Shorter haircuts are among the best hair trends for men in 2026, and the list of timely trims for the year ahead has options for anyone looking to leave last year in a heap on the barbershop floor.
“I feel like 2025 was a year for many people,” says Jake Murphy, barber and manager at Ruffians Covent Garden. “I've already been seeing that there’s a big reset this year. Like, beyond the usual new year’s resolutions and stuff, people want a noticeable change, and to take back a little bit of control.”
Of course, that doesn’t mean you have to do something drastic to get your life together. “Short hair is getting quieter and more tailored,” says celebrity hairstylist Dean Banowetz. “Instead of extreme fades or sharp disconnects, 2026 is about softer tapers, natural necklines, and haircuts that grow out well. The focus is on precision and restraint, which makes the cut feel intentional and leveled up.”
From a timeless crew cut to the carefully coiffed mullet variation that’s been taking recent red carpets by storm, here’s the shortlist of styles that will be making the cut this year.
The Best Short Haircuts for Men
Hamnet might have taken home the Golden Globe for Best Drama, but Paul Mescal’s haircut was objectively the biggest winner of the night. In fact, from Jacob Elordi to Heated Rivalry’s Connor Storrie to recent GQ cover guy Glen Powell, who wasn’t sporting a soft mullet that night? “The ‘baby mullet’ is a softer, more wearable evolution of the mullet that keeps the back short and controlled while still allowing just enough length to create shape and attitude,” says Banowetz. Whether you call it a soft mullet, baby mullet, or, as Murphy prefers, the white-collar mullet (“if you want to be a bad boy, but you don't want to get fired”), that night covered this muted mullet in enough stardust to make it an A-list staple for 2026 and beyond.
With skin fades riding high and the mullet movement gaining momentum, it was just a matter of time before the burst fade found its way back from the eighties. “Whenever I hear ‘burst fade,’ it’s like the scene in a movie where someone blows dust off the cover of an old book,” says Murphy. It’s a low-maintenance, high-personality style that offers a refreshing change of pace, whether you’re getting bored of a traditional fade or you’re looking for the shortest possible haircut that still gives mullet vibes. “The burst fade creates a clean, circular fade around the ear while allowing length and personality through the top and back,” says Banowetz, who notes that this style works especially well for guys with curly or textured hair.
We called this trend the moment Carlos Alcaraz stepped onto the court at last year’s US Open sporting an accidental buzz cut that the tennis star attributed to his brother, who “misunderstood the machine.” Clipper snafus aside, the look suited Alcaraz perfectly and only got better after an ice-cold bleach job—which also happens to be right on trend for this year. “In 2026, buzz cuts are more customized, with attention paid to head shape, fade placement, and clean edges,” says Banowetz. Regardless of whether you opt for color, you’ll be waking up every day with the most low-maintenance hairstyle known to man. “The buzz cut is a great time-saving cut, because there is no need to style,” says Jae-Manuel Cardenas, celebrity hairstylist and senior stylist at Ollin Salon NYC. “Just get up and go.”
If you’re looking for a super short haircut that still allows you some wiggle room for creativity, the crew cut is your best bet for 2026. “Whether you wear it down in a fringe, up and over, or messy on top, it's one of those haircuts with so much variety and malleability,” says Murphy. “You can have sideburns, you can leave it natural, you can have it tapered, or you can have it scissored on the sides so you get the texture akin to the top. It's the Swiss army knife of haircuts.” Either way, it’s a style that you’ll want to keep in ship shape with regular upkeep. “You definitely want to make sure you keep the sides tight,” says Cardenas, who recommends using a matte clay for styling, or a hair paste if you’re after a more choppy effect.
If you’ve been rocking short hair for a while and are in the market for a bit more length—but maybe you’re not quite feeling the whole mullet thing—the Caesar offers a timely opportunity to expand your hair horizons. “If you’re not really used to having something on your forehead, the Caesar is great because you can have a little bit of a fringe with minimal interference,” says Murphy. Just look to Tom Holland to see how this classic cut can add instant attitude and no-fuss style. “The Caesar haircut—or, as some people call it, ‘the Clooney’—is returning for 2026 with updated proportions,” says Banowetz. “Specifically, a short, textured fringe paired with clean sides.” And, who knows? If a soft mullet starts to grow on you, figuratively speaking, you’re always just a few weeks away.
Curtain bangs might be forever associated with the nineties, but they will keep coming back for as long as we all live—from D-Cap to K-pop and beyond. “Curtains bangs on men are making a strong comeback, even in shorter lengths,” says Banowetz. Conveniently, this style also happens to be one of the best haircuts for de-emphasizing a receding hairline. “For a lot of clients who have recession points forming or they’ve got a bit of a widow's peak coming through, curtains are the perfect style for them, because you can have it parted in the middle and brushed aside to cover those spots up,” says Murphy. “And now there's also the modern spin on it; you can even have curtains with a taper fade or mini mullet.”
The bowl cut is back, but not the notoriously DIY version that haunts many of our childhood memories to this day. “The bowl cut is being reimagined as a high-fashion statement,” says Banowetz, who notes that the iteration we’ll be seeing more of in 2026 relies on careful texture, tapering, and precision to avoid a heavy or outdated look. Think: less Ibiza Final Boss and more Timothée Chalamet in The King. “It’s all about the new, modern bowl cut,” says Cardenas. “Layers on top with slightly tapered sides give a trendy, more modern shape. And if you have curly hair, this is an especially amazing style to add bounce and natural volume.”