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How Often Should Men Get A Haircut?

For guys who like to look their best, a big part of that equation is figuring out how often should men get a haircut. There’s no single right answer.

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How Often Should Men Get A Haircut?

How often should you cut your hair? Well, that really depends on what length you’re trying to maintain…

How Often To Cut Short Hair

For hair that’s under an inch long, you’ll need to go in every month to keep it short. It might be worth your time to learn how to cut your own hair, if it’s not too complex of a style. Save money on a few of those barber visits. (Though, I wouldn’t cut off the barber entirely. It’s worth it to have your hair professionally styled every once in a while.)

How Often To Cut Medium Hair

For hair that sits somewhere in the 3-8 inches range, most guys visit the barber every 2-4 months to keep it looking well maintained.

Watch out for that “shaggy” stage that lots of guys with medium-length hair suffer from. This is where you should trust the advice of the women in your life, whether it’s your mother, sister, or spouse. If they say you’ve reached the shaggy stage, you’re overdue for a cut.

How Often To Cut Long Hair

You don’t need to visit the barber often when you have long hair. I know some guys who can’t remember the last time they had their hair cut.

Here’s how I used to decide how often I needed to cut my long hair: once it gets too hard to comb it out and style it every day, you probably need to shorten it. Long hair is a lot to maintain, and there’s not shame in taking off a few inches to make your life easier.

How Often To Cut Styled Hair

Guys with a specific style – like a fade or shaved hairline – should ask their stylist how often should men cut a haircut. Expensive haircuts require frequent maintenance, so you have to plan for more visits to the salon.

How Often Should A Black Man Get A Haircut?

Based on responses from Black reddit users, guys with a tight hairline, sharp fade, or short hair see a barber as often as every 2 weeks, budget permitting. 

If you’re growing out an afro, you should see a barber before you start so that you can even out the length all over, then drop by every month or two to trim the split ends.

And if you have braids, dreads, or another updo, you don’t necessarily need to get a haircut often, but you probably should see a stylist every 1-2 months to get personalized advice for your hair. (You may need to go in more often, depending on your stylist’s recommendations.)

How Often Should You Get A Haircut If You Have A Fade?

For a fade that shows some skin, you need to visit the barber every 1-2 weeks if you want your haircut to look perpetually fresh.

You can tell when a guy starts to grow out his fade. You’ll look noticeably shaggy for a few weeks – and there’s no shame in that, if you’re growing it out for a new style. It’s part of the reason that a fade isn’t the right style for every guy. It’s expensive and time-consuming to maintain.

How Often Does The Average Person Get A Haircut?

Based on a survey from Towards Data Science, on average, guys visit a salon or barber shop almost 6 times a year, while women go approximately 4 times a year. 

Now, keep in mind, not everyone visits the salon or barber shop for a haircut. Sometimes it’s for styling, dying, or to get a perm. Break down the numbers, and women spend more for all of those services combined, while men spend more for hair cutting services. If you have heavily styled hair (like many women), you’ll probably pull the short end of the stick on both sides. You’ll visit more often (like most men) and spend more money on average (like most women).

The average woman spends slightly over $250 on haircuts and styling services annually. The average man spends just over $150.

Is Getting A Haircut Too Often Bad?

Getting a haircut often isn’t bad for your hair. On average, most hair grows half an inch each month. As long as you don’t outpace your hair with how often you’re cutting it, you’re in the clear.

Now, realistically, getting a haircut often is sometimes bad for your wallet, depending on your budget. Remember the section above, where we talked about how often you should cut your hair depending on your length? 

Try reading that section in reverse – before you choose your hairstyle, think about how often you can afford to maintain your haircut. It’s most important to choose a style that fits your budget and helps you look great.

I have a lot of friends who grew out their hair during their poor college days and rocked the wavy, long-hair look. Now that they’re settling into well-paying careers, they can afford a shorter look that takes more maintenance.

You can make your haircut look expensive and well-groomed, even if you’re running a tight budget. So if you’re still asking “how often should men get a haircut”, don’t fret.

Does Cutting Hair Make It Healthier?

Cutting your hair gets rid of dry split ends, which does make it look healthier.

The hair along your roots is the youngest and healthiest on your head. The tips and ends of your hair are the oldest, and depending on how much hair product you use, they’ve probably suffered from some long-term hair damage.

That’s why lots of people think that cutting your hair makes it healthier. It’s not that the barber does something magical to make your hair healthier… it’s that he gets rid of the least healthy hair on your head.

How Long Can I Go Without A Haircut?

Nobody is stopping you from never going to the barber ever again (well, nobody but your mother).

But here’s the thing. Maintaining your hair is part of looking presentable for work, dates, nights out with friends, family get-togethers and more. It’s also a sign of self-respect. You’re taking the time to look your best, not just for others, but also for yourself.

Sure, you could try to see how long you can go without cutting your hair and stop asking how often should men get a haircut. But to send the right message to others, you should instead consider what role haircuts play in your personal style, and plan accordingly.

Frank Edwards is a men's grooming & style expert who is "internet famous" for being able to simplify complicated grooming routines into easy, yet effective rituals any man can do. As a professional analyst, he has spent years researching the biggest brands, products, experts, best practices, and breaking news in the space. He takes this analysis, tests it out on himself, and then documents everything in his writing. As a result, his experience-based articles are considered by some to be the gold standard in men's grooming and men's style.