wavy hairstyles for men

Wavy Hairstyles for Men

Wavy hair looks strongest when the cut leaves enough weight for movement while keeping the outline intentional. These references compare short tapers, side sweeps and longer layers so you can choose a shape that works with your natural texture instead of fighting it.

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The lookbook

Wavy Hair haircut ideas

37 hairstyles

man with medium wavy dark hair and natural texture

Medium Wavy Texture

UpkeepMedium

StylingLight cream, air dry or diffuse

Medium wavy hair, natural movement, low-shine styling

wavymediumnaturalvolume

Barber note: Leave enough weight through the top and temples for the wave to sit naturally, then clean only the perimeter instead of aggressively thinning the interior.

man with shoulder length wavy hair and soft layers

Shoulder-Length Wavy Layers

UpkeepMedium

StylingLeave-in conditioner and light cream

Long wavy hair, softer face framing, natural movement

wavylongmediumnatural

Barber note: Keep the longest length at the perimeter, add only light face-framing layers and avoid over-layering the crown so the wave pattern stays weighted.

man with textured wavy top and tapered faded sides

Textured Wavy Taper

UpkeepMedium

StylingCurl cream or matte paste, 3 minutes

Short wavy hair, tapered sides, defined natural texture

wavycurlyshorttaper

Barber note: Leave visible wave length on top, keep the taper below the temple and use point cutting instead of thinning shears to avoid a fuzzy finish.

bearded man with medium wavy side swept hair and blazer

Wavy Blazer Side Sweep

UpkeepMedium

StylingFlexible cream and a loose comb-through

Medium waves, short beards and business casual styling

wavymediumbeardside part

Barber note: Leave enough length to sweep naturally away from the face, tidy the ear area without making a hard fade and keep the beard sideburn transition soft.

man with medium wavy hair and light taper

Wavy Medium Taper

UpkeepLow

StylingLeave-in conditioner, 2 minutes

Wavy hair, medium length, relaxed professional style

wavymediumtaperover 40

Barber note: Use scissors on top, taper only the neckline and sideburns, and keep enough weight to control waves.

Side Swept Hair With Beard

UpkeepMedium

StylingCream, comb, 5 minutes

Medium hair, full beard, business casual style

beardmediumside sweptprofessional

Barber note: Leave length through the front, taper around the ears and shape the beard so the jawline stays defined.

Medium Waves With Beard

UpkeepMedium

StylingCurl cream and beard conditioner

Wavy hair, natural finish, oval faces

wavybeardmediumnatural

Barber note: Keep wave length around the crown, taper around the ears and blend the sideburn without flattening the natural shape.

man with longer top hairstyle and tapered sides

Long Top Taper

UpkeepMedium

StylingBlow dry cream, 6 minutes

Wavy hair, men keeping length, mature casual style

mediumlongtaperwavy

Barber note: Keep length through the top and front, taper the sideburns and neckline, and remove weight from the ends only.

man with long wavy hair and layered natural texture

Long Wavy Layers

UpkeepMedium

StylingLeave-in conditioner, light cream

Wavy hair, medium to long lengths, natural movement

wavylongmediumvolume

Barber note: Keep the ends healthy, layer just enough to prevent a triangle shape and leave weight through the front for controlled movement.

Long Wavy Hair With Beard

UpkeepMedium

StylingConditioner, light cream, beard oil

Wavy hair, medium beard, men growing length around the neck

wavybeardlongmedium

Barber note: Trim the ends cleanly, keep enough weight through the lower hair and reduce beard width near the sideburn so the profile stays balanced.

Relaxed Side Part

UpkeepLow

StylingLight cream, 3 minutes

Wavy hair, easy professional style, softer grow-out

side partmediumwavyprofessional

Barber note: Keep the side part natural, leave soft texture through the top and choose a taper that will stay balanced between barber visits.

bearded man with wavy side swept hairstyle

Wavy Side Sweep With Beard

UpkeepMedium

StylingFlexible cream, finger style, 4 minutes

Medium wavy hair, fuller beards, business casual settings

wavybeardmediumside swept

Barber note: Keep the side direction soft, retain enough front length to sweep naturally and blend the sideburn into the beard without creating a hard step.

Long Wavy Profile

UpkeepMedium

StylingLeave-in conditioner, air dry

Long wavy hair, natural texture, beard balance

wavybeardlongmedium

Barber note: Keep the length around the ears and nape intentional, remove only damaged ends and shape the beard so it does not compete with the hair's width.

man with short wavy fringe and tapered fade

Wavy Fringe Taper

UpkeepMedium

StylingTexture cream, 3 minutes

Short wavy hair, relaxed fringe, low taper fades

wavycurlyshorttaper

Barber note: Keep a little extra length at the fringe so the wave breaks forward naturally, then taper the sideburn and neckline without pushing the fade too high.

Floral Wavy Beard Profile

UpkeepLow

StylingLight cream, finger style

Medium wavy hair, short beards, natural side shape

wavybeardmediumnatural

Barber note: Use scissor work to keep the wave's outer shape soft and make the sideburn transition match the beard density rather than sharply disconnecting the two.

man with a soft curly crop and tapered faded sides

Soft Curly Crop Taper

UpkeepMedium

StylingCurl cream or matte paste, 3 minutes

Short waves or curls, tapered sides, relaxed everyday texture

wavycurlyshorttaper

Barber note: Keep the top long enough for the curl pattern to show, taper below the temple and avoid taking the front into a blunt straight fringe.

man with shoulder length wavy hair and natural texture

Shoulder-Length Wavy Texture

UpkeepMedium

StylingLeave-in conditioner, air dry

Longer wavy hair, natural movement, low-shine routines

wavymediumlongnatural

Barber note: Preserve the perimeter length, remove only damaged ends and add light layers only where they stop the sides from spreading outward.

Textured Wavy Taper

UpkeepMedium

StylingMatte paste, finger style

Short wavy hair, visible side shape, sharper casual styling

wavyshorttaperfade

Barber note: Leave enough uneven texture on top for the wave to break naturally, then keep the taper gradual instead of creating a hard disconnected shelf.

Short Wavy Temple Taper

UpkeepMedium

StylingLight cream, 2 minutes

Short wavy texture, narrow side cleanup, simple daily styling

wavyshorttaperfade

Barber note: Keep the taper limited to the temple and sideburn, with enough length above it that the wavy top does not look abruptly disconnected.

man with medium wavy hair swept softly to one side

Medium Wavy Side Sweep

UpkeepMedium

StylingLight cream, air dry or diffuse

Medium waves, soft face framing, low-shine texture

wavymediumnaturalvolume

Barber note: Keep enough front length to move diagonally, reduce only the heavy side bulk and avoid over-layering through the crown.

Loose Wavy Fringe

UpkeepMedium

StylingCurl cream, diffuse lightly

Loose curls or waves, soft fringe, fuller natural texture

wavycurlymediumfringe

Barber note: Keep the fringe broken and flexible, retain weight at the perimeter and use light point cutting rather than aggressive thinning through the top.

Short Wavy Profile

UpkeepMedium

StylingTexture cream, 3 minutes

Short waves, clean profile, low-effort textured styling

wavycurlyshorttaper

Barber note: Keep the top slightly longer through the front and crown, then fade only enough at the sideburn to give the profile a clean outline.

man wearing glasses with medium wavy hair

Wavy Cut With Glasses

UpkeepLow

StylingLight cream, finger style

Medium wavy hair, glasses wearers, relaxed natural shape

wavymediumglassesnatural

Barber note: Keep the temple area tidy around the glasses arms and retain enough length on top for the wave to sit with soft width instead of puffing outward.

bearded man wearing glasses with long wavy hair

Long Wavy Hair With Glasses

UpkeepMedium

StylingLeave-in conditioner and beard oil

Long waves, full beards, glasses wearers, natural styling

wavycurlylongbeard

Barber note: Keep the hair behind the ears purposeful, clean the beard perimeter and remove only the dry ends so the overall silhouette stays balanced around the frames.

man with medium blonde wavy hair and soft volume

Blonde Wavy Volume

UpkeepMedium

StylingLight cream and a quick blow dry

Medium waves, soft height and polished creative settings

wavymediumprofessionalvolume

Barber note: Leave enough length through the front for the wave to rise naturally, then shape the side bulk with scissors instead of a severe fade.

man with a medium wavy side sweep outdoors

Wavy Winter Sweep

UpkeepLow

StylingFlexible cream, finger style

Medium waves, relaxed side direction and low-shine styling

wavymediumside partnatural

Barber note: Keep the part soft, leave length where the hair changes direction and reduce the sides gradually so the shape grows out without a hard line.

man with medium wavy hair and loose textured volume

Editorial Wavy Volume

UpkeepMedium

StylingSea-salt spray and light cream

Medium waves, loose front movement and a textured silhouette

wavymediumvolumenatural

Barber note: Keep the length through the crown and front, take out only the weight that makes the sides widen and finish with soft texture rather than a sharp part.

man with a wavy medium length shag haircut

Wavy Denim Shag

UpkeepMedium

StylingLeave-in conditioner, air dry

Loose waves or curls, fuller fringe and natural texture

wavycurlymediumfringe

Barber note: Keep the fringe irregular and movable, retain weight through the sides and layer only enough to stop the crown from becoming triangular.

Sunlit Wavy Profile

UpkeepLow

StylingLight cream, finger style

Short wavy texture, natural profile and simple daily styling

wavyshorttapernatural

Barber note: Keep the side cleanup limited to the temple and ear area, leave enough uneven texture on top for the wave to show and avoid a hard disconnected fade.

man with medium wavy hair brushed back and a short beard

Wavy Brushed Beard

UpkeepMedium

StylingFlexible cream and a loose comb-through

Medium wavy hair, short beards and understated business casual styling

wavymediumbeardside part

Barber note: Leave the top long enough to sweep away from the face, taper the sideburn into the beard softly and avoid a hard part that makes the wave look stiff.

man with medium curtain style hair and a relaxed beard

Medium Curtain Flow

UpkeepMedium

StylingLeave-in cream, air dry

Medium movement, soft curtains and relaxed casual styling

wavymediumbeardcurtain

Barber note: Keep the center break soft, leave enough length around the temples for the hair to fall naturally and remove bulk only where it crowds the ears.

Wavy Beard Profile

UpkeepLow

StylingLight cream, optional

Short waves, full beards and relaxed natural styling

beardwavyshorttaper

Barber note: Keep enough uneven texture for the wave to show, take out only the side bulk near the ear and blend the beard line without raising the taper too high.

man with short wavy hair and a low faded side

Wavy Low Fade

UpkeepMedium

StylingSea-salt spray and light cream

Short waves, controlled side contrast and a casual clean finish

wavyshorttaperfade

Barber note: Keep enough length on top for the wave to bend, use a low fade around the ear and avoid thinning the crown so much that the texture falls flat.

man wearing glasses with a short wavy textured crop

Glasses Wavy Short Crop

UpkeepLow

StylingLight cream, finger style

Short waves, glasses and relaxed everyday texture

glasseswavyshorttextured

Barber note: Keep the texture soft through the top, clear only the bulk directly above the glasses arm and avoid a rigid straight fringe line.

man wearing glasses with medium curtain style hair

Glasses Curtain Flow

UpkeepMedium

StylingLeave-in cream, air dry

Medium movement, glasses and a soft center break

glasseswavymediumcurtain

Barber note: Keep the center break soft, avoid over-layering around the crown and clear only enough side weight that the hair can fall cleanly around the frames.

bearded man with medium wavy hair in a dark studio portrait

Wavy Beard Dark Flow

UpkeepMedium

StylingLeave-in cream and finger style

Medium waves, short beards and relaxed natural movement

wavymediumbeardnatural

Barber note: Leave enough length through the front and crown for the wave to fall naturally, soften the temple area and avoid a sharp hard part that breaks up the movement.

bearded man with medium wavy brushed back hair

Long Wavy Leather Beard

UpkeepMedium

StylingFlexible cream and a loose comb-through

Medium waves, facial hair and a relaxed brushed-back shape

wavymediumbeardbrushed back

Barber note: Keep enough weight at the crown for the wave to stay together, taper the sideburn gently into the beard and avoid over-thinning the ends.

Choose a wavy haircut by movement, weight and side shape

The useful question for wavy hair is not whether to make it curlier or straighter. Start with where the wave becomes visible and how much width it creates. Shorter wavy cuts usually need texture through the front and a soft taper at the sideburns, while medium cuts need enough perimeter weight to stop the top from puffing outward.

A taper or low fade can make wavy hair easier to wear when the sides feel bulky, but the top should not be over-thinned. Ask for scissor work through the crown, controlled weight near the temples and a transition that follows the way your hair naturally bends. That keeps the style defined after it dries without forcing a hard shape.

Use a light cream, leave-in conditioner or sea-salt spray based on how dry your hair feels. Wavy hair normally looks better with flexible separation than with shiny pomade or a stiff brush-through. Show the barber whether you air dry, diffuse or use a quick blow dry so the finished length matches your real routine.

Show where the wave starts and whether it becomes wider at the sides or toward the crown.
Ask for layers only when they remove real bulk; too many can make waves look frizzy.
Choose a taper, fade or natural side length based on how quickly you want to return for a cleanup.

FAQ

What is the best hairstyle for men with wavy hair?

A textured taper, natural side sweep, medium layered cut or longer brushed-back shape can work well because each leaves enough length for the wave pattern to show.

Should wavy hair be layered for men?

Light layers can help when the hair is dense or expands at the sides, but removing too much weight can make waves look uneven. The best amount depends on where your hair bends and how you dry it.

Can men with wavy hair get a taper fade?

Yes. A soft taper or low fade can clean up the sides while the top keeps natural movement. Ask the barber to preserve enough top length that the wave does not turn into a flat, over-textured crop.

Related hairstyle guides

Hairstyles for Men With Curly Hair Medium Length Hairstyles for Men Long Hairstyles for Men Professional Hairstyles for Men Short Hairstyles for Men Simple Hairstyles for Men

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