Haircut & Style- Modern Undercut
A better way to have disconnection in your haircuts
If you're looking to maintain length on top but want to keep the sides nice and short, then you may have considered a traditional undercut. Although you get the benefit of having plenty of length on top, there are lots of issues that come with the fully disconnected sides.
Today, we're going to be exploring the modern undercut and why you might like it much more than a traditional undercut. Remember to read right to the end for product recommendations that really bring this hairstyle to life!
What to ask for
Simple Answer
"#2 on back and sides. Hair on top is left long (about 5 inches), blended in the back of the head but disconnected on the sides."
Long Answer
Modern vs Traditional
With a traditional undercut, the sides are shaved short and brought right up the part line.
This gives guys the ability to grow out the top of their hair as long as they would like while maintaining an element of sharpness.
There are different ways to go about this, but usually, the traditional look has minimal blending which can lead to a few issues.
Issues with the Traditional Undercut
1- There is a clear separation between the top and the sides which can lead to a lot of overhang on the sides.
This may be the look you're going for, but if it isn't, you may find that you're trying too hard to get everything to slick back and stay in place.
At some point though, the hair will fall.
This is due to a lack of support on the sides to prop the hair up.
2- The sides are usually one length (like a #1 or #2) shaved right up to the part.
Those who have had this style will find that the hair tends to grow out and lose shape very quickly.
You feel your haircut lasts maybe 1 or 2 good weeks before needing to cut it again because your head is starting to look too round.
3- The lack of versatility despite having longer lengths.
With a traditional undercut, it feels like only one or two styles can be achieved. A full slick back or a combover to the side.
I've seen people try to create a side-part look with the cut, but it doesn't quite work and tends to fall apart since the hair isn't going in one uniform direction.
All of these issues are addressed with the modern take of the undercut.
How Modern Beats Traditional
With the modern undercut, we're going to include plenty of blending.
The first big difference is that we will be blending the back of the head so that we can build shape. This would be no different than an ordinary haircut that doesn't cut too far into the crown.
By doing this, we create a silhouette that will grow out nicely and can last much longer than the traditional undercut.
For the sides, there will be two big changes.
1- The parting separating the top from the sides will be dropped slightly lower than usual.
Most disconnections in undercuts are done right at the round of the head, which is a transition point from the top to the sides.
This is done so that all the hair that wants to move with the top is separated from all the hair that wants to fall to the side which will be shaved off anyway. It makes sense if you're trying to keep styling simple.
But this is what will lead to hair not growing out well. It follows the roundness of the head shape and will end up growing out round as a result.
By dropping the part down, we're taking away some of that roundness. As the hair grows out, it can still maintain a similar shape to when it was freshly cut.
2- We'll be blending the actual shaved portion.
For example, instead of taking a #2 right to the line, we'd blend the #2 into a #3 to make sure we build a bit of a shelf for the hair on top to sit on.
As the sides grow out, the shelf will grow and will continue to support the hair. This will help make the haircut last longer.
By making both of these changes to the sides, we'll be left with more hair on the top that can grow long. This allows for a bit more styling versatility, as you can now style into a side part, a middle part, a full slick back, or even wear the hair down and embrace the overhang.
Visual guide to what the heck I’m even talking about
In the image above, if we kept to the classic disconnection, we’d lose a lot of the top length as shown with the highlighted areas.
The horizontal line represents where we take that disconnection, and the vertical line shows where the hair would end up sitting as a result.
With the classic disconnection, the top hair would not sit square with the sides which would lead to the typical “pineapple” shape that some undercuts have.
With the low disconnection, we are able to style the hair so that it still blends seamlessly from the top into the sides even with a significant difference in length.
Who is this haircut suited for?
These are strategic adaptations for people who want a classic haircut without having to deal with long sides.
So it works well with round head shapes, especially when paired with a taper. Those with more angular faces can pair this with a fade as they can get away with tighter sides.
Those with fine to medium hair types will be able to pull this off much better than those with stiff, coarse hair as your hair will be soft enough to bend and stay flush with the head shape.
I've personally tried this haircut on myself and just found that my hair sticks out and mushrooms too much.
This haircut can be adapted easily for different hair types and face shapes.
How to Style
As I mentioned, this haircut can actually be styled into different looks depending on what you'd like. To replicate the look in the photo, you'd follow these steps:
1- Apply pre-styling product such as a texture spray to damp hair
2- Find the desired parting, and focus on blow-drying the parting into place first.
3- Blow dry the smaller section away from the face
4- Blow dry the larger section with a brush to build volume, directing up and away from the face.
5-Finishing with a styling product of choice.
Products for this Style
Matte Clay- Strong hold, great for volume.
Paste/ cream- Medium hold, soft to the touch, and more natural volume and finish.
Pomade- High shine and hold for a very classic look that stays in place all day.
Hope you like this haircut!
My name is Wesley, I am a Barber located in the city of Calgary helping my clients become more confident with all things related to their hair by providing customized haircuts that suit them best while demystifying all the complicated hair information out there!
