The 2024 hair trends for an extremely advanced cut (2024)

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Grooming

From the buzz cut to the TikTok hair, this is your barber's go-to visual guide

By Adam Cheung

The 2024 hair trends for an extremely advanced cut (4)

If you really want to switch things up this year, maybe it's time to follow 2024's biggest hair trends and go for a change up top. Whether you're heading to a job interview or you're getting ready for a first date, your hair can say a lot about who you are and what you do. If you're the adventurous type, maybe you'll go for something on the shorter side and, if you're more traditional, you probably like to keep things nice and neat. But no guy should ever be that predictable, so before you sit on the barber's chair and ask for your “usual” again, take a second to look through some of the hottest hair trends of the year.

In this GQ guide, Joe Mills, founder of the Soho salon Joe and Co., joined us to chat about some of this year's most popular cuts. We've also added a few of our personal faves too, just to spice things up a little.

If you already know the type of haircut you're after, hit the links here to skip straight there: the buzz cut, clean grow-out, centre parting, Edgar haircut, Leo DiCaprio-esque, modern mullet, the one for dyed hair, the rock ‘n’ roller, side parting, and the very of-the-moment TikTok haircut.

Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images

The buzz cut

The good thing about hair is that (in most cases), it will grow back. If you want to give yourself a bit of a reset in 2024, going for a buzz cut is always a good option. Simple, clean, and extremely low maintenance, you never know if you'll regret it until you actually try it. Just look to Michael B Jordan to see how good it can look.

Even though it looks easy to DIY, we'd still recommend hitting up your barber and getting it done professionally. That way it won't look patchy, and when it eventually does grow back (fingers crossed), your hair will look nice and even. Who knows though. You might just want to keep it buzzed forever.

Axelle/Bauer-Griffin

The clean grow-out

We're talking about growing your hair all the way out, but still keeping it nice and tidy. This is something that we all did a few years ago during lockdown, and a lot of people came to realise that they actually kinda liked it and have just decided to keep it.

The Weeknd is a prime example of how this can look casual yet sharp. “He has it textured with a curl sponge so that it’s broken up into little curls,” says Mills. “You can see that it has a smart outline and has the rest of it grown out. I think there’s been a thing over the years especially with Afro hair, that it should be short, neat, and tidy, but people are now just going for it.”

Angela Weiss/Getty Images

If you're thinking to yourself, “Wow, the centre parting is back?” Well, it never actually went anywhere. Throwing back to the '90s, this retro style has been made popular again thanks to red carpet looks from the likes of Bradley Cooper. Known back in the day for its long luxuriant locks that tumble down to your shoulders, Cooper has moved onto a shaggy finish instead for a more casual aesthetic.

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In 2024, barbers are carefully adding layers and texture to long hair to ensure that it moves and flows naturally, resulting in a style that you (or your lover) will want to touch and run their hands through all day. Be warned, though, it doesn't work for everyone.

Netflix

The Edgar

While you might not have heard of the Edgar before, you've definitely seen it over the last couple of months (if not minutes). Slowly becoming one of the most hyped hair trends out there, this style actually originated from the Jumano tribe in Mexico between 1500 and 1700. It's now the go-to cut for Lost Mary-wielding soap makers in Brixton and craft beer enthusiasts in Shoreditch.

With its blunt, abruptly-trimmed fringe and bowl-like shape, the Edgar is certainly striking to look at. But that also means its a lot harder to pull off. If you're finding it tough to visualise in your head, just think of Timothée Chalamet in 2019's The King.

CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images

The Leo DiCaprio

Admit it. Ever since you watched James Cameron's Titanic, you've always lusted over Leonardo DiCaprio's locks. Now that you're a fully grown adult and you make your own money and pay your own taxes, you can do whatever the hell you want with your hair.

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You're going to want to grow it all out for his one. If you hair doesn't naturally fall back, pick a nice wax and gently comb it all backwards. Before you finish, grab a few strands to form a slim fringe, and apply some hairspray so that everything keeps its shape. Now, you're on top of the world.

Gilbert Flores/Getty Images

The modern mullet

Whether you like it or not, everyone's horny for the mullet again. The hairstyle made its grand debut in awkward ‘80s music videos, then Joe Exotic made us question it for a second, but it’s back and it's sexier than ever thanks to big mullet men like Paul Mescal.

Hairdressers everywhere are now taking the trademark elements: length at the back, short at the sides, shagginess on the top, and adding new twists to it. “It could be really short around the sides, but it could have a bit of softness where the sideburns used to be,” says Mills. “At the back, we might add a slight undercut.”

Theo Wargo/Getty Images

The one you'd dye for

Dyeing your hair is the epitome of making a statement. Made for those who want to try something new or just want to fully reinvent themselves, bright bold tones are proving to be more popular than ever this year. Back in the early '00s, this style was for the more rebellious crowd, with scene kids colouring their hair in all sorts of shades.

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With that said, these days, it's actually more common that you think. Remember Frank Ocean's legendary Met Gala look? With a lime green buzz cut, he did the red carpet with an animatronic puppet that wore pieces from his Homer jewellery line. Ocean is more known for his mild manners and understated Prada ensembles – like the rest of his 'fit back then – so maybe this represented the strange and discombobulated times that we all live in.

Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images

The rock ‘n’ roller

It's no secret that old school hair trends are everywhere this year. And with the mullet making a triumphant return, it shouldn’t come as too much of a shocker that traditional rock ‘n’ roll styles are also becoming more and more sought-after by the second.

Basically, if Mick Jagger had it from the '60s all the way to, well… now, someone, somewhere is sitting in the barber's chair right now asking for it. We're talking lots and lots of layers and lots and lots of textures. These work best when paired with mousses and salt sprays.

Axelle/Bauer-Griffin

The side parting

The centre parting is back, and so is the side parting. This cut has been around since the '40s and it was part of the official uniform for old Hollywood. It's definitely more on the formal side, but it's also been spotted a lot on the runways of Paris and Milan this season.

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To achieve the ultimate side parting like Henry Cavill, get yourself a decent comb and hold the tip of it towards the scalp. Position this a couple of centimetres to the left or to the right of the centre line, and slowly run the comb downwards. To keep everything in place, grab yourself a good pomade, and opt for one with a glossier texture if you're going for that vintage vibe.

Edward Berthelot/Getty Images

The TikTok hair

If you ever hear a guy say that they want TikTok hair, this is what they're talking about. The high-volume swept-forward look that rules the platform has made its way into the wild and onto the likes of Noah Beck.

Curls are essential for this vibe, but you can achieve something similar with the help of a perm. It's all about going shorter at the back and sides, and pairing it all with a fully volumised bro flo at the front. This is, no doubt, one of the biggest and most desired hair trends of 2024.

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KeywordsHairGrooming

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