As a professional barber, I often say one thing – subtlety is the key to taking regular hair designs to an unreachable level of common appraisal and admiration.
Burst fade haircuts are in compliance with this art of subtlety because the initial aesthetics allow it to generate dashing & fabulous hairstyles for men!
A great aspect of this hair styling technique is that it can be merged with almost any haircut and suited to every hair texture available.
Whether you’re looking for ideas to include in your next haircut, or methods you can follow to get things done by yourself – this article has got it all!
So buckle down and take a stroll through these dynamic haircuts that I’ve put on display to upgrade your fashion class to the next division!
Table of Contents
- Latest Burst Fade Haircuts For Tasteful Men
- Brown Mullet
- Low Burst With Umbrella
- Mohawk Two Tone
- Smooth Curly Hair
- Taper Burst Fade
- Taper With Design Arrows
- Mid Height & Shaved Notches
- Bleached Straight Hair
- Long Hair Twist
- Two Tone Fancy V Cut
- High Burst Spaghetti
- The Edgy Edgar
- On Short Hair
- Fancy Comb Over
- Clean Buzz Cut With Line
- One With Wavy Hair
- Black Men Hair Rows
- Caramel Slick Back
- Fohawk With Beard
- Easy Crop Top
- Suave Faux Hawk
- Drop Burst Fade
- Bleached & Permed
- The Perfect Asian
- Afro Crown
- Blonde Dreads
- Curly & Messy Top
- French Crop Sharp Fringe
- Mexican With Emoji Face
- Alluring Textured Fringe
- Passion Braids
- Skin Fade With Parallel Lines
- Platinum Blonde Cut
- Man Bun & Serrated Edges
- Glazing Line Up
- Curly Highlights
- Tight With Beard
- Bleached Two Block Bang
- The Box Cut
- Inverse Crew Cut
- Premium Pompadour
- A Short Quiff
- Hard Side Part
- Twist Ropes
- Energetic Blue Burst
- Kids Burst
- Celebrity Styles
- The Burst Fade DIY: Made Easy
- FAQ
- Thoughts
What’s A Burst Fade?
If I describe from the conceptual perspective, a burst fade is a hair designing technique that fades the side hair in the shape of a burst.
Confused? Imagine dropping something that explodes in an oval circumference. A similar instance happens to your hair that reduces the length in a circular patch.
The center of the burst is often placed at the ear, thus the fade region surrounds the hair area around that side.
Based on the extent of the burst, you’ll find the basic categorization into three heights:
- Low burst
- Mid burst
- High burst
There are other categorizing methods as well, but this stands as fundamental to the burst fade haircuts in general.
Latest Burst Fade Haircuts For Tasteful Men
The following are some of the most highly revered haircuts in the burst fade category that have been styled by fashionable men as well as numerous celebrities.
Brown Mullet
The most trademark instances of burst fades can be witnessed in mullet designs due to their common aesthetics. A brown mullet consists of medium hair dyed in the mentioned color and with significant lengths both at the crown and the nape.
Generally, the nape hair is allocated a higher length than the top hair. Sides are to be trimmed down to a very short level so that the burst around the ear region can surface properly. Brush down your hair without using any chemicals to make everything look natural.
Such burst fade mullets are to be neatly lined out at the fringes for a contrastive look. This can be achieved using a line up trimmer or even manual razors, should you have the expertise.
Low Burst With Umbrella
If something like a mullet doesn’t suit your taste bud due to being a little over the top, you can certainly give this umbrella hairdo some thought. It’s not very difficult to get done with quite straightforward maintenance, the only concern remains whether you’re willing to look extravagant or not.
Your hair body requires some layering up for this design to sketch itself up. A low burst fade on the sides render your face significantly longer than usual. Sharpen the edges and convert the nape line into a rough ‘V’ to comply with the overall concept.
Some application of hair wax or mousse should settle the matter of the hanging hair up front as the cream will hold them firmly in mid air.
Mohawk Two Tone
Who says a mohawk can’t be toned down to be carried around within a formal environment? This rendition in particular challenges all the preconceived biases. It places the most dashing hair concept begging to be tried out with your short to medium length hair!
Start with a burst fade around the sides so that it becomes a distinguishing feature of the design. Then, simply size down the temple hair so that the gradient with the crown is smoothened out. Nape hair can cover the neck skin with rough fringes.
To seal the look, grab a small chunk of your frontal hair and bleach that portion into a bright blonde tone. This two tone is a magnificent touch to push the mohawk aesthetics further up!
Smooth Curly Hair
A burst fade isn’t solely made for people with fine hair as it accommodates curly hair textures equally with its aesthetics! If you take a leaf out of the curly book I’m about to show you, you’ll surely be able to generate styling ideas for your natural hair.
Your smooth curls don’t need to be trimmed down as a whole, only the side portions should suffice. Then the burst application must be followed and the nape hair shaped up to give the haircut an overall form. Frontal hair can hang down over the forehead as a fine decoration.
Taper Burst Fade
Another curly hair example is set forth for the ones who have a little less hair density. In such cases, controlling the hair is somewhat convenient. Hair length for this look is toward the shorter side and the coils are to be formed consuming a lower density on each curl.
There are many ways to treat a burst fade, one of which is present here that expands up to the hairline toward the front. It can be complemented with some taper all the way around as it calls for a suave hair concept. Moisturize your curls regularly to keep the look lively!
Taper With Design Arrows
Deviate from boredom by putting in some captivating designs on the faded region. It’s going to add an edge to your look while classifying you as a fashionable individual. Thus, such a rendition of burst fade taper with design is the ideal gateway to treat your curls the right way. Ones with fine hair can land it as well, but the hair length should be a little longer.
Mid Height & Shaved Notches
Taking your burst fade mid level can grant you access to implementing some visible shaved notches. For instance, the edge of the burst does contain significant hair that awaits your trimmers to display two very small shaved shapes. Longer hair resting over your head and nape presses a grand contrast against the skin exposing region to make you look eye-catching!
Bleached Straight Hair
For your straight hair, burst fade can be designed in many different ways. And if your hair is quite lengthy, then you’re probably in for a sexy treat! With everything removed from the sides, your crown hair should be bleached in layers. Then, just let all of it slide down over your nape to imitate a gorgeous tail design!
Long Hair Twist
It’s true that many of the consumers feel like committing to this trend of hairdos but are reluctant to lose their long hair in the process. However, a stark contrast generally pays out well and such is the case for this concept as well. Long hair burst simply opens up the temple area with the rest of the hair brushed backward.
Two Tone Fancy V Cut
As V cuts are currently trending in the hair industry, there are plenty of routes you can choose to implement this technique in your haircut. A V cut burst is consequently one of those methods bearing a wider and less sharp variant at the nape. Bleach the top layer of your hair that transitions toward the back to settle this fascinating hairstyle!
High Burst Spaghetti
Not all spaghetti cuts are blonde toned, thus you won’t have to live in fear of ruining your precious curls. Rather, an extended high burst fade to cover all around should provide you with a platform to place the remaining hair body. Let the curls spill over the fringes like an overflow of fancy spaghetti for a jiggly, black boy hairdo!
The Edgy Edgar
Many know it as Takuache haircut while the Western society regards it as Edgar, it too can be made into a full-proof Edgar burst should you be willing to! It’s a radical haircut, nonetheless, you’ll find it very difficult to elude its sharp frontal fringes and edgy charm. You’re going to be a head-turner for sure should you choose to endorse it to your look!
On Short Hair
Short burst fades are low-maintenance and high impact haircuts that’ll set you in a position of forgetting your hair’s existence. Fringes are sharply maintained while the nape line sees a lift toward both sides. I’d recommend it to people who live in hot areas, but you’ll need to make sure that you put on sunscreen on the exposed areas.
Fancy Comb Over
There’s a common misconception that burst fade comb over designs won’t stick the landing as they rarely go together. I must concede that comb overs are highly appealing hairstyles that can drastically improve your fashion choice. But given that a burst simply enhances it further begs me to guide you into a more refined variant of this hair design.
Clean Buzz Cut With Line
Buzz cut burst style is like putting on layers of delicious cakes and finishing it off with some icing on top. A highly convenient haircut with potential to draw focus on your sharp jawlines, a burst fade only adds more character to it. And if you’re feeling adventurous, why not throw in a shaved line on the temple in a form of subtle wave?
One With Wavy Hair
Wavy hair is sometimes a struggle if you prefer a neat & tidy upkeep. But keeping it messy spares you a lot of hassle with maintenance and some added benefit of looking casual at every occasion. To make it look like you do care about your haircut though, a wavy burst reduces some portion of your hair body and renders you presentable!
Black Men Hair Rows
Black men burst should be a go to haircut for those who can’t contain their tight coils should they gather some length. Trimming everything down to a minimal size could be a start. But make sure not to expose your skin, for that wouldn’t last you more than a week. A subtle burst in the end would only highlight your beautiful curls to the watchers.
Caramel Slick Back
It’s a rather neat haircut ideally for men with oval faces. Since we’re talking about a slick back burst, it translates into lesser hair volume on the sides with long locks flying backward. This creates an illusion of a longer face for those who naturally possess a different shape. Dye it into a soft caramel color to let the hair textures announce their presence.
Fohawk With Beard
In this category of charming hairstyles, burst fohawk is often uttered using only the latter noun as burst fade is by default a permanent member in this cut. To comply with the rest of the aesthetics, shorter hair at the top and nape should be properly pomaded up. Then, simply push them up to mimic a mohawk and a full beard to complement the effect!
Easy Crop Top
Most of the burst crop top variants are straightforward haircuts with the least amount of complications. Whether we’re talking about the styling process or about the maintenance, it always caters to the ones who don’t have much time to spend on hair. Shorter sides with slightly longer hair on top, a well-kempt beard can easily settle the matter for your new look!
Suave Faux Hawk
Remember, no matter how many faux hawk styles you’ve encountered till now, most of them belong to a slightly radical area. That said, this suave burst fade faux hawk defies all of those suppositions to make its mark as an all-round haircut befitting both office spaces and house parties. Key to perfectly obtain is to work on your nape and to keep it tidy like my concept.
Drop Burst Fade
Drop fades can walk the path with most of the casual hairstyles. If you’re someone who prefers to keep his styling options open, then this drop burst would be your quintessential choice. The rest is up to you – whether you want to simply lay your hair down without any interference or spike everything up to generate a spicy impact!
Bleached & Permed
This design is one of my personal favorites due to the gorgeous tone your hair locks would carry upon implementation. Burst perm is a concept that’s left to be explored by a wide array of consumers, thus you’re bound to receive a very unique cut if it draws your appeal. Bleach the top layer beforehand to let your perms shine like the sun!
The Perfect Asian
Asian burst has been trending not only in Korean styles, but also all across the continent. Its embedding in different cultural contexts has produced some authentic haircuts as such that doesn’t demand much after the initial hairdo. You can simply draw a soft part on one side and comb the hair accordingly to reach that level.
Afro Crown
Extend the afro burst to a level where people would start calling you their styling king! Afraid you don’t have a crown for that? Hold on to that thought because I’ll help you sort that out. Once the burst fade is in place, combine your loose afro hair together into a large group that’s fastened with a hair band at hair root. This is to be the glorious crown that sits on your head at all times!
Blonde Dreads
When you think of dreadlocks, which image comes to your mind? An image of long dreads formed with every thread of your hair, or something so premium as this one? Bleach out the second half or use blonde feed-in extensions to create the design. Play with your trimmer for the area encompassing the head to fine tune the burst dreads look!
Curly & Messy Top
It’s not mandatory to smooth out your curly hair using hair pomades or waxes. Sometimes a messy burst is all you need for a daily, frizz free hairdo. Make sure to condition your hair every now and again so that the curls can retain moisture properly. Shine your way out the front door everyday to let this messy top haircut energize you!
French Crop Sharp Fringe
Applying a French crop in your daily attire implies that you’re in for a very easy and relaxed lifestyle when it comes to doing your hair in the morning. All you’ll need is your combs to brush everything down. During the cut, sharp frontal fringes with burst French crop should be the instruction to suffice this classic hairstyle.
Mexican With Emoji Face
Mexicans are well known for their knack of highly appealing fashion sense as this Mexican burst is a prime of that statement. Medium burst fade clears out a sizable area on the temple that allows the top hair to sit over perfectly. The unique aspect here is the shaved emoji face that we witness on rave masks, placed tactfully at one side of the nape.
Alluring Textured Fringe
Length gradients have always given birth to some unorthodox haircuts, but the one I’m showing you now actually meets the standard regulations. Your frontal hair is to be kept longer and the size should gradually decrease as you move toward the back. This variation gives the burst textured fringe more temperament to rank you as a stylish man!
Passion Braids
There’s an indisputable charm in the burst fade trends due to the uncountable ways you would be able to design your hair. However, a passion braid is placed among the finest by revered stylists based on its enticing character. One thick braid on either side till the nape with a mesh of smaller braids in between, the zig zags push everything over the top!
Skin Fade With Parallel Lines
Burst skin fade isn’t easy to attain due to the miniscule difference in length and the precision required to sketch one out perfectly. If your confidence tells you to have mastered the delicate work of electric grooming devices, then simply go for it with some longer hair flowing in each direction. A couple of shaved parallel lines is a great decor for this look!
Platinum Blonde Cut
Your hair would be asked to go through an extensive bleaching process to reach this outcome, so buckle up for a quite lengthy session. Blonde burst has been a popular choice for many years now, but dyeing a platinum tone over it only sets it aside as a special hairdo from the rest. Neatly comb at the crown and fluff up on nape for this dynamic look to work perfectly!
Man Bun & Serrated Edges
Let your hair fringes team up with the beard edges to radiate a lunar effect on your face! Burst man bun is the foundation for this look as it follows a hefty cleaning up procedure. Tie up your bun on the crown and let your line up trimmers refine the edges everywhere. You can keep some hair on your nape to add some versatility.
Glazing Line Up
A glazing hair color is like having two hair designs at the cost & effort of one. Meaning, implementing such a tone reflects different lights in various ways to make it seem like a dynamic colored hairdo. A burst line up takes care of the side hair and the frontal updo makes your face look longer. 10/10 would recommend every fashionable individual to grab this.
Curly Highlights
Fire up your curls with these adorable highlights should you feel natural color is quite underwhelming for your taste. It actually borrows the mullet aesthetics into the curly trends by maintaining longer hair from the front to the nape. Burst highlights allow you to look desirable even with the simplest of styling procedures!
Tight With Beard
A burst with beard is often chosen by the beard enthusiasts because it creates a defining region in between. Where the hair ends, the beard doesn’t begin immediately and this generally charms the onlookers at each glance. Keep the hair tight, preferably tied into a knot with long beards flowing down like a beautiful, brown waterfall that’s combed on a regular basis.
Bleached Two Block Bang
Wear your pride like a banged cap by utilizing the burst two block mechanics. It’ll create colored layers by applying hard bleach on the top block. The lower block should be kept at its original tone to create the contrast more apparent. Brush everything down so that there’s the opportunity to sharpen up the bang hugging down your forehead.
The Box Cut
Drawing from the Russian styling trends, the burst box cut simply beats the odds of being categorized under mundane hair designs. While the burst fade burns down hair around the ear region in a half circle, maintaining the rest of the hair can prove to be a little challenging. You can use hair gels to keep the box edges pointy throughout the day.
Inverse Crew Cut
Crew cuts tend to trim everything down to a very minimal length to give you a chance of low-maintenance hairdo. However, the inverse burst crew only applies these aesthetics on the sides with a sharp division between the top hair. Shorter nape grows into long, free flowing hair streaks that can be leveled up by adding highlights.
Premium Pompadour
A revival of the 80s designs is flooding the popular culture at this time of year. With that note in mind, burst pompadour refines that glory into what we can call a custom made premium haircut for ones with medium hair. Some hair mousse could help you with the puff at the front and a couple of notches made using naked trimmer blades serves the nape just right.
A Short Quiff
Every variant of quiff caters to different tastes of men and are to be worn at separate occasions. This one in particular is perfect for a corporate space if you’re willing to trim it and style it regularly. Burst quiff allows you the opportunity of mixing a beard or stubble to the concept and leave you with a light head where hair doesn’t interfere with your actions at each step.
Hard Side Part
Burst side part creates a cleft between your top hair to the side. Identifying the hairline is of essence here as it’s the most natural manner to hold the hair off with minimum chemical intervention. Longer hair tends to benefit with this style than the short. A subtle dye into choral green has the potential to ooze a sexy aura out of you.
Twist Ropes
A protective hairstyle is often demanded by ones with natural hair, and the burst twist does your hair some justice in this regard. You’ll be mostly playing with your crown and nape hair as the rest are to be scrubbed off almost entirely. Sharpen the fringes and twist the curls into ropes to let them down the back in style!
Energetic Blue Burst
Give your look a rush of energy that’ll motivate you in return at every instance of looking yourself in the mirror. The burst fade should be abruptly halted as it moves closer to the crown. A solid bleach followed by the blue dyeing session renders an ocean-like hair flow. Dip an indent down the middle of your forehead for additional glory.
Kids Burst
Why should you deprive your kid from these alluring designs while the grown-ups are drawing dashing results out of this concept? The kids burst fade is a hefty little trick to help your child up the styling ladder in the current age. Rest of the hair body is loosely handled as a high-maintenance cut has the possibility of unnerving them quite easily.
Celebrity Styles
This section focuses only on the prominent celebrities who have taken this haircut genre to the next level with their authentic hair designs!
The Lamelo Ball Burst Fade
Lamelo Ball’s haircut fever has consumed the US mass culture for a long time now, and you can’t argue with the appeal his hairdo carries in the young fans! His springy curls along with his swift movement around the court stands as an inspiring haircut for thousands of people!
It’s great if you have springy hair naturally such as Lamelo Ball himself, otherwise you’ll need to improvise. Based on your hair density, you might need to perm your hair or simply interpret it in a unique manner which your original hair can accommodate.
Then comes the burst fade part. It looks dashing with springs like Lamelo’s and natural curls or even waves can generate similar results effectively!
Curly Neymar
Among the ton of Neymar’s hair designs, we’re opting for the least maintenance, short & curly haircut so that a wide array of consumers can mimic it. An expanded burst fade should treat the sides perfectly and leave the grounds for the top hair to stand out in an exquisite fashion!
The curls should be formed with lower volumes of hair, meaning, each of the curls is going to be quite thin. You are free to use hair wax to tighten down the curls and dye the hair in this dark caramel tone beforehand with the use of bleach.
Guide these curls toward the top to resemble a spike look and grow some tight beard to ooze manliness from the overall concept!
Devin Booker Buzz
Haircuts from Devin Booker are a quick & easy way of climbing up the stairs of contemporary fashion trends. These are simple to get done with minimum effort on maintenance. It’s made for both coily and fine hair, so there’s one for all from the Booker designs!
The one in question here is a buzz cut with some sizable length up top. Trim everything down to a short level using your hair clipper to match with the buzz principles. Wear the burst the way Devin Booker applies on his scalp with a neat portion going up smoothly.
Follow it up with a narrow beard starting a little down the sideburn line. The thin area ensures that it remains within the same palette as the buzz burst.
James Harden With Beard
Although James Harden’s most of the haircuts are tagged with his iconic, full beard embedded with natural curls, we must pay attention to his hairdo as well. The one I’m currently presenting resembles a curly faux hawk which can be made out from the length distributions.
The frontal hair is quite short as opposed to the slightly longer nape hair. You’ll notice the higher density as we climb down the back and the faded sides only add to that aspect. This faded patch is enhanced with a glorious high burst that almost touches down on the hairline.
Copy his hefty beard if you’re feeling confident enough, but remember that the maintenance isn’t going to be an easy task.
Nick Young’s Coils
Tight coils can sometimes land you in a tricky spot between wanting to keep it short or letting it grow into some dreadlocks. But drawing ideas from NBA star Nick Young’s style should help you see a third way of going about it – applying a burst fade with some sizable hair.
What Young does is, he maintains the coils length from the crown to the nape at the same size. Three inches should be ideal, which you can measure by pulling the coils out. Once the length is met, trim the sides so that the high burst can find its place within your fancy hairdo.
Wax up the curls regularly and spike them upward. Neatly line up the fringes so that it doesn’t generate a messy effect.
The Burst Fade DIY: Made Easy
I often recommend getting burst fades done by professionals who know how to apply it perfectly without faltering. However, if you feel confident in your own abilities and have the necessary instruments present by your side, then go through the DIY section for a detailed walkthrough.
Things You’ll Need
There are a few things you’ll be needing while styling into this hairdo. They are:
- A comb
- Pair of scissors
- Clipper with adjustable comb guards
- Line up trimmer
Once you have these gathered around, you’re free to move on to the styling process.
Step 1: Zero Down The Side
Start with small increments so that the fading afterward becomes easier and you have a little more headspace should any mistakes occur. Strip your clipper off any comb guards and start at zero.
The naked blades are to trim down the oval area surrounding your ear and zero down half an inch of area from the outskirts. Whatever I tell you to do, you’ll have to perform it on both sides of your hair.
Step 2: Increase Comb Guard Size
Now comes the part a bit trickier than the zeroing procedure. This is where you’ll put on a +1 guard or tweak the settings if your clipper is an adjustable one. Go through our hair clipper sizes guideline that’ll assist you in understanding the differences.
With the +1 comb, trim half an inch inside the previous zero trim following the same oval path. Go up to +2, +3 & +4 clipper sizes repeating the same technique. It should generate five hair patches with varying lengths awaiting a smoothing out process.
Step 3: Fade
Since it’s a burst fade haircut, there must be a fade in place. With the increasing comb guard technique, you’ve laid down the foundation for that.
You can either grab your combs & scissors to create the fade or an electric foil shaver to do that more efficiently. Also, a clipper with +1 guard can achieve the same result, but your hand will have to be very firm and precise to get that done nicely.
Any of these methods can be followed to reach the same conclusion, so make your pick according to your expertise.
Step 4: Line Up The Edges
As the last step, draw out the edges using a line up trimmer. This is to be performed at the nape’s fringe, the ends of sides and the area around the forehead.
It gives the haircut an overall character and renders a more neat & composed effect than it would before.
You can follow this video tutorial for a more visual demonstration of the procedure I’ve just described so that you can perform the task precisely!
FAQ
Let’s quickly glide through a few important FAQs regarding burst fades to improve our knowledge on the matter!
Q: Is a burst fade a taper?
A: No! A burst fade and a taper are two completely different haircut techniques. While the former reside around the ear region, the latter works with the hair fringes all around.
Q: Can you have a burst fade in the military?
A: Military hairstyles follow different guidelines from one country to another. As per the US military standards, if the regulations are met then you can have a burst fade without raising a brow.
Q: How long will it take for burst fades to grow back?
A: It depends on what you’re expecting. If you want them grown back to a non-faded length, I’d say give it a couple of weeks. If you want them back to a longer length, it could take over a month.
Q: My son is 8 and we pay $30 for his burst fade haircut. Is that too much?
A: Haircuts have variance in cost based on locality and the barber shop’s stature. Generally, it shouldn’t cost more than $10 since he’s only 8 years old.
Thoughts
If I have to speak briefly about burst fades, I’d call them a blessing for all mankind – especially for fashionable men who prefer a low upkeep process.
Since drawing the burst is the only major step you have to take, the styling is much easier than most of the fancy-looking men’s haircuts.
Also, the ability to be hybridized with different styling concepts leave the doors of potentials open for creative minds to ideate new designs everyday.
With this tool in hand and a thorough concept in mind, you can find yourself as a popular hair stylist should you be able to compose a trendy design on TikTok or Instagram!
The methods are simple, tools are ready, all that’s left is your experimentation and application of burst fade, so that we can receive ecstatic hair designs!
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