Jump to:
Everyone’s buzzing about low maintenance haircuts for men – cuts that don’t need as many trims and are super simple to style. Check out 18 examples of trendy, low maintenance cuts below!
What Are Low Maintenance Men’s Haircuts?
- Low maintenance cuts require fewer trims and less time to style
- Say no to fades, steep tapered cuts, and shaved designs
- Choose cuts that work with your hair type and texture
Low maintenance haircuts for men make haircare easier in 2 areas: Trims and daily styling. When you opt for a low maintenance cut, you’ll be able to go longer between trims and spend less time styling your hair each day.
If fewer trips to the barber and less time messing with your hair in the morning sound appealing, a new lower-maintenance cut is perfect for you.
Low maintenance cuts usually feature tapering (gradually shorter length toward the neckline), may include layers for texture, and can be styled neat and professional or messy and tousled.
You’ll find that there are low maintenance cuts in the short, medium, and long categories. There’s always an option for the length you’re currently working with!
So which cuts won’t work with a low maintenance routine? Finicky cuts like fades, steep tapered cuts, and cuts featuring shaved designs are all high maintenance and require more trims and touchups.
Instead, aim for cuts that work well with your hair’s natural texture and type. You’ll find that basic options, like buzz cuts and short tapers, are just the beginning.
Unique and trendy styles, like long shags, pompadour undercuts, and mini mullets are a fun way to shake up your look without venturing into high maintenance territory.
We’ll show you 18 of the best low maintenance haircuts for men below.
18 Low Maintenance Haircuts for Men
These haircuts come in clutch when you’re ready to simplify your haircare routine and enjoy a great-looking mane with a lot less effort.
Check out the most popular low maintenance cuts below and get inspired to try something new with your hair!
1. Clean Cut Long Top Taper
Slava SelfStudio/Shutterstock
Featuring longer hair on top and gradually tapered length down the back and sides, this cut is great for straight hair that’s already 3+ inches long.
Tapering makes the cut look neat and tidy, especially when it’s styled straight back, but it won’t show the grow-out phase as much as a fade.
2. Basic Buzz Cut
HD92/Shutterstock
You can’t go wrong with a basic buzz cut when you’re aiming for something super low maintenance and easy to care for! Styling isn’t a concern – nothing’s easier than managing super-short length.
Keep in mind that you’ll need regular trims every few weeks to keep the length this short. Since it’s all one length, it’s easy to do it yourself at home with clippers!
3. Side-Styled Taper With Long Top
Peter Lang/Shutterstock
Classic, always flattering, and really simple to maintain, a taper that gets shorter toward the neckline can help define your jawline and give your face a slimmer, more chiseled look.
Leave a little extra length on top so you can style it over to the side with a dime-sized amount of gel. Tousle the sides and back with your fingers and you’re done!
4. Curly Mushroom Cut
Folenial/Shutterstock
Naturally curly and permed hair looks great in a layered mushroom cut like this. The best part? Curls help disguise hair that’s grown out a bit and doesn’t need to be trimmed as often.
The length is tapered below the ears on the back to keep the cut lightweight and focus all the volume on top. Scrunch a little curl cream, mousse, or gel into your curls and let it air dry for an easy, quick style.
5. Layered Medium Length Taper
metamorworks/Shutterstock
If you’re working with a little more length and straight texture, opt for a low maintenance option like this layered taper. With a side part, the hair in front creates bangs that help frame your face.
Layers add texture and movement to otherwise straight hair while tapering prevents the ends from looking shaggy and overgrown. You can use sea salt spray to add more texture to a cut like this.
6. Side-Swept Soft Taper
Merla/Shutterstock
Side parts can be great to flatter your face shape and work really well when your hair is long enough to drape down to your brow level.
Here, the back and sides are softly tapered while the hair on top is left long for contrast. Style the top over to the side, using a little mousse or gel while it’s damp for extra hold.
7. Pompadour Undercut
cristovao/Shutterstock
A pompadour undercut is a great haircut to choose if you’re all about larger-than-life styles that make a statement when you enter the room. This cut works best with hair that’s at least 3-4 inches long on top.
Shave the back and sides as short you’re comfortable going, noting that you’ll need to touch up the back and sides every couple of weeks to keep that just-shaved look.
8. Short Taper With Long Side-Swept Top
Mix and Match Studio/Shutterstock
The tidy look of a nicely-done taper goes a long way in making a simple haircut look its best while keeping it low maintenance. A side part makes it easy to style without using a lot of products.
If you dig the side part, leave the hair on top long enough to sweep down and over – about 4 inches. You can get layers in the longer top for extra texture and interest.
9. Mini Mullet
Aviavlad/Shutterstock
The mullet hairstyle has come back around and this time, it’s showing up with new and trendy forms that are a little different from the 80s mullets of the past.
This “mini mullet” features hair that’s shorter in the front with a choppy fringe and tapered, longer hair in the back. It doesn’t need a trim as often and looks great when it’s air dried with a little mousse to shape it.
10. Shaved Afro Undercut
Cookie Studio/Shutterstock
If your hair has a tight curly or kinky texture, a shaved undercut can be one of the best low maintenance options without shaving your afro entirely.
Starting the undercut where a mid fade would begin above the ears is perfect for a cut like this. You’ll need to shave the back and sides every few weeks to keep it looking fresh.
11. Medium Length Messy Taper
nakaridore/Shutterstock
A messy, tapered cut works well for straight hair that’s reached medium length. Leaving the top long lets you fan the front out into bangs.
Going with a choppy taper leaves the gradual layers a little disconnected, which is great for hiding new growth in between trims. Tousle it with a little mousse while it’s damp for an easy style.
12. Long With Shaggy Layers
atiger/Shutterstock
Getting a lot of layers with a longer haircut is an easy way to make your look a little lower-maintenance. The general shag shape hugs the head with extra volume on top and gets slimmer at the bottom.
We love a wavy or curly texture with a long, shaggy cut like this because it makes for simple styling. Bring the hair in front forward like bangs, parting them just off-center, and tousle the rest with mousse or gel to hold the messy-on-purpose shape.
13. Shaved Bald
alexandre zveiger/Shutterstock
We couldn’t leave out the most simple of all low maintenance haircuts for men – shave it all off! It’s the only haircut that’s even easier than a short buzz cut.
If you can handle running a razor or head shaver over your head once a week, you’ll fall in love with how simple it is to rock a shaved head.
14. Medium Length Tapered Curls
AJR_photo/Shutterstock
Medium length curls have such a breezy, casual look when they’re slightly tapered at the neckline. Tapering keeps the cut from looking like a helmet of overgrown hair.
Brush the top back with your fingers and a little mousse while it’s damp to create a style like this. Direct the sides downward and scrunch the curls in the back to enhance their definition.
15. Short Clipper Cut
the stock company/Shutterstock
This buzz cut is slightly longer on top than on the sides, creating a little more volume and height on top. That’s perfect for men with round or square face shapes.
It doesn’t take much to style a short haircut like this. A tiny drop of gel and a brush is all you need to direct the hair on top over to the side for a quick, professional look.
16. Tapered and Layered Curly Mushroom Cut
mimagephotography/Shutterstock
Mushroom cuts give you all the volume and texture of longer hair with the convenience and lower maintenance needs of a shorter cut. Notice how the length tapers shorter and shorter as you get closer to the neckline?
We like slide-cut layers through the longer hair on top to define and enhance natural or permed curls. Bring the top forward onto the forehead to create this look.
17. Long Curly Shag
Krakenimages.com/Shutterstock
This example has the general shape of a shag with the layers and messy texture the cut calls for. It’s great to pair curly texture with a shag haircut because it’s like a built-in style!
Start layers around the temples and let the cut follow a gradual diagonal slope from the front to the back. Muss up your curls and add a little definition with mousse before it dries.
18. Parted Two Block Cut
Sihi/Shutterstock
The two block haircut is a good, low maintenance option for guys with longer hair. Since the back and sides are shaved short and all the length is focused on top, you can create some cool, trendy styles with this cut.
Try working gel though your hair while it’s damp and letting it dry, then part it in the middle to get the voluminous wave in the front. Layers through the top can add some nice texture.
Things to Consider
Lipik Stock Media/Shutterstock
Browsing through low maintenance haircuts for men is a great start, but if you’re serious about changing your haircut soon, here are some other things to consider.
- Consider doing trims at home. If you’re all about low maintenance looks, you might appreciate the ease of DIY trims at home with a good pair of clippers or head shaver (if you’re shaving it all off). With low maintenance cuts, you might need a trim every 2-3 months or more often, depending on how short you’re going. If you can handle it at home, trims become a lot less of a hassle.
- Avoid fades and shaved designs. While a clean fade and shaved designs are trendy and undeniably awesome, they’re far from low maintenance. Any precise cut like this will need a trim or touch-up every week or two to look its best. If you’re after less trims and maintenance, these are the cuts to avoid.
- Get comfy with your hair’s texture. Whether it’s straight, wavy, curly, or kinky, it really helps to get comfortable rocking your hair in its natural state. Learn to use the right products in your hair while it’s damp to air dry it into a style that looks good and works well for you. Mousse, anti-frizz serum, gel, curl cream, or volumizing spray can all be a big help that reduces your styling time.
- Know when it’s time for a trim. Even the most low maintenance haircuts will need a trim at some point. It’s good to recognize when it’s time for a trim, but it’s different for all lengths. If your hair is constantly falling into your eyes, won’t stay put in the styles you rock the most, or begins hanging differently or feeling heavy, you’ll know you’re due for a quick trim.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sarah Ritz/Shutterstock
Wondering what the lowest maintenance haircut is or whether or not specific styles will end up being high maintenance? Check out the most frequently asked questions below to learn more.
What is the easiest haircut for men to maintain?
Short to medium-length tapered haircuts that are slightly shorter down the back and sides are the easiest haircuts for men to maintain.
The tapered length on the back and sides keeps these cuts from looking overgrown as quickly as one-length haircuts. Tapered length helps blend and disguise extra length as it grows and lasts longer between trims.
What haircut is low maintenance for a man?
Several haircuts are considered low maintenance for men, including buzz cuts, undercuts, tapered cuts with longer hair on top, and medium to long cuts featuring layers.
For a haircut to be low maintenance, it shouldn’t need to be trimmed or maintained as often and should be very simple to style. While shaved hair and buzz cuts do require regular trims, they make up for it in the reduced need for styling.
What is the most low maintenance haircut?
The most low maintenance haircut is a tapered cut that’s slightly longer on top and gets shorter down the back and sides.
A cut like this blends new growth really well and may only need a trim every couple of months. It's even better if you can rock your natural hair texture and air dry it with mousse or gel to style it.
Is an undercut low maintenance?
Undercuts can be low maintenance, but do require more frequent trims. They are simple to style since you'll only have to focus on the top.
You will need to shave the back and sides every week or two to keep it super short, but this can be done at home with clippers or a razor in just a few minutes.
Can anyone pull off an undercut?
Anyone can pull off an undercut, but the length and style choice on top is really important in determining how flattering the undercut will be.
For a round or square face shape, you can go with longer hair on top styled up high in a pompadour.
For an oval or heart face, opt for shorter hair on top and only shave up as far as the temples on either side.
So, What Are the Best Low Maintenance Haircuts for Men?
The best low maintenance haircuts for men are going to free up your time by doing one or both of these things:
- Reducing the need for frequent trims
- Requiring less time to style
Hair that’s shaved bald, buzz cuts, and undercuts are low maintenance because they require very little styling, but they do require more frequent trims.
Longer cuts like curly mushroom cuts and layered shags require a little more time to style, but make up for it by needing fewer trims than most men’s haircuts.
Get the best of both worlds with in-between cuts, like tapered styles that are slightly longer on top with gradually shorter length down the back and sides, for less trims and reduced styling time.
With all the time you’re about to save by getting a low maintenance cut, you’ll be able to fuss with your hair a lot less and get out and enjoy life a little more.