How to Do Undercut Hair for Men

Co-authored by Arthur Sebastian

Last Updated: June 30, 2023 Fact Checked

The undercut is a stylish haircut for men. The first step in doing the undercut for men is getting the right clipper and identifying the upper temple area of the person's head so you know where to cut. Next, cut the hair below the disconnect line short, while leaving hair above the disconnect line longer. The hair above the disconnect line can be left longer and pulled into a bun or topknot, or cut to a medium length and slicked back with hair products.

Part 1

Part 1 of 4:

Getting the Hair Ready

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1
Choose the right clipper for the person's hair. Without a good clipper, doing undercut hair for men can be difficult. Ideally, your clipper will be a single-length clipper. But if you want to do fading and tapering, you will need a clipper that allows length adjustments.
- The ideal clipper to do undercut hair for men is one of high quality and high durability. An Andis cordless clipper, for instance, is a popular option. As for corded clippers, an Andis or Oster model is preferable.
- With a single-length clipper, choose one that is numbered one, two, or three. A clipper set at four or above is usually too long, though some men might want to “test drive” an undercut by getting the short part of their hair clipped with a number four clipper.
- A clipper numbered at 0 is very short and shaves down to the skin.
2
Identify their upper temple area. The temples are the corners of the hairline where the hairline curves and thins, and provide an important guide when trying to do undercut hair for men. The temples sit in different locations on each person’s face.
- To identify a person’s temples, first locate their hairline, the place where their hair meets their forehead. You might also be able to locate the temple based on the position of the ears. The tops of the ears, traced forward to the edges of the face, typically intersect the temples.
- Trace the hairline to its outer edges on the left and right side.
- When you notice the hairline angle up and out, you’ve located the upper temple.
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3
Visualize disconnecting the haircut. Disconnecting the undercut refers to the process of keeping the hair that remains long on top distinct from the hair that is cut short. To do undercut hair for men, disconnect the hair at the upper temple level.
- Imagine, in other words, drawing a straight horizontal line around the “lid” of the head that passes through the right and left upper temple. Cutting hair below this line short and keeping hair above this line long will allow you to achieve a quality undercut for men.
- For a more dramatic disconnection, cut the hair higher at the parietal ridge, or the top corner of the head.
4
Part their hair where you want to disconnect it. Parting the hair will make it easier for you to see which hair you need to be cutting. Make a clean part and then clip the long hair on the top of their head back so it's not in your way.
- If their hair is too short to clip back, use water or a styling product to keep their hair parted.

Part 2

Part 2 of 4:

Cutting the Hair

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1
Apply the clipper. Turn the clipper on. Move the clipper smoothly and evenly through the person's hair beneath the invisible disconnect line. You can start on the left and move around the back to the right, or start on the right and move around to the left.
- If you want to fade the undercut, set the clipper to the setting you wish to use. Cut the hair on all sides to a point about halfway to the disconnect line.
- If you wish to do undercut hair for a man who wants a more dramatic contrast between the hair above and below the disconnect line, just cut all the hair beneath the disconnect line to an even length using the single-length clipper.
- Use long, steady applications of the clippers and shake off hair that accumulates at the front of the device. This will prevent the clippers from getting clogged, and allow you to see where you’re cutting.
2
Fade the hair. If you intend to blend the top edge of the hair below the disconnect line into the hair above the disconnect line (“fade” it), use a comb and scissors. Turn the comb so that its teeth are pointed up and away from the scalp at a 30- to 45-degree angle. Use the comb and draw out a short length of hair just above the halfway point below the disconnect line (the point up to which you previously cut using with the clippers). Use the scissors to cut the hair off.^{[1]
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- Continue around the back and sides of the head to achieve the same hair length at the same height everywhere.
- Then, use the comb again at a level just above the one you previously cut. Draw out a slightly longer length of hair, again keeping the teeth of the comb upright.
- Cut the hair off, again working your way around the entirety of the head to achieve an even length at the level you’ve selected.
- Continue in this way until the hair below the disconnect line gradually blends into longer hair on all sides of the head.
- The length you leave the longest hairs of the fade below the disconnect line is up to you. There is no right or wrong length into which you should fade.
- It is not necessary to fade the hair when doing undercut hair for men. Just ask the recipient of the haircut if they wish to have their hair faded, or if they prefer to keep all hair below the disconnect line at an equal length.
3
Readjust as needed. Whether you apply a fade or not, you will need to change the position of the clipper and the direction it moves several times. For instance, when cutting hair on the left side of the head, you might find it easiest to hold the clipper in your right hand and move it toward the back of the head. When cutting hair on the opposite side, you might find it easier to hold the clipper in your left hand and move it toward the back of the head. Move your hand to a comfortable position when doing undercut hair for men.^{[2]
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- After each application of the clipper, brush the hair straight down with your comb. This will allow you an opportunity to evaluate your handiwork and figure out if you need to cut more or rework the line along which you’re working.

Part 3

Part 3 of 4:

Finishing Up

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1
Cut the top of their hair. If the hair that remains above the disconnect line is longer than 4-6 inches, it will need to be cut. As you work toward the back of the disconnect line, the hair will need to be progressively shorter to keep it from hanging down over the back of the head.^{[3]
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- Start by cutting a guide at the back of the hair above the disconnect line. Then, comb the hair from the front of their head back to meet this guide, working with 1 section at a time.
- Some men like to keep the hair above the disconnect line long and tie it into a topknot or bun. Ask the recipient of the undercut hair for men whether they wish the hair above the disconnect line to remain long.
If the man receiving the undercut knows he wants to part it, ask which side he parts from. If he wants, you could keep the top hair (the bit above the disconnect line) longer on the side from which he parts it. This will better allow the hair to lay flat when parted.^{[4]
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3
Clean it up. Go over the sideburns and edges of the hair with an unguarded number zero clipper to achieve straighter edges. Try to achieve a straight, sloping line from the back of the ears to the neck, and a smooth curve along the hairline around the back of the neck. Remove any straggling neck hair creeping down the neck. Don’t forget to clip stray hair that may hide behind the ears.^{[5]
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- Wash the hair out in a hairdresser sink. Dry it with a towel.

Part 4

Part 4 of 4:

Styling the Undercut

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Pomade is a hair product made of water-soluble solution. It helps hair achieve a clean shine and is a popular choice for holding undercut hair for men in place. Pomade is a suitable product for slicking undercut hair back or to the side.
2
Choose styling wax. Styling wax is a hair product that gives your hair a smooth, soft texture but also creates definition. Styling wax might feel tacky in the hair and is thicker than gel, pomade, and other hair products.
- One potential styling combination is to slick your undercut hair back with styling wax, then blasting it with a hair dryer for twenty to thirty seconds to achieve more volume.
Hairstyling cream (sometimes called “styling cream”) is the best choice for styling undercut hair for men that is curly or frizzy. In undercut hair for men, styling cream provides a natural shine and creates the impression that the undercut hair is thicker. It also has moisturizing properties to keep your hair healthy. Hairstyling cream allows the undercut hair more movement than styling wax or pomade, and is a good choice when you want you wish to give the hair more freedom.
4
Try a hair gel. Hair gel offers the hair only limited movement. Hair gel is good for styling undercut hair with definition, shine, and texture. If, for instance, you want to style undercut hair into a spiked or other vertically-oriented shape, hair gel is your best bet.
- Hair gel tends to be thinner in consistency than pomade and often has a range of holding strengths, from “lightweight” to ‘’heavyweight.”
- Gels are easier to wash out of the hair than pomades and waxes.
If the recipient of the undercut has wavy hair, use a wide-toothed comb to manipulate it. If they have straight hair, use a conventional comb. You can comb the hair to the side or slick it straight back.
Men may want to wear the undercut with or without facial hair. An undercut looks great with a long beard, a short beard, or no beard at all. Getting your undercut with a nicely trimmed beard, though, can give you a more classic look.^{[6]
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I want to get this haircut, but I don't want people to notice that I got a new haircut at school (8th grade). What should I do?

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People will notice if you get a haircut. Don't worry about it. You'll probably get quite a few compliments, and then people will forget about it and move on to talking about something else.

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Should I show my stylist this if I want to get this haircut? I already have a haircut sort of like this but it's a bit different.

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Yes, show your stylist what you want and explain what is different between it and your current style.

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Could I blend in the back?

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Yes, you could.

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Experiment with a number of hair styling products after you do undercut hair for men.

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Always follow styling product directions when using haircare products.

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