30 Undercut Fade Haircuts Trending in 2024

The undercut fade is a unique cut that blends the best aspects of the undercut and the fade. It works on long and short hair, and when you find the right style, it’s certain to bring out the best parts of your facial features!

What Is an Undercut Fade?

An undercut haircut is all about the difference in length between the top and the sides. Usually, the top is left decently long while the sides are cut pretty short—usually a clipper or razor cut. This style is all about the sudden contrast between the long top and the short sides. Some benefits of the undercut include:

• Balances thicker hair by removing body, excess bulk, and weight
• It works well with square and diamond-shaped faces
• The contrast between the sides and the top gives this haircut a simple style

A fade haircut, on the other hand, is all about blending. Although there are many specific styles of a fade haircut, the general idea is that the longer hair on the top of the head will gradually fade into the shorter hair on the side of the head.

It differs from the popular taper haircut in one way: the fade completely disappears into the skin while the taper still leaves short hair against the skin.

And the undercut fade haircut combines the best of both of these styles. The undercut fade haircut is when the long hair on the top of the head layers and extends over the faded sides of the head, creating a marked line or undercut. Some great features of the undercut fade include:

• It works with both long and short hair
• It is a low-maintenance hairstyle
• Thick hair is easier to style
• Thin hair, because of the contrast, will naturally look thicker

What Is an Undercut Fade?

These examples show just how flexible the undercut fade haircut is. Between style, hair color, and texture, you’re sure to find an example that suits your style.

1. Standard Shaved Undercut

This style has less of a fade on the sides, which serves to extra highlight the thickness of the hair on top. Creating little to no fade like this brings out the contrast between the top and bottom and will make even the thinnest hair look thicker.

2. Undercut With Beard

The undercut works surprisingly well with a beard because there is extra contrast between the thickness of the beard, the thin razor cut of the sides, and the thickness of the top. And with some piercings on the ear, this look comes together into a complete package.

3. Undercut Slicked Back

When it comes to highlighting long hair on the top that will be combed back, the undercut style works great. With this long and slicked-back hair on top, the fade on the sides should be especially high as it helps bring people’s attention to length on top of the head.

4. Retro Mid Fade

The side part of this retro look works particularly well with a mid fade. This style of parting, a schoolboy style, highlights just how versatile the undercut fade style of haircut can be.

5. Undercut With Thick Beard

Similar to other undercut fade haircuts with a beard, this style shows just how well the undercut works with a thick beard. By pushing up the fade to start from the middle, the intensity of the thicker beard, instead of the hair on top, is the highlight here.

6. Hipster Undercut Fade

Combined with the hipster checkered shirt and the well-trimmed beard, this neat and wavy undercut style just simply works. The fade is mid on the sides and lower on the back, and overall, it leads to a balanced look. 

7. Dyed Undercut

This style showcases that the undercut fade truly is flexible. The dyed hair on top works perfectly against the high fade on the sides.

8. Disconnected Undercut Fade

The disconnected undercut fade is a great style if you want to go extra long on top. In this style, the fade on the sides is completely disconnected from the length on top thanks to the etched line. It’s a particularly daring and unique style.

9. Neat Undercut Fade

The undercut fade by no means requires long hair on the top, and this style showcases just how well short hair can do. By pushing the side fade to be higher, the short and neat hair on the top looks great. And with the beard, it captures great casual energy.

10. Undercut With Bun

The undercut is a great haircut to highlight a bun on top. This particular style features almost no fade on the sides, which works great for thin hair.

11. Layered Undercut

The layered undercut of this style works great if you don’t want to go too short on the sides. It starts with a clean look and gradually fades into the thicker hair on top.

12. High Fade Undercut

This casual look of the high fade is both neat-looking and chilled out. With long and parted hair on top, it finds the perfect balance between casual and professional.  

13. Bearded Hipster Undercut

If you like slicking your hair completely back, this hipster look with a high fade is great. And combined with a thick beard, it works to bring people’s attention directly to the face.

14. Modern Undercut Fade

The mid to high fade of this style, combined with the thickly gelled hair on top, gives great modern energy to this haircut. The high fade brings out the thickness of the hair on top.

15. Side Part

Just because you want an undercut fade haircut doesn’t mean you can’t part your hair. This style shows how a part, even with long hair, looks great with a gradual low fade.

16. Long Side Part 

Even with thin hair, the side part plays nicely with the undercut fade. The low to mid fade and neat side part in this style work to make this thinner hair appear thicker.

17. Sporty Undercut Fade

This look of a mid fade and a wavy but clean side part gives youthful and sporty energy to the undercut fade. Combined with a trimmed beard, it looks energetic and professional.

18. Afro Undercut

The undercut fade is flexible, and as you can see, it works just as great on a curly/afro style of hair texture. It makes the side of your head look extra neat and brings attention to the thickness on top.

19. Wavy Side Part 

This mid fade look works particularly well with a neat part and wavy hair. It’s a low-maintenance haircut that looks good with little effort.

20. Buzzed Undercut Fade

This haircut proves that the undercut fade works even without long hair on top. The mid fade blends effortlessly into the short hair on top. And this haircut has almost zero maintenance!

21. Textbook Fade Undercut

If there was a perfect blend of the undercut and the fade, this haircut would be it. The undercut style is preserved with the extra-long hair on top, but the mid fade also brings a gradual fade into the sides.

22. Low Fade Undercut

This low fade undercut haircut shows a great balance between the undercut and the fade. The hair on top is thick and messy, while the sides retain a slick and neat look.

23. Short Undercut 

Short hair or thin hair still works with an undercut style. This haircut shows that thin hair parted to the side almost automatically looks thicker from this haircut.

24. Caesar Cut Fade

This layered haircut with short horizontal bangs works beautifully with the clean look of the mid fade. Even though there is short hair on top, the fade makes it look way more powerful.

25. Shape Up Fade

This clean-cut style has less length on top and no part. It looks great when fresh, but it can grow back uneven and require more maintenance to keep its fresh look.

26. High and Tight Fade

This haircut combines short sides featuring a low fade with a medium-length top with a neat part. One of the reasons that it’s so popular is because its extremely low maintenance. 

27. Square Fade

With thin hair on top, this style of high fade does a great job of keeping a haircut looking fresh. The high fade will gradually grow in and keep the haircut looking fresh for a long while.

28. Comb Over Fade

The short fade cut on the side gradually leads to longer hair on top that is combed over. The clean sides and the neat part look great.

29. Pompadour Fade

This combines the clean look of the mid fade with a slicked back and long hair on top (the classic pompadour). It’s a great style to give lots of height to your hair.

30. Long Buzzed Fade

This is a shorter haircut when it comes to undercuts, but for a buzz cut, it’s on the thicker side. And the high fade on the side makes the top look thicker than it is.

Things to Consider

As you can see, the undercut fade haircut is extremely flexible and works in a wide variety of situations. But let’s get into some of the specific things you might consider before deciding on this haircut for your new look.

Makes Your Hair Look Thicker

One great feature of this haircut is that the fade from the shaved side into the thicker top will make your hair appear extra thick. For men with thin hair, this is a great bonus—even when your hair is thin, it will give a great illusion of thickness.

Draws Attention to the Head

Another feature of the undercut fade is how it naturally draws one’s attention to the top of the head. The fade is not as extreme in contrast as a standard undercut style, but the bare skin on the sides will make whatever is on the top of your head extra exciting.

So if you’ve got a style that you love on top, like dreadlocks and surfer hair, it will only be accentuated by the undercut fade. When it comes to the undercut fade, you’ll also want to decide whether you want a low fade, mid fade, or high fade.

The Fade Accentuates the Undercut

A low fade is what it sounds like: the smooth part of the fade begins lower in the hairline (at the neck) and slowly fades into the thicker top. But the high fade does the opposite. The high fade uses a shave (or extremely short trim) until the temple. The high fade particularly accentuates the undercut feature of this style.

Adds an Edginess to the Cut

And lastly, if you want to go for something wild, you might consider the disconnected undercut. This style involves a faded side that is completely disconnected from the long top. With this style, because you don’t have to make a continuous blend into the sides, you can go super long on the top. And after the disconnect, the sides fade into a skin cut typical of any fade haircut.

Is the Undercut Fade Right for You?

Hopefully, these examples show that the undercut fade is in style and is flexible enough to work with almost any hairstyle. It’s a great way to blend two popular hairstyles, and you will almost definitely look more youthful and stylish.