It sounds like another term dreamt up by a harebrained marketing team but drop fade haircuts are a legit and increasingly popular style for men. They work with all hair types, combine with lots of other styles and it’s the kind of precise, dramatic finish that makes your look not just styled, but tailored.

Perhaps for that very reason, you see it a lot in any walk of life where grooming and peacocking are one and the same – think football, hip-hop, menswear blogs. If you want A-list inspo, Jamie Foxx, footballer Aaron Ramsey and Drake are just three celebrities to enlist the style and their cuts prove that it can work with anything from a classic, side-parted sweep back to a boxed-in buzz cut.

You don’t need a Premier League stylist to get your own, though. Drop fade cuts are easy to achieve, and regular maintenance will keep your locks in place, providing a template for barbers to cut into. The big question is whether you suit one and, if you do, which way you should go with it? Below, we drop the science on the drop fade to help you make the cut.

But First, What Is It?

“A drop fade is similar to a regular fade haircut, but it gradually lowers at the back of the head and around the front hairline,” says Katie Conlon, stylist at Topman’s resident barber, Johnny’s Chop Shop. “This allows for more depth around the crown, and a sharp outline to the face.”

All of which sounds quite similar to another fail-safe classic: the faded short back and sides. There are a couple of subtle differences, though. “A short back and sides is generally symmetrical all the way around, and doesn’t drastically dip in any area,” says Conlon.

This means that while you can expect something neat and orderly with the latter, a drop fade packs a more noticeable gradient as it tapers to your hairline. Handy, especially if you want to pivot from the cookie-cutter haircuts of the last five years.