- Men's cut
- Short
- Textured & modern
- Clean & classic
Afro taper
A short, textured and classic men's cut with 2–5 in (5–12.5 cm) on top, finished with a tapered neckline.
Also asked for as: taper afro, afro fade, burst fade afro, temple fade afro, fro taper
- Top
- 2–5 in (5–12.5 cm)
- Best on
- 4A–4C
- Recut
- 2–4 wks
- Styling
- 5 min
Traditionally suggested for
4A–4C hair; the shape adjusts — taller for a round face, rounder for a long face.
Stylist convention
Who it fits
Hair comes first: these decide whether the shape can hold.
- Best on 4A–4C hair (coily).Hair physics
- Possible on 3C with adjustments; your results name the variant.Hair physics
- Any density.Hair physics
- Holds up through a Norwood 3 hairline.Barber consensus
Who should skip it
Any one of these moves it down your list, or off it.
- 1A–3B hair (straight, wavy and curly): the shape depends on a texture it can't hold, so we rule it out.Hair physics
- A hairline past Norwood 3: at stage 4 it's shown with a caveat; beyond that we hide it.Barber consensus
Barbers also flag: Few; needs regular moisture.
What to tell your barber
The catalog spec, in barber terms. Your own card adjusts it: part side from your crown whorl, curl notes for your texture, and a QR code your barber can open.
Read this to your barber
“Temple and nape taper (burst optional); shape the top 2–5 in rounded; sponge or pick.”
Side options that suit this cut
- Low taper
- Mid taper
- Burst fade
- Drop fade
- Sides
- Temple and nape taper; burst optional
- Top
- 2–5 in (5–12.5 cm)
- Neckline
- Tapered (fades out naturally)
- Technique
- Shape the top rounded — taller for a round face, rounder for a long face; sponge or pick
- Product
- Leave-in moisturiser and a light oil
- Recut
- Every 2–4 weeks
Upkeep and yearly cost
Priced at $30 a cut. Your results use your own local price.
- Trim every
- 2–4 weeks
- Per year
- 13–26 cuts a year, about $390–$780 at $30 a cut
- Daily styling
- 5 min a day
- Product
- Light product
- Heat tools
- Not needed
Proportions, by face shape
Where the afro taper places in our engine’s geometry-only top 10 for a textbook face of each shape. Proportions are the smallest part of a real score; your hair counts for more.
Related cuts
- French cropShort · 1A–2C
- Caesar cutShort · 1A–4C
- High and tightShort · 1A–4C
- Classic taper (short back & sides)Short · 1A–3A
See the afro taper on your own face before you sit down.
Free analysis first. Previews only change your hair, and if one doesn’t look like you, the redo is free.
Check it on my face