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  • Men's cut
  • Medium
  • Edgy
  • Textured & modern

Modern mullet

A medium, edgy and textured men's cut with 2–3 in (5–7.5 cm) on top and a fringe, finished with a tapered neckline.

Also asked for as: mullet, mullet fade, burst fade mullet, taper mullet, mullet haircut

Top
2–3 in (5–7.5 cm)
Best on
2A–3C
Recut
4–6 wks
Styling
3–5 min

Traditionally suggested for

A long neck, heart or oval faces, wavy or curly hair.

Stylist convention

Who it fits

Hair comes first: these decide whether the shape can hold.

  • Best on 2A–3C hair (wavy and curly).Hair physics
  • Possible on 1B with adjustments; your results name the variant.Hair physics
  • Medium to high density.Hair physics
  • Holds up through a Norwood 2 hairline.Barber consensus

Who should skip it

Any one of these moves it down your list, or off it.

  • 1A, 1C, 4A–4C hair (straight and coily): the shape depends on a texture it can't hold, so we rule it out.Hair physics
  • Low-density hair: the cut relies on bulk that thin hair doesn't have.Hair physics
  • A hairline past Norwood 2: at stage 3 it's shown with a caveat; beyond that we hide it.Barber consensus
  • A conservative workplace: it reads as a statement cut.Stylist convention
  • Scores lower if you have prominent ears.Barber consensus

Barbers also flag: A short, thick neck; conservative workplaces; trend-dependent (Janif 2014: rarer looks rate higher).

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

“Taper or burst fade around the ears; textured top 2–3 in; leave 2–4 in at the nape, blended not shelved.”

Side options that suit this cut

  • Burst fade
  • Low taper
  • Mid taper
  • Drop fade
Sides
Taper or burst fade around the ears
Top
2–3 in (5–7.5 cm)
Fringe
Textured
Neckline
Tapered (fades out naturally)
Technique
Leave 2–4 in at the nape, blended, not shelved
Product
Texture spray or light cream
Recut
Every 4–6 weeks

Upkeep and yearly cost

Priced at $30 a cut. Your results use your own local price.

Trim every
4–6 weeks
Per year
9–13 cuts a year, about $270–$390 at $30 a cut
Daily styling
3–5 min a day
Product
Light product
Heat tools
Not needed

Proportions, by face shape

Where the modern mullet places in our engine’s geometry-only top 10 for a textbook face of each shape: a top-3 pick for oval. Proportions are the smallest part of a real score; your hair counts for more.

Where the modern mullet places in the geometry-only top 10 for each face shape
Face shapeOn proportions
Oval#2 of the top 10
Round#9 of the top 10
SquareNot in the top 10
Oblong#9 of the top 10
Heart#6 of the top 10
Diamond#6 of the top 10
Triangle#8 of the top 10
All haircuts

See the modern mullet 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