Short at the back and sides, long on top and no taper or fade for graduating between the two. When a style is referred to as ‘ disconnected’ it means there are two distinct lengths of hair which are not blended together in any way. It’s often paired with a taper, but can also be worn disconnected.
It involves the back and sides cut short while the hair on top of the head is left much longer. The undercut has been around for decades but it’s also one of the standout hair trends of the last 10 years. A taper fade is a combination of a taper and a fade which blends the very short hair at the back and sides of the head to much longer hair on top without it looking disconnected. Particularly if there’s an undercut involved. It’s more common in shorter styles, but adds some drama to mid-length cuts too. Like a taper but shorter and performed using clippers on different grade settings. It results in a smooth gradation between long and short where the back and sides blend into the hair on top. The taper is a barbering technique most commonly used in medium-length hairstyles whereby two different lengths of hair are blended together using either clippers, scissors, or a combination of the two. You could say it’s perfectly imperfect: a good way to add character to an otherwise simple cut. Bed hair, beach hair… whatever you call it, it’s a popular way of wearing mid-length locks. A messy cut has been styled to look rough, tousled or just a little unkempt. It’s a technique used primarily in medium to longer length hairstyles and is used to create depth and texture. When your stylist cuts chunks of hair in a defined yet uneven or asymmetrical pattern, this is referred to as being ‘choppy’. Plus, less guesswork for the barber is usually a good thing. Understanding these terms will help you refine what it is you actually want. Browse the tips and our well-stocked gallery to point you and your barber in the right direction.įirst, let’s get the barbershop lingo on point. To answer all of the above and more, we’ve put everything you need to know about medium-length hairstyles in one handy place. What are the key styles? How should you style them? And how can you convey the image in your head to the person hovering over it with a pair of scissors? Mid-length styles have been finding their way onto the heads of some of the world’s biggest tonsorial trendsetters, further bolstering their already-considerable style credentials.īut where to start? For many of us raised on short-back-and-sides cuts, the mid-length thing is new territory. And now’s the perfect time to make the leap. Occupying that sweet spot between long-and-flowing and cropped-and-conservative, a medium-length cut lends a bit of rock ‘n’ roll flair without you routinely being mistaken for a woman from behind. Had Goldilocks found herself in a barbershop rather than a bear’s house, we can say with some confidence that she would’ve opted for a medium-length hairstyle. Not too long, not too short, but just right.