The 30 Best Haircut for Receding Hairlines in 2024

Hairline going out like the tide? Don’t put it front and center. Find a haircut that hides or downplays it with our style guide! You’ll see the best haircut for receding hairline, thinning hair, and bald spots. Read on to learn more.

Looking for Haircuts for Receding Hairlines?

A receding hairline is a natural part of aging for many men. It’s very common for men in their late 30s and beyond to deal with a hairline that recedes around the temples. 

While it can be incredibly frustrating to see a loss of hair in the triangular areas around your temples, this often-hereditary trait is easily managed with the right haircut. 

Some haircuts make a receding hairline more obvious. Others use length, style patterns, and strategic parting of the hair to subtly conceal a receding hairline from view. That’s what we’re here to show you! If you’re looking for the best haircut for receding hairline, thinning hair, or bald spots, we’ve got you covered. 

This list contains 30 different haircuts that can be used to disguise a hairline in retreat, visually fill out thinning zones, and cover up bald spots. Browse the list and find a flattering haircut that will work for you below! 

The 30 Best Haircut for Receding Hairlines

A receding hairline isn’t a big deal, but if you’d rather hide or downplay yours and create the illusion of a normal hairline, any of these haircuts will help you do it. Put your best face (and hairline) forward with one of the cuts on our list! 

1. High Comb Over Fade

This isn’t the combover you remember – it’s a modern, stylish version that genuinely conceals a receding hairline. The longer hair is combed over along the side part to ensure the receding hair around the temples is kept short.

Too much length where the hairline recedes only emphasizes it. Don’t try this haircut if your hair is thinning. It works best on thick, dense hair with a withdrawn hairline.

2. Short Fade With Styled Back Bangs

A fade with bangs styled over and back is one of the best haircuts for a receding hairline. The longest portion of this cut is the bangs, which are styled over to the side and brushed back a bit to physically cover the receding zones at the temples.

The hair on top is shorter than the bangs and is faded with clippers to seamlessly blend the different lengths. Opt to keep your bangs about 3 inches long so you have enough length to cover the temples and sweep back attractively as shown. 

3. Slicked-Back Pompadour With Short Sides

It might seem counterintuitive to slick the front portion of your hair straight back, not over to the side, when you’re trying to minimize a receding hairline. But it works!

Keep the top several inches long from the edge of one temple to the other. This fullness in the center is tapered off in length to meet up with shorter sides. The look puts the focus on the center, not the retreating hairline on the sides.

Read Next: Pompadour Haircuts

4. Mid Drop Fade With Long, Tousled Top

As you’ll see in this list, many of the best haircuts for a receding hairline can be made more effective with the right type of style. Here, the hair on the sides is short with a mid drop fade that begins just below the temples (your problem area if you have a receding hairline).

The angled line of the fade helps disguise the hairline a bit, but tousling the longer top with a little mousse or gel is what makes this cut particularly effective in hiding a receding hairline.  

5. Long Top Taper With Side Part

Tapered haircuts remove bulk and excess volume from the hair on the sides and back. By choosing a tapered haircut with a longer top, you keep enough length on top to direct your hair the way you want it to go.

For a receding hairline, try a side part with this cut to help downplay the shape of the hairline and draw the eye to the fullness of hair along the part. 

6. Side-Swept Pompadour With High Undercut

This cut has two powerful hairline-covering components: The side-swept pompadour and the high undercut. Leaving the top several inches long gives you a section of hair long enough to style to the side (perfect for covering the temple zone) or straight back.

The high undercut keeps the hair around the temples shaved ultra-short to minimize the appearance of the hairline. Together, these two components make a hairline-camouflaging cut that works for any hair type. 

7. Up-and-Down Quiff Taper

This tapered haircut features gradually shorter length around the back and sides that keeps the volume focused around the top and temple zone. The long hair on top (quiff) is styled expertly to hide a receding hairline.

The center is directed forward and up for a little boost in height that draws the eye to the middle of the face. The sides of the front are directed downward over the temples to fully hide the shape of the hairline. 

8. 90’s Heartthrob Long Taper

We never thought these 90’s hairstyles would be back so soon, but we’re glad they are! Try a throwback look that reminds us of Leo DiCaprio. Your hair should be at least 5-6 inches long to pull this look off and conceal your hairline properly.

Style it with a middle part to create more volume in the center – it puts the focus there and not on your temples. The swooped, draping bangs in front expertly conceal the shape of the hairline to leave it up to the imagination.  

9. High Top Bald Fade

Ever watched a magician do a sleight of hand trick? This haircut is the equivalent for receding hairlines. Bring the fade line up high enough to blend that receding line right out.

The length and volume is all concentrated on top to draw the eye upward. The shaved designs also grab the attention, keeping the focus off your hairline and on the cool features of your cut. 

10. Styled-Forward Long Top Crop

If you have plenty of length around the front and top, use it to your advantage to disguise the shape of your receding hairline. Have your barber clean up the back and sides by cutting them in a short, tapered crop.

Leave the top and front of the sides longer so you can style them forward in this piece-y look to cover the temple zone. What receding hairline?

11. High Bald Drop Fade

This stark, high-contrast look is an easy way to cover a receding hairline without growing your hair out. It’s easy to maintain this cut with regular trims.

Ask your barber for a high bald drop fade where the hair on top is kept about an inch long. Doing a high bald fade involves shaving the hair from the temples down to make the shape of your hairline less obvious. 

12. Lightly Feathered Taper

Tapering gradually brings in the length as you get closer to the neckline. This leaves all the volume and focus up at the top, where the hair is longest.

Create a side part and use a dab of mousse in damp hair before brushing it back toward the side to create this lightly feathered look. The feathered hair in front adeptly disguises a receding hairline. 

13. Masculine Styled-Forward Pixie Cut

You might associate pixie cuts with women, but this versatile, short haircut works wonders on guys with a receding hairline. The hair is cropped very short around the back and sides with additional length left on the top.

The key to making this cut work for your hairline is styling the length on top forward. This conceals the hairline and avoids putting it front and center like many other short haircuts.  

14. Extended Burst Fade

Keep your hair short on top and shaved around the ears in a large section to create a giant burst fade. Typically, burst fades don’t take up this much real estate on the sides.

But making it extend upward to the temples eliminates any problem with a receding hairline. The burst fade should continue slightly behind the ear to balance the look. 

15. Medium Side-Swept Taper

This medium-short haircut is tapered along the sides and back to keep the longest portion on top. The top and front are swept over to the side with the help of a little medium-hold gel.

Sweeping the front over to the side hides the thinner areas at the temples where the hairline usually recedes. 

16. Caesar Crop

The Caesar crop keeps the front portion of the hair longer and brushed forward so it creates a short fringe across the forehead. This is ideal for anyone with a receding hairline that needs to be covered.

Leave the bangs a little bit longer if you want to completely conceal the temples when you brush them forward. The sides and back should be shaved in a mid bald fade to create this nice contrast.

Read Next: Caesar Haircut Ideas

17. Wedge Mohawk

Looking for a bold cut that will showcase your personality while minimizing the appearance of a hairline that is receding? Look no further than this cool wedge mohawk.

The sides are shaved bald to create a lot of contrast with the mohawk running from the front hairline to the neckline. The hair is longer toward the front to create that unique wedge look. Shaving the sides completely eliminates the hairline there, so there’s no issue with receding! 

18. Styled-Up Top With Low Burst Fade

This cut features a much longer top that nicely contrasts with a low burst fade on the sides. The height and volume of the top section puts the focus there, while the low burst fade makes the eye travel downward to the sides.

This cut works to downplay a receding hairline by making it seem part of the cut, and if you choose to style the top downward or with a side part, you can hide your hairline even better. 

19. High Undercut With Greaser Pompadour

If you like bold haircuts and styles, you’ll love this hairline-hiding option! A greaser-style pompadour is slicked back and swirled toward the center.

This creates a nice boost in volume on the top, which directs the eye there and away from the temples. The hair from the temples downward is shaved in a high undercut to reduce the visibility of the hairline. 

20. High Bald Drop Fade With Designs

Hiding a receding hairline can be done subtly or with flourish, and this haircut is definitely the latter. Leave a few inches of length on top to give you lots of volume and height for this style (it draws the eye up).

The sides are cut in a high bald drop fade, meaning the fade begins high up at the receding temples, is shaved down to the skin at the shortest point, and dips downward in the back to give you more scalp coverage there. Have your barber shave some freehand designs in to give this cut a more creative, personalized look. 

21. Side-Swept Taper With Long Top

Keeping some length on top is one of the best things you can do for a receding hairline (unless your hair is thinning on top).

If you have been growing your hair out and it’s several inches long, leave that length on top and get the sides and back tapered to gradually shorter lengths. Style the top with a side part to let your long top cover the receding line. 

22. #3 High Skin Fade

This is a straight-forward cut that is easy to ask for. A #3 high skin fade leaves the hair on top about 3/8” long, which is nice and short for easier maintenance.

Since it’s a high skin fade, the hair is gradually shortened in length from the top to the back and sides where it shaved down the skin. The fade begins high up around the temples to blend out your hairline and make any receding less obvious. 

23. Tapered Bowl Cut Fade

The classic bowl cut gets a modern update – and hairline concealing powers – when you pair it with a taper fade.

This cut leaves the hair on top and along the top sides long enough to be brushed forward and down for additional hairline coverage. The taper fade makes it gradually shorten toward the neckline to avoid the dreaded bowl cut puffy look. 

24. Mid-High Fade With Line-Up

This fade haircut is somewhere between a mid and high fade because the fade line begins around and below the temples. This helps blur the portion of your hairline that usually recedes most.

The finishing touch is a precise line-up around the edges, which can help you fake a normal hairline by defining the edges you want.  

25. Slicked-Back Quiff Taper

This man has a prominent widow’s peak and very dense, full hair. These traits work perfectly to help downplay a receding hairline without trying to hide it. The widow’s peak balances the higher line of hairline around the temples.

The fullness of the hair in front is what the eye focuses on. The cut is tapered in length so the longest part is the top, which gradually shortens as you get closer to the neckline. 

26. Faux Hawk Bald Fade

This haircut shows you how carefully styling and directing the hair in front can effectively hide or reshape your hairline. The hair on top and down the back is longer in front and tapered in length at the back.

On the sides, it’s faded short and then down to the skin in a drop fade. The short hair around the temples is directed forward to conceal the receding hairline perfectly. Style the middle up into a faux hawk with medium or firm-hold gel. 

27. Casual Wavy Pompadour With Undercut

Plenty of length on top can be used to expertly disguise a hairline in retreat, especially if your hair has some wavy or curly texture to it. This haircut features a long top (around 4 inches) that abruptly transitions into a shaved-short high undercut.

The wavy texture on top creates a boost in height at the center, drawing the eye away from the sides. The high undercut removes length from the temples and below to make your hairline more faint and unnoticeable.  

28. High Comb Over Drop Fade

A high comb over drop fade is the perfect haircut for a receding hairline. The before and after photos show how much thicker this cut makes the hair at the hairline appear!

By shaving the hair below the temple zone down to the skin, it makes the hair on top the center of focus. With a side part and the hair combed over to the side, it’s a neat and tidy look that will make you look younger and revitalize your hairline.  

29. Curly Quiff Mid Fade

A mid fade shortens the hair from just above the ears down to the neckline to keep all the volume and focus directed to the front.

There, a curly quiff (a long section of bangs in the front) steals the spotlight and physically covers the hairline in front to hide the receding areas. 

30. Dramatic High Undercut

When in doubt, you can always hide a receding hairline by shaving your head from the receding point downward. Here, the undercut begins at the temples.

The hair on top is left long and styled over to the side for a casual, trendy look. Keep the back and sides shaved down to the skin for the best hairline-hiding effect. 

Things to Consider When You Have a Receding Hairline

Choosing your next haircut for a receding hairline is going to be a lot easier than you think. We’ve shown you a list of 30 hairstyles that range from classic to trendy and they all work to cover up, minimize, or downplay a hairline that has begun to recede. 

There are common threads running through the styles we’ve shown you. Once you know how to recognize them, you can easily choose a haircut that will camouflage your temple area to make recession less obvious. Here’s what you should know about choosing cuts for a receding hairline:

• Long hair in the front can cover the temples. One way to hide hairline recession is growing your hair out in the front to create “bangs” that you can style to the side or straight forward. This physically covers the temples to create the illusion of a normal hairline. 
• High fades and undercuts blur the hairline edge. If you’re not a fan of long hair on top or growing out bangs, opt for a high undercut or high fade. In particular, a high bald fade is a great way to blur the hairline edge and make recession less obvious. Start fading or shaving from your temples downward to get this hairline-erasing effect. 
• Line-ups help create a faux hairline. Using clippers and a straight razor to line-up or edge-up the hairline border can help you create a false normal hairline even if yours is receding. Shave backward to bring the hairline back a bit so it minimizes the depth of your receding portions. 
• Wavy or curly texture is your friend. Anything that can create additional volume and coverage on top of your head will help you conceal a receding hairline well. Wavy or curly texture should be encouraged to better disguise hairline recession. Use mousse or gel in your hair with a scrunching motion while it’s still damp, and let it dry to accentuate your hair’s natural texture. 

Which Haircut for Receding Hairlines Is Your Favorite?

A receding hairline is a common complaint among men ranging in age from their 20s to late adulthood. But you don’t have to make it a daily struggle or let it affect your confidence.

Try any of the haircuts on our list to perfectly conceal or minimize a receding hairline. Your hair will look fuller, you’ll look healthier and younger, and you’ll love the confidence boost a fresh new cut gives you!

If your hairline recession seems to be getting worse or you’re experiencing thinning throughout your hair, read our hair loss product guide next: 5 Hair Loss Products That Work | Reviews, Ingredients, & Research.