The Classic Taper Haircut

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The Classic Tapered Haircut

The Classic Taper Haircut is the quintessential man's haircut. It is easy to maintain, short, masculine and absolutely never goes out of style. If I had to choose one haircut that is completely appropriate for almost all men, of all ages and lifestyles, this would be the cut. The shorter sides make it easy to style and maintain, while the longer to allows for some styling options. For this particular model, the hair is clipped close on the sides and back (around a #2 blade) while the top is left about two inches long. A bit of styling paste is applied to create holds and separation with a neutral shine finish. Classic. Alternatively, this haircut could be worn down in the front for a more casual look.

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Tight Classic Taper Haircut

Photo © David Alexander. Hair by David Alexander.

This tight classic taper a more aggressive version of the classic tapered haircut (one could call this a short pompadour) I did for a client recently. Like the more traditional classic taper, the short sides and back make this an easy-to-style option for a man who likes short hair but still wants enough length to have some styling options. For this particular cut, I went with a 000 blade about 1/3 the way up the sides and back of the head and evenly blended into significant length on the top (about five inches). We styled the cut using Woody's Pomade with a clean side part. This style could also be worn forward and swept to the side with a light styling cream to give a jour youthful, casual look. Because of the aggressively short nature of the clipper work many stylists don't have the training necessary to achieve the desired blend between the aggressive sides and the longer top. For this that reason, I recommend seeking the services of a trained barber (or men's salon) who specializes in short men's haircutting.

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Low Tight Taper Haircut

Haircut by David Alexander | Photo © David Alexander.

I really like this variation of the classic tapered haircut -- the low tight taper which invokes the haircuts form the depression era. For this cut, I used a 000 blade and a freehand technique to keep the hair aggressively tight around the bottom and blend smoothly into the longer top. For this style, since there is such a dramatic transition between the sides and back and the top, some of the styling is achieved through styling. For product, I went with MENSDEPT. MICROTECH to allow for a solid hold with a natural shine. Like the previous haircut, because of the aggressively short nature of the clipper work, many stylists don't have the training necessary to achieve the desired blend between the aggressive sides and the longer top. For this that reason, I recommend seeking the services of a trained barber (or men's salon) who specializes in short men's haircutting.

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The Traditional Classic Taper Haircut

I love this variation of the traditional classic taper haircut. For this style, the hair is tapered short around the sided and back and blended into about three inches of length on top. To achieve shine and separation, a styling cream is used. Like most classic tapered haircuts, this style could also be worn forward or even with more texture to create more casual, contemporary look. A very neatly trimmed light beard adds a little bit of a rugged appearance, while still being appropriate for the office. The length and style of this haircut would certainly be appropriate for almost any age, lifestyle, or profession. Because of the shorter length all over, this style is also one which is fairly easy to maintain. It is also fairly well suited to most men's face shapes.