spectrum, with a slightly receding hairline on one end and complete baldness on the other.

The Norwood Scale can help you determine the extent of your baldness so that you can take the appropriate measures to manage it. While you can fight hair loss, you will ultimately have to accept and even embrace it.

Your haircut can help you bald gracefully. While the buzz cut is the most common solution, it is by far not your only option. We provided you with none other very fine hairstyles for balding men so that you never have to contemplate a comb-over.

Hair fiber products like TooManly FULLER enhance the look of your thinning hair and can be used together with many of the hairstyles on our list to help you feel more confident and forget that you’re losing your hair.

Did you find one that suits you? Let us know in the comments below, and check out our other articles for ways to improve your life.

Written By

Kwame Owusu is a personal development coach and the founder of Too Manly. He holds an MBA from a top business school and is committed to helping men all around the world look, feel and live the prime of their life.

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