Hairstyle guide: FTM haircuts

How do you style FTM hair? What is the most masculine haircut? Find answers at Emisil blog!

Choosing your first FTM hairstyle can be a real challenge. Cutting your hair short can seem like the epitome of masculinity, but don’t rush to the barber before you’ve seen all the possible styles. Your appearance has a lot to do with the way you feel, so let’s go over all the possible transgender hairstyles and find the most suitable for you, shall we?

WHAT HAIR SHOULD I GET FTM?

If you ever caught yourself googling “What is the most masculine haircut”, “how do I make my hair look like a boy” - know that you’re not the only one who did that. On the other hand, we’ll have to disappoint you - there is no “the most masculine” hairstyle since everything depends on what suits you. The best way to choose the most suitable FTM haircut is to find the right style according to your face shape. There are several main face shapes - oval, square, rectangle, round, diamond, heart, and triangle:

FTM haircut styles

 

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OVAL FACE SHAPE

Oval-shaped faces tend to be longer, the cheekbones are less prominent. Oval faces are often considered feminine, so it might be a little challenging to find the most suitable FTM hairstyle.
Voluminous hair can do wonders to this face shape. Longer, messy hair and bangs will add some angles to your face. Take a look at some examples of messy, “I woke up like this” hairstyles below:

SQUARE FACE SHAPE

If you have a square face, you can consider yourself quite lucky, since it is one of the most masculine face shapes. This face shape stands out with an expressive jawline.
Square face shape looks great in many hairstyles, even in short hair (for example, quiffs or buzz cuts). If cutting your hair short seems like a no-go, you can try textured comb over or high fade + front quiff.

RECTANGLE FACE SHAPE

Somewhere between the square and oval face shapes, there’s a rectangular form. Rectangle face shape is the longest of all the remaining shapes, so you’ll need to avoid hairstyles that lengthen the face.
Avoid FTM hairstyles with short sides or with excess hair on the top. If this is your face shape and you wonder “what haircut should I get FTM?”, we recommend side part, side-swept crew cut, and slicked-back hair.

ROUND FACE SHAPE

Wide cheekbones and short in length. This face shape might not be the most complementing for transmen, since it lacks definition, angles and causes facial features to seem more feminine. Although it’s quite a feminine face shape, the right hairstyle can help you to achieve that desired manly look.
The best hairstyles that suit a round face shape are - brush back, a pompadour, tamper fades + quiff. See the pictures below:

DIAMOND FACE SHAPE

How to define diamond face shape? Well, people whose face shaped like a diamond usually have a prominent, sharp jawline and angular cheekbones. This face shape goes well with textured hair and fringes. If you find it hard to imagine how does the diamond shape look in real life, there’s a long list of celebrities who owns this face shape - Ryan Reynolds, Nick Jonas, Cillian Murphy.
If you have a diamond-shaped face, slick back, medium spiky hair, high fade with fringe, and textured crop hairstyles should fit your face shape.

HEART FACE SHAPE

Heart face shape is recognized by a broader forehead and narrowing chin.
This face shape is great for growing your hair out on the sides and the top. Messy fringe should suit heart-shaped faces very well too. The only thing that you should avoid is faded sides.
FTM guys with heard chapped faces look the best with long, messy hair on the top and fringes. 

TRIANGLE FACE SHAPE

You won’t see this face shape in the table above, but it is common among celebrities - Ian Somerhalder, Brad Pitt, Justin Timberlake, Bradley Cooper. The main characteristics of triangle face shape - the jawline is wider and the forehead is narrower.
If you want to have a perfect balance, you shouldn’t ask for faded sides once you’re at hairdressers.
Triangle face shape owners look great with a short pompadour hairstyle, fringe with mid fade, or messy trimmed bangs (fringe) on each side.

SO, WE'VE LEARNED ABOUT FACE SHAPES. WHAT'S NEXT?

Let’s overview all the possible options, so you could choose the most suitable FTM hairstyle. You'll find a list of possible FTM hairstyles here.

FTM HAIRCUTS

We listed many hairstyles to choose from, but pictures can describe everything much better than words. So let’s overview all the possible options, so you could choose the most suitable FTM hairstyle.

“I WOKE UP LIKE THIS”

A messy hairstyle that we recommend for oval and heart-shaped faces. Even though this FTM haircut seems effortless, “I woke up like this” hairstyle requires a lot of styling, forming, and shaping.
When creating this messy hair look, you’ll need mousse, hairspray, putties, or clays to keep each hair piece in the right place. If you have longer, voluminous, and thick hair, you should choose products like gels and clays, that provide stronger fixation and more texture. If your hair is fine, choose lightweight products, such as sprays or mousses. Textured hair is the easiest to style and create that messy look. Don’t forget - there are no rules in creating the “I woke up like this” look. Use a blow-dryer, pay attention to each strand, and shape it as you feel like. Additionally, you can use sea salt spray to create that “beachy” look.

FTM hair cut in style

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QUIFF HAIRSTYLE

There are several types of quiffs - short, medium, long hair quiff, textured quiff, undercut, disconnected (modern), and classic quiff. Quiff can be recognized for longer hair on the top, styled upwards & combed back, meanwhile, the sides and back are cut shorter. This hairstyle is characterized as somewhat messy in the front, while the back has a little bit more slickness.
How to create an FTM quiff hairstyle? Begin with slightly blow dyed hair, then apply a small amount of chosen styling product (either pomade, gel, or vax. Pomade will help to achieve a shiny effect, meanwhile wax and gel can accentuate the texture and volume of the hair). Work the product through your hair evenly. Finally, using a blow dryer, comb the hair into the desired direction and tease the front upwards, giving the hairstyle some volume.
A short, spiky quiff is demonstrated in the picture below.

FTM QUIFF HAIRSTYLE

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BUZZCUT

Ahhh, buzz cut perfectly defines what the transgender guys imagine as the most masculine hairstyle FTM. If you have a naturally masculine, defined face and love the idea of having a hairstyle that doesn’t require maintenance, then buzz cut is definitely what you’re looking for.
Even though buzz-cut FTM seems like an easy hairstyle that anyone can pull off and even cut on their own, this FTM haircut is not as simple as it seems. We recommend booking a visit to your hairdresser before doing anything drastic to your hair.

FTM buzzcut hairstyle


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COMB OVER

Relatively easy to maintain, classy and stylish - that’s the definition of comb over hairstyle. The styling takes about 5 minutes (when you’ll master this process, of course). All you need to do to achieve this look is to comb your hair upwards, swiping on one side, and making a side part.
Styling this hairdo is not as difficult as rocket science, unlike some other FTM hairstyles - you’ll need to start with dry hair. Carefully comb your hair forward and create a side parting. Then, using a blow dryer, move from the front to back. Keep the parting neat. Finish by working pomade or other styling product from back to front and then front again. Comb the front carefully to complete the look.

comb over FTM

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HIGH FADE

There are 7 types of fades - high, medium, low, drop, skin, temple, and burst fades. Even though it’s not an actual hairstyle itself, high fades play an important role in shaping your face. It’s a timeless FTM haircut that adds some sleekness to your style. A high fade is defined as long hair on the top, that progressively shortens on the back and the sides. This type of fade differs from the remaining 6 fades since instead of starting somewhat midway above the ears, it begins higher, around the temples.
I’ll decide to get this FTM haircut, know that fades must perfectly blend, creating a uniform look. The styling usually does not require a lot of effort, unless you choose to pair high fades with more complex designs. to maintain a sharp, neat fade, you’ll need to trim it every 4-6 weeks.

FTM high fade hair

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SIDE PART

A side part is a timeless and universal FTM hairstyle - it looks great both at the office and on the Friday nigh-out. The haircut looks great on oval, square, and especially rectangular face shapes. The side part looks the best with thicker hair, although thinner hair can be side-parted as well.
How to get a side part haircut FTM? Some tips will help you to look as good as possible:
- The best hair length for this haircut is about 2-4 inches. If you have longer hair, you’ll have some more volume.
- The setting of the razor should be somewhere between the 3rd number and the 6th. 
- Ask your hairdresser for fade or tamper on the sides, combined with the tampered neckline.

FTM side part haircut
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CREW-CUT

This haircut is strongly related to military and marines since one of the requirements is to get a comfortable, low-maintenance hairstyle while looking stylish at the same time. 
You don’t have to use any products to shape this hairstyle, although you can use some pomade, powder, or a small amount of gel if you want a more defined and long-lasting effect. This style features longer hair on the top, styled to the side, meanwhile the back and sides are evenly faded and cut short. If your hair is fine, styling a crew-cut could be a little difficult, since thicker hair tends to naturally stand up straight, meanwhile thin hair needs a little bit more fixation.

how do I make my hair look like a boy

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SLICK/BRUSH BACK

If you’re looking for a versatile & modern hairstyle, slick back hair is exactly what you need. If you have naturally straight hair, styling slicked back hair won’t be a problem. Curly hair could be challenging to form, but no worries - HERE you’ll find a video helping you to tame your hair.
When creating a slick back hairstyle, it is important to start with fresh out of shower, towel-dried hair. Grease or any product remains will flatten your hair. For best results, use conditioner after each wash. Just be careful and do not use any heavy products that have many oils in the list of ingredients.
Using a wide-tooth comb, carefully comb your hair starting from the ends - this is a less damaging way to brush your hair. Next, put a small amount of chosen styling product in layers - skip the roots in the first pass, then distribute the product evenly. Comb the hair for the final time. Remember - do not touch your hair once you’ve done styling it - the oil from your hands will break down used products.

FTM haircut slick back

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POMPADOUR

This hairstyle stands out with swept-back and voluminous hair on the top, shorter back paired with short sides. The best part about the FTM pompadour hairstyle is that it’s easy to style.
The ideal hair length for the pompadour hairstyle is 4-5 inches (the very front). The shaping and styling will take about 5 minutes. You’ll need to start with clean hair. Next, take a wide-tooth comb and gently smooth your hair back. The sides should either be slicked back as well, or cut short.

transman pompadour
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TAMPER FADES

Want to look unique and fresh? Get a tamper fade haircut! Tamper fade features longer hair on top and shorter sides, that gradually fades and can be clean-cut, making the hairstyle seem modern and stylish.
Before getting this haircut, there are few things you should consider - this cut will reveal all the flaws that you might have (bumps, scars, patches, and other imperfections). Fades can be spiked up, side-parted, combed back - it depends strongly on your preferences. Also, you might wonder, how long does the tamper fade last? Well, you’ll need to plan a visit to your hairdressers in 2-3 weeks.

Tamper fade haircut FTM

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FRINGE

Fringe is a very versatile cut - it drastically shortens the face, helps to hide a long forehead or some imperfections (bumps or scars), and best of all - it looks great on many face shapes! if you have heart, diamond, oblong, triangle, oval, square face shape, you should most definitely give fringe a try. Fringe is a no-go only if you have a round face.
Just like many other FTM masculine hairstyles, fringe requires some maintenance and styling. There are several ways to style masculine

FTM fringe
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HOW DO YOU STYLE FTM HAIR?

Hopefully, the thought about cutting your hair and choosing the best FTM haircut won’t seem like a huge headache anymore. Remember, confidence has a lot do to with passing as a man and being masculine. You’ll look good in any hairstyle, as long as you’ll feel a-ma-zing.

 


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