Buzz Cut Hairstyle: 6 Styles & 58 Looks

I have a love-hate relationship with the Buzz-cuts.

Between the age of 13 to 17, this hairstyle was forced upon me from the above. At the conservative Chinese high school I was attending at that time, the buzz-cut was the official haircut for boys as mandated by the school’s rules.

You know like how Buddhist monks shave their head to signify that they have let go of vanity and are fully committed to seek nirvana? I guess that’s what our chairman was trying to do when he approved this rule, but instead of the intended academical nirvana, we had to seek solace in rule-breaking modified school uniforms. Long story short: I wasn’t a fan of buzz-cuts. LOL

But time changes everything. As things in life gets more complicated with age, I’ve grown a preference for simpler things in life. (It’s strange that I thought of Britney’s legendary head shaving incident right after I finished writing the previous line. She’s now the face of Kenzo and I’m glad she’s in a better place now. And no, I didn’t have a meltdown lol) After having long and coloured hairs, buzz cut’s low-maintenance and timeless appeal finally triumphed over my vanity. I’ve been spotting this hairstyle in different variations for quite some time now. What was once super uncool to me suddenly feels comfortable and cool again. (In fact, it’s quite a popular hairstyle among male models and actors.)

Of course, the “induction” (or “burr”) buzz-cut from my high school years won’t make the cut (pun unintended) for my head shape – and perhaps not for you as well. Before you let your barbers starts shaving your head, get to know these six timeless styles of buzz-cuts that you can try:

1. The “Induction” Buzz Cut

In short, just look at this picture below:

Zayn Malik in Induction Buzz Cut. Source: pinterest.com

Yes, you’re just a few millimetres away from having a fully shaved head. No tapering on the sides and the necklines and there’s no bang. The length of the hair is the same all around.

More Induction Buzz Cut inspiration:

2. The Burr Buzz Cut

Nick Jonas’ Burr Buzz Haircut. Source: fashionbean.com

The Burr Cut is technically still an Induction cut, just that it’s a slightly longer version. If you’re familiar with clippers guards, pick guard #1 or guard #2 and them trim across the head without tapering just like the Induction cut.

More Burr Buzz Cut inspiration:

3. The Butch Buzz Cut

Model Wyatt Caldwell in Butch Cut. Source: instagram.com/whatswithwyatt

The Butch cut is the Burr cut with slightly longer top (created with guard #3 and guard #4) and with a signature style – it has slight tapering on the sides and the necklines. You can usually notice the difference in length between the top and the rest of the sides and necklines.

More Butch Buzz Cut inspiration:

4. The Brush Buzz Cut

Chris Evans Classic Brush Buzz Cut

The Brush Cut is Butch cut with a noticeably longer top (usually comes with a little bang) and more tapered sides and necklines. The bang is usually brushed up (as it’s too short to be styled down) making your head looks like a brush, and hence the name.

More Brush Buzz Cut inspiration:

5. The Crew Cut

Anderson Cooper’s signature crew cut. Source: v76.com

The Crew Cut is the Brush cut with a longer front – or “Buzz cut with a bang” as I would normally call it. With a longer fringe, you can style it up, down or to the side. (In comparison, you can only style your Brush cut straight up because the front of a Brush cut would normally be too short to be styled in other ways.)

The Crew cut is my favourite style and sometimes I spot a hybrid of the Crew cut and the Ivy League cut.

More Crew Cut inspiration:

6. The Ivy League Buzz Cut / Harvard Clip / Princeton Clip

Chris Hemsworth in Ivy League Buzz Cut

The Ivy League Cut has many names. It is the longest variation among the classic buzz cuts, and probably the most common buzz cut that you can easily spot on men of different ages across the globe. The Ivy League Cut is the longer version of the Crew Cut – it’s long enough that you can style the top with a side part, quiff or even a pompadour.

More Ivy League Cut inspiration: