Top 40 Professional Hairstyle Ideas For Men – Success In The Form of Style

Like the tailored suit, a fine professional haircut is treasured among any serious businessman. It’s a part of the first impression that you make. There is an old saying that you should dress for success and your hairstyle plays an important role in that.

While it’s true a neatly pressed shirt, tailored jacket and polished shoes make for charming good looks, good grooming still remains at the heart of it all.

For any man who wishes to make a great first impression, a stylish haircut will do it. It won’t make the introduction for you, however, it will speak volumes about how you much respect yourself. Not to mention, it also frames the face and highlights your features.

The idea of what a professional haircut is has changed over the years with offices, militaries, and construction industries all having their own idea of what a professional haircut is. What we do know is that we’re in an age now where many rules have been relaxed and men have much more freedom when it comes to having a professional cut.

To get an idea of what solid grooming looks like when it comes to the hair on your head, I’ve put together a list of the most popular professional hairstyles you can have today. We also have a range of picture examples so you can see exactly what we mean. Let’s dive deeper into the best professional hairstyles for men!

1. Textured comb over

If we were the pick the most popular of the professional hairstyles, it would probably be the textured comb over. This is where you have shorter sides with textured hair on the top that is swept over from one side to the other.

It requires a fair amount of product but it can give you brilliant style while maintaining a groomed look. This professional hairstyle is great for many different business environments. The length of the hair on top is up to you with some men having plenty of volume.

2. Buzz cut

The buzz cut is perfect for the serious professional. It’s a no-nonsense hairstyle and one that can really show off masculine features. #1 on the clippers can look a little intimidating but a #2 or #3 is a cut that looks professional and a haircut you can do yourself.

It may also be the perfect choice for those with balding or thin hair. It allows you to walk around with confidence rather than needing to worry about your bald patches or lack of volume. One thing is for sure, you can’t go wrong with the buzz cut.

3. Crew cut

While the textured comb over has gained plenty of recent popularity, the crew cut has long been a favorite of professional men. This is where you have short sides along with slightly longer hair on the top, which usually has a little product.

Whether it is in the office, a wedding or a bar, the crew cut doesn’t look out of place anywhere. It’s the quintessential professional look for those wanting to look handsome. The short hairstyle is also fairly easy to maintain and looks great on almost all men.

4. Textured pompadour

The classic pompadour isn’t a professional one, it’s too rock ‘n’ roll. Think of Elvis in the ‘50s with that high slicked-back hair. The modern pompadour is a bit less boisterous and doesn’t have quite the same shine.

With the textured pomp, you comb your hair from front all the way to the back and use the likes of hair gel and pomade to keep the hair texture perfect. It’s ideal for those who want to be professional but do something a little different.

5. Taper fade

The taper fade is a way to style the side of your head with the hair going from long to short. On top of our head, you can have any type of hairstyle you want as you can keep it short or do something bolder, like the pompadour.

The taper haircut is a business hairstyle for the modern man. It works great as an office hairstyle but it can also be used in many other settings. The taper fade is a more striking way to have a regular hairstyle.

6. The well maintained cut

A line through your hair? Lots of product? A bald fade? A beard? These are all things that once may have been deemed unprofessional. If you work in a place that doesn’t make such judgments, feel free to express yourself.

The above picture is a great example. The man looks sharp, looks detail-orientated and takes care of his appearance. Because he looks so good, he looks professional. It shows that you don’t need to tick traditional boxes.

7. Professional beard

A beard had usually never been part of a professional haircut. These days, we’ve even seen some military organizations relax their rules on the beard. They can look stunning, especially with a short haircut.

If you do have a beard, then simply ensure it is well maintained and not scraggly. A messy beard can give the impression you have no personal pride. This isn’t to be confused with a bushy beard, as they can look great when brushed and maintained.

8. Undercut

A bold business haircut is the undercut. Here you’ll have very short high sides along with medium length or longer hair on top.  It’s a professional hairstyle for the modern age.

The natural hairstyle isn’t going to be accepted in strict office or work environments, as a word of caution. For those allowed a bit more freedom, it’s a great choice.

9. Slicked back

Did you look at the pompadour and think that it looked great but that looked a bit too high for you? Well if so, the slicked back hairstyle may be what you want. This is where your hair is combed back but much less dramatically than the pompadour.

It can look great with regular length sides of as a fade haircut. You can style the top however you like. For the slick-back look, you’ll probably want to have some hair product that can add some shine to your hair. Pomade is the perfect product for this look.

10. Ivy league

The Ivy League haircut is essentially a longer version of the crew cut hair style. With this, the hair will be slightly longer on the top with the sides often having less of a close cut.

It’s suitable for those with medium hair that still want a slick professional look. It requires a bit more maintenance than the crew cut due the longer hair. It’s will work in many different environments and is another that suits almost all men.

11. Blowout

The blowout is similar to the pompadour except that it’s not combed back in the same way. With the blow out, you want your natural hair nice and high without it pointing significantly in one direction or another.

The blowout can be a good solution for those with curly hair as it looks best with short sides and the texture up on top. When well maintained, it can look business-like and professional.

12. Faux hawk

For those wanting to be a little more daring with their cut, they can go for the faux hawk. We’ve all heard of the Mohawk which is where you have very short hair while having a long thin strip down the middle.

Well, the faux hawk is a professional version of that. You don’t have the sides as short and the hawk is usually less defined, wider and shorter. It suits those with straight hair or wavy hair and also it will elongate your face shape.

13. Quiff

The quiff is essentially a short version of the pompador. You brush your hair upwards from your forehead but it doesn’t travel as far back as it does with the pompadour.

This means your hair has less volume, which should make it easier to maintain. In terms of product, the choice is yours in terms of shine but you’ll want something that has a strong hold, such as wax or clay.

What is an unprofessional haircut?

We’re moving into a different time and the line between professional and unprofessional has become blurred. For a long time, long hair was seen as an unprofessional hairstyle but those attitudes are changing in some offices. Hair color can also be judged negatively if it has been dyed.

The reality is that different professions have different rules. We’ve even seen recent world leaders who sport messy hair, so perhaps the rulebook has been thrown out the window! It’s always important to know the working environment you’ll be in and what is expected of your apperance.

Here we’ve tried to look at professional hairstyles with a modern twist. Thankfully, you have a lot more options than men of the past.