Haircuts for Curly Hair Men

HaircutAI Team · Updated October 2026

Curly hair men's cuts, short to long, and what to tell your barber.

Curls puffing out or hard to control? The fix is the cut, not more product. Keep the sides short or tapered, leave 2 inches or more on top, and get it cut dry. Skip cuts made for straight hair. Below: 16 cuts for curly and coily hair.

Show Me My Best CutFree on the App Store Show Me My Best Cut

The same man with curly hair in a skin fade, a curly top taper, medium curls and long curls

Same curls, 4 lengths

Key takeaways

Short sides and curls on top is the easiest shape to wear.
Leave at least 2 inches on top, or the curls cannot form.
Ask for a dry cut: curls shrink up to 75% as they dry.
Coily (type 4) hair has its own cuts, from sponge curls to an afro.

Do you have curly hair?

Let your hair dry with no product, then look at one strand. Loose S bends are wavy. Loops or ringlets are curly. Tight coils or zigzags are coily.

Bro Flow, an example of wavy (type 2) hair on a man — Wavy (type 2)Loose S bends

Medium Curly, an example of curly (type 3) hair on a man — Curly (type 3)Loops and ringlets

Afro, an example of coily (type 4) hair on a man — Coily (type 4)Tight coils, zigzags

Not sure? The free hair type test reads it from a photo. Loose waves? See haircuts for wavy hair men.

Why these cuts work on curls

Curly Crop on a man with curly hair — Short and tight, or grown over the ears: both keep a clear shape.

Medium Curly on a man with curly hair — Short and tight, or grown over the ears: both keep a clear shape.

Narrow sides
Curls add width. Short or tapered sides keep the head from looking wide.
Room to curl
A curl needs about 2 inches to form. Shorter, it turns to frizz.
Cut dry
Curls can shrink up to 75% as they dry. A dry cut shows the real length.

Short haircuts for curly hair

Short sides, curls on top. The easiest curly cuts to wear.

01 of 16

Curly Top Fade

The faded sides keep the shape narrow, so the curls on top get all the attention.

Best for: Wavy or curly hair. Curls you want to show off. Barber every 3 weeks.

Ask your barber

A mid or high fade on the sides
2 to 3 inches of curls on top, cut dry with scissors

Style: Curl cream on wet hair, then air dry.
Upkeep: Every 3 weeks, medium effort

Try it on your photo

02 of 16

Curly Crop

Short curls fall forward onto the forehead, with tight sides. Low effort, clean shape.

Best for: Curly or coily hair. Thick curls you want short.

Ask your barber

About 1 1/2 inches of curls on top
A low fade or a #2 on the sides

Style: A little cream, scrunch, done.
Upkeep: Every 3 weeks, medium effort

Try it on your photo

03 of 16

Curly Fringe

Curls brought forward into a loose fringe soften a high forehead.

Best for: Wavy or curly hair. A tall forehead.

Ask your barber

2 to 3 inches on top, cut so the curls fall forward
A taper or low fade on the sides

Style: Push the curls forward with your fingers while damp.
Upkeep: Every 4 weeks, medium effort

Try it on your photo

04 of 16

Broccoli Cut

A full mop of curls on top over skin-short sides. Big volume, sharp outline.

Best for: Wavy or curly hair. Tight, springy curls.

Ask your barber

3 to 4 inches of curls on top
A skin fade up to the temples

Style: Curl cream, then a diffuser on low heat.
Upkeep: Every 3 weeks, medium effort

Try it on your photo

05 of 16

Taper Fade

Only the sideburns and neckline go short, so the sides stay full and the curls blend in.

Best for: Wavy, curly or coily hair. Office looks. Grows out neatly.

Ask your barber

A low taper at the sideburns and neck
2 to 3 inches of curls on top

Style: A light cream to keep the curls defined.
Upkeep: Every 4 weeks, low effort

Try it on your photo

06 of 16

Buzz Cut

No curls to manage. The texture still shows as a soft, even shadow.

Best for: Any hair type. Zero styling.

Ask your barber

A #2 or #3 guard all over
A clean line at the neck

Style: Nothing. Wash and go.
Upkeep: Every 2 weeks, low effort

Try it on your photo

Medium length curly hair

4 to 5 inches: enough for the curls to form their own shape.

07 of 16

Medium Curls

Curls long enough to cover the ears add width at the sides and soften the face.

Best for: Wavy or curly hair. Growing it out. A long face.

Ask your barber

4 to 5 inches all over, cut curl by curl
Light layers so the shape is round, not a triangle

Style: Leave-in conditioner and gel on wet hair, then air dry.
Upkeep: Every 6 weeks, medium effort

Try it on your photo

08 of 16

Curly Mullet

Short sides and long curls at the back. The curls give a mullet a soft, lived-in shape.

Best for: Wavy or curly hair. A bold look.

Ask your barber

A taper on the sides
2 to 3 inches on top, the back left 4 to 5 inches

Style: Scrunch in sea salt spray or curl cream.

Try it on your photo

09 of 16

Mod Cut

A heavy curly fringe and hair over the ears. A 60s shape that curls make easy.

Best for: Wavy or curly hair. A 60s look.

Ask your barber

Curls down to the brows at the front
The sides over the ears, the back to the collar

Style: Air dry. A little cream on the ends.

Try it on your photo

10 of 16

Curly Quiff

Curls lifted at the front add height, with neat shorter sides.

Best for: Loose curls. A round face. Some height on top.

Ask your barber

3 to 4 inches at the front, shorter at the crown
A #3 to #4 on the sides, tapered

Style: Blow dry the front up, then a matte cream.
Upkeep: Every 3 weeks, medium effort

Try it on your photo

Long curly hair

Past the jaw. Length weighs the curls down, so they hang.

11 of 16

Long Curls

Curls to the jaw or shoulders. The weight stretches each curl, so it hangs instead of puffing out.

Best for: Curly hair. A year or more of growing.

Ask your barber

Only the ends trimmed, about every 8 weeks
Long layers so the top is not flat

Style: Leave-in, gel, air dry. Hands off until dry.
Upkeep: Every 8 weeks, low effort

Try it on your photo

12 of 16

Curly Man Bun

Long curls pulled back off the face. Neat for work, loose on the weekend.

Best for: Curly hair. Curls past the chin.

Ask your barber

Even length on top so it gathers into a bun
An undercut on the sides if you want it cooler

Style: Tie it loose. A tight bun pulls at the hairline.
Upkeep: Every 8 weeks, low effort

Try it on your photo

Curly haircuts for Black men

Cuts made for coily, type 4 hair, from short sponge curls to a full afro.

13 of 16

Afro

Coils grown out into a round shape. The shape is the cut: even all over.

Best for: Coily hair. Hair you can grow to 3 inches or more.

Ask your barber

Shape it round, evened out with scissors
A line up at the front if you like it sharp

Style: Moisturize, then an afro pick to lift.
Upkeep: Every 4 weeks, medium effort

Try it on your photo

14 of 16

Sponge Curls

Short coils twisted into small curls with a sponge. Texture with almost no length.

Best for: Short coily hair.

Ask your barber

1 to 2 inches on top
A low or mid fade on the sides

Style: Twist sponge in circles on damp hair.

Try it on your photo

15 of 16

High Top Fade

A tall, flat-topped block on skin-short sides. A classic with a strong outline.

Best for: Curly or coily hair. Thick coily hair.

Ask your barber

3 to 5 inches on top, cut flat
A high skin fade on the sides

Style: Pick it out, then even the top with the clippers.
Upkeep: Every 2 weeks, medium effort

Try it on your photo

16 of 16

Twist-Out

Twists left in, then opened into defined, springy curls on top.

Best for: Curly or coily hair. At least 2 inches on top.

Ask your barber

2 to 3 inches on top
A taper or mid fade on the sides

Style: Twist damp hair at night, open it in the morning.
Upkeep: Every week, medium effort

Try it on your photo

Curly haircuts to avoid

Curly hair suits most cuts. These two fight it.

Slicked flat
Curls fight a slick back all day and need heavy product to stay down.
A heavy straight block
A cut made for straight hair puffs out into a triangle on curls.
Too short on top
Under 2 inches, the curls cannot form and look frizzy. Go a buzz cut, or keep the length.

How to style curly hair

Long defined curls on a man, styled wet and left to air dry — Product on wet hair, then hands off: defined curls, no frizz.

Style it wet
Put cream or gel on soaking wet hair. On dry curls it makes frizz.
Hands off
Let it dry before you touch it. Then scrunch once to soften.
Diffuse on low
In a hurry, a diffuser on low heat keeps the curl shape.
Trim every 6 to 8 weeks
Short sides need the barber every 3 weeks; long curls, the ends only.

Show Me My Best CutFree on the App Store Show Me My Best Cut

Questions

What is the best haircut for curly hair men?

A curly top fade is the safest pick: faded sides and 2 to 3 inches of curls on top. It suits most face shapes and needs only curl cream to style.

How should a barber cut curly hair?

Dry, with scissors on top, curl by curl. Wet curls look longer than they are, and they can shrink up to 75% as they dry, so a wet cut often comes out too short.

Should I get a fade with curly hair?

A fade suits curly hair well. Short sides keep the shape narrow and the curls on top stand out. A low taper is the softer choice for work.

How long should curly hair be for a man?

At least 2 inches on top for curls to form. 4 to 5 inches gives medium curls that cover the ears. Past the jaw, the weight makes the curls hang.

Do curly bangs suit men?

Yes. A curly fringe of 2 to 3 inches, brought forward, softens a high forehead. Keep the sides short so the shape stays clean.

Can I see a curly haircut on my own photo first?

Yes. The HaircutAI app puts any haircut on your selfie, with your own hair texture, so you see it on your face before the barber starts.

How we chose these

A man with curly hair, before and after medium curls tried on his photo — In the app, the cut goes on your own photo, with your own curls.

We kept the men's cuts in the HaircutAI catalog that work with curly or coily hair, grouped them by length, and put the easiest to wear first. One model in every cut photo, so you compare cuts, not faces.

More for men: types of haircuts for men, fade vs taper and what haircut should I get. For women: hairstyles for curly hair.