What’s important is that you strike a balance between personal aesthetic and contemporary trends, making every strand and follicle work to your benefit. You should also be prepared to get handy with the hair product, as even short men’s haircuts can go horribly awry when left to their own devices. Hence, be sure to brush up on our tips and pointers before surveying images of the best men’s short hairstyles.

Thanks to an overabundance of hair products, creative minds, and social trends there are all too many men’s short hairstyles out there in the modern world. As a result, it seems that more and more men veer a little closer to Zoolander territory one bowl cut at a time. Thankfully, most men still prefer a simple look that’s handsome but not necessarily runway-ready and there remain a few tried and true masculine styles that will never out of fashion.

While easy to manage and therefore endlessly appealing to men, a proper buzz cut has taken on a new dimension in recent years. If you have healthy growing hair, avoid the military buzz cut and consider an outgrown buzz cut instead. The latter requires a little more maintenance and often some hair product, but what you get in return is more room to flaunt those follicles and demonstrate personal style. Grow out the cut just a tad more and you can play with texture or volume and achieve a desirable balance between precision and messiness.

A solid crop cup is usually defined by short hair fixed close to the crown and commonly pointed forward or up. You can opt for equal length all around or juxtapose a longer top with a solid undercut and/or fade. With short men’s hair, the crop cut exudes sharpness. It’s a great look for the modern professional who works as hard as he plays.

The pompadour might sound like something left over from 18th century France, but it’s actually a stunning look for men with short or medium length hair. There’s no need to go full Elvis. Instead, maintain a short men’s haircut and keep those follicles tame but nevertheless formidable. You have options here, like whether to go for a hard side part, prop it up or sweep it back. You might also consider tapering the sides. Whatever you decide, expect people to notice your new trendy cut. The juries out as to whether there’s a substantial difference between the pomp, quiff and faux hawk—I think we’ll let your barber deal with that one.

It might look effortless, but a quality messy hairstyle is anything but. Not only is this style immensely popular, but it’s a classic way to find your own unique look without veering too far outside the box. Meanwhile, the aesthetic pairs a timeless sense of masculinity with modern grooming techniques. Throw a killer smile into the mix and you’ll be breaking hearts every time you walk out the door.

Speaking of masculinity, thanks to Don Draper, the men’s short-haired comb-over is back with a vengeance. As mentioned previously, comb-overs, or front flips as some like to coin, shouldn’t be used to mask thinning hair, however, if you’ve got the volume, apply some product and rock that part the way Mr Draper himself would be proud of.

The simple undercut is sharp and clean, this men’s short hairstyle leaves no room for wrong impressions and is as trendy as they come. Giving up the fade on the sides did not damage the overall style of a man opting to do his hair in this way. Cleanly shaved on the sides but with a richer top hair, this hairstyle can go well even with a more professional setting such as an interview or a business meeting. What’s more, the top hair will provide the basis of any future haircut. Though harder to maintain than other men’s hairstyles, the simple undercut is both practical and attractive.

Even after all this time, the pompadour remains synonymous with Elvis Presley, which doesn’t necessarily do the cut justice in terms of how far its come. Commonly distinguished by short hair on the back and sides, and full, voluminous hair on top, the popular men’s haircut requires a fair amount of product and maintenance but looks downright irresistible when executed properly. For a brilliant study in contrasts, go extra short on the back and sides by way of a fade or undercut.

Being the fastest hairstyle for men, shaving your entire head might sound like the lazy man’s way out, the truth is that a quality buzz cut can often do wonders for your overall appearance, especially when it plays off the contours of your face.  Oval and square-shaped faces usually go best with the buzz cut. Meanwhile, don’t think that the cut leaves no room for personal style, as there’s still some room to play with texture and length. While on the subject, should you take the length up a full notch, then you might find yourself in crew cut territory. Take it down a full notch and you’re now bald and proud.

Not every short back and sides haircut has to cling tightly to the crown. Instead of a buzz cut or undercut, ask your barber for a 4 back and sides cut, which keeps things uniformly short in length, but not too short. This cut also leaves plenty of room to play with texture and style.

Now that we’ve covered the basics, peruse images of over 50 men’s short haircuts to see which one is right for you. Good luck, gents!