How To: Men’s Medium/Long Haircut (Scissor Cut Tutorial)

Men’s longer hair is totally trending right now! These shaggier, medium to long cuts are a great option for guy’s looking to grow their hair out and try something new. In this post I’m going to explain everything you need to know about men’s medium to long cuts. Below you can watch my step by step Youtube tutorial where I do this exact cut on my boyfriend.

Over the last year, Arlan (above) has been growing his hair out to get to a much lower maintenance look than his previous fade he wore before. We’ve done a few cuts to get to this point from a fade, mostly just trimming the back so he didn’t have a mullet! But now we’re at more of a maintenance point and don’t want to go much longer than this, so I figured it was the perfect time for a tutorial!

If you’d like to see the first cut I gave him to begin this transition, see my post here.

Men’s medium length haircut

The very first steps in cutting this men’s medium to long cut is to wet the hair and cut the perimeter in the back. You’ll want to first do this in your fingers, and then comb the hair against the neck and cut it while it’s smooth against the skin.

Cowlicks are extremely common on the back hairline, and this is the first way you’ll navigate them. You’ll also check them dry later on.

Next you’ll section the hair before beginning your layering and the bulk of the haircut. If the hair isn’t properly sectioned, you’ll have a much harder time maintaining control of the hair. Things can get messy, and that’s normally when mistakes happen.

Section the hair straight down the middle, and then divide off the nape of the head horizontally at the occipital bone. This is where you’ll begin taking your vertical sections for layering the hair.

What degree layer to cut a men’s medium/long haircut?

When doing a men’s medium to long cut, you’ll want to opt for a 45 degree angle. If you don’t know what I’m referring to, check out my post here where I talk about layers and layering the hair.

We keep this angle for the majority of the haircut until we get to the very top of the head. Since he is growing his hair out from a shorter cut, the top still had a little catching up to do.

If you also fit into this category, you may need to switch to a 90 degree angle to blend the top in with the sides and the back. If you don’t do this, you may have a “step” or a weight line in the hair where the layers don’t blend properly.

Why to blow dry men’s hair while cutting

After finishing cutting the bulk of the hair wet, I HIGHLY recommend blow drying before finalizing the haircut. Hair always lays different when it’s wet from when it’s dry, so it’s important to always check your cut dry.

Particularly with men’s hair, the hairline in the back often needs adjusting. It is extremely common for people to have cowlicks on the back of their head, particularly at the hairline.

The hairline hair tends to grow in multiple different directions, which can cause the hair to lay at different lengths. You won’t notice this as much when it’s wet, so while it may look like a straight line, when dry it looks totally uneven.

It’s also difficult to see weight lines in the hair when it’s wet. And with men, you’ll definitely have different weight densities from the top to the back and sides. You’ll correct these weight lines by texturizing, which brings us to the next section.

Why you should always texturize men’s hair

While texturizing men’s hair can be scary for some, it is actually one of the most important parts of the haircut; especially for men’s medium to long hair!

Since the top of men’s hair is often thinner, the back and sides can appear extremely bulky and heavy. This intensifies the look of the thinner hair on top. So to correct this, the hair on the back and the sides will need to be texturized to create a more balanced and blended look.

You’ll also need to texturize the ends of the hair on top, so that the hair is not being weighed down. Especially since the hair is relatively long, it can have the tendency to lay flat because of the weight of it. When you texturize the ends, the hair can achieve more volume and movement instead of sitting flat on the head.

What scissors to use on men’s hair

***Since I’m sharing the products that I love to use with you guys, this page includes affiliate links to these products. If you take action and purchase a product through clicking one of my links, I’ll make some commission money from it at no extra cost to you. This enables me to be able to continue giving you awesome hair tips, so thanks! ***

You can find the hair cutting tools that I used in the video tutorial below:

• Haircutting Scissors: https://amzn.to/41tw99r
• Thinning Shears: https://amzn.to/3OUBbV2
• Combo Set: https://amzn.to/4fm6QJG
• Feather Razor: https://amzn.to/3P0ahve

Conclusion

Men’s medium to long haircuts are trending right now! These hairstyles are low maintenance and allow guys to go much longer between haircuts than a shorter cut or fade.

The 5 steps for a men’s medium/long haircut are as follows:

1. Wet the hair and cut the perimeter
2. Section the hair before beginning to layer
3. Layer the hair at a 45 degree angle all around (if the top isn’t long enough, you can switch to a 90 degree angle to blend the top into the sides)
4. Blow dry the hair after cutting
5. Texturize the hair to finish the haircut

As I mentioned I highly recommend watching my Youtube tutorial for this video so you have a good visual reference! Please leave me any questions you have on this topic below in the comment section. And as always, be sure to subscribe below if you want to make everyday a good hair day!