Best Quiff Hairstyles For Men
The Timeless Appeal of the Quiff Hairstyle
Few men’s hairstyles have stood the test of time quite like the quiff. Originally popularized in the 1950s, this voluminous, swept-back style has seen countless reinventions over the decades—each one adapting to modern trends while keeping its classic edge intact.
What makes the quiff so appealing? It’s that rare mix of polished and effortless. Whether you're dressing for a boardroom, a night out, or just want to look put-together day-to-day, a well-styled quiff works across nearly every setting. It adds height, structure, and personality to your overall look without going over the top.
The versatility of the quiff also makes it ideal for a wide range of hair types and face shapes. Have thick, coarse hair? Great. Thin or fine hair? Still works. Whether your face is round, square, oval, or diamond-shaped, there’s a variation of the quiff that will enhance your features. Plus, it works equally well with fades, undercuts, side parts, or longer, messier styles.
This guide covers everything you need to know about the quiff—from different types and how to style them, to face shape recommendations, product tips, and inspirational images to help you choose your next look.
If you’re looking for a hairstyle that’s both stylish and easy to maintain, the quiff should be at the top of your list.
Let’s dive into the best quiff hairstyles for men and how to make them work for you.
Looking for a hairstyle that strikes the perfect balance between modern style and timeless class? The quiff haircut is your answer. It's sharp, versatile, and works across hair types—whether you're heading to a boardroom or a night out. This guide showcases the best quiff hairstyles for men, ranging from clean and professional to bold and edgy.
What makes the quiff stand out is its shape—a voluminous front, brushed upward and back, creating a structured yet effortless look. Depending on how you style it, it can feel sleek and refined or messy and textured. You’ll find styles here that work for straight, wavy, or even slightly curly hair, with suggestions for fades, undercuts, or tapered sides to match.
Each quiff variation featured in this article includes detailed styling notes, who it suits best (by face shape or hair texture), and how to maintain it. We’ve also added product tips to help you achieve that long-lasting volume without stiffness or greasy buildup. Whether you’re going for a classic quiff, a textured modern version, or a short low-maintenance cut, you’ll find something that fits your routine and personality.
To take things a step further, we’ve included FAQs, visual examples, and pro tips—so even if it’s your first time trying this style, you’ll get it right. This isn’t just a hairstyle; it’s a statement. The quiff instantly elevates your look and shows you care about your appearance without looking like you tried too hard.
So, if you're ready to level up your grooming game, scroll through and discover the best quiff haircut that fits your vibe. Your next signature look could be just one scroll away.
Quiff hairstyle can set you apart if you do them right. Today, I'm going to share some of my best quiff hairstyles for men with you. Hope you'll love these hairstyles.
Hairstyles are one of the trendiest aspects of the fashion world. Especially when it comes to men. In men fashion, a haircut can make the strongest of statements and that is why it's important to have the perfect hairstyle according to your face structure to give your appearance the best look.
A lot of hairstyles have come and gone. Some have stuck around for a while some haven't but one of the most prime hairstyles that you must have seen in every generation of men is the quiff hairstyle.
You know how two hairstyles are often combined to create a better and more effective third variant? That is exactly what the quiff is.
The lovechild of the pompadour and the 1950s flat top, the quiff hairstyle has been around for a few decades now – and for good reason.
This is one of the best ways to style your hair, whether you are going to sport a casual or a more professional look.
Yes, you will have to invest some time in getting into certain grooming lesson to get this hairstyle to work out for you, but that investment will be well worth the result.
The quiff works best when you can infuse your hair with volume simply by combing it in a particular way without adding a lot of product to it, which is where grooming lessons will come in handy.
So without any further ado, read our guide on how to style your quiff to complement your face
The quiff started off as a hybrid of two different hairstyles, the pompadour, and 1950s flat top. It is considered as a classic versatile haircut for men who intent on making a statement in public, whether it be getting ready for a date or for delivering your clients are a professional presentation.
The quiff hairstyle sticking around for so long was obviously prone to changes and these changes were brought by the fashion world with different decades.
The modern quiff hairstyle too is different from its predecessors. In 2024 the trend basically would be to pull back a hefty amount of hair from the front of the head while the hair length recedes further back.
It can be considered as a more retro rebellious form of military cuts where the hair is short on the sides.
As the quiff hairstyle involves longer hair on the middle and shorter on the sides.
Related: 16 Best short fade haircuts for men
Styling a quiff isn’t hard—but doing it *right* makes all the difference. Follow these steps to get that perfect, voluminous lift that stays sharp all day:
Here's an easy to understand graphic explaining what a classic quiff hairstyle is!
How to Style a Quiff (Step-by-Step)
1. Start with Damp, Towel-Dried Hair
Quiffs are best styled when your hair is slightly damp, not dripping wet. Pat your hair dry with a towel, leaving it around 70% dry.
2. Apply a Pre-Styler (Optional but Powerful)
A volumizing mousse, sea salt spray, or heat protectant adds structure and helps the quiff hold better. Spray it evenly, focusing on the roots.
3. Blow-Dry Upwards with a Round Brush
This is *key*. Using a round brush, lift the front section of your hair while blow-drying. Aim the dryer at the roots to build volume and shape. For extra hold, finish with cold air.
4. Work in Your Styling Product
Depending on the finish you want:
Matte pomade or clay** for a natural, modern look
Glossy pomade for a classic, slicker vibe
Rub a small amount between your palms and apply from root to tip, focusing on the quiff area. Use your fingers for a textured style or a comb for a clean sweep.
5. Lock It in Place
If needed, use a light mist of hairspray to hold the quiff in place—especially if you’ll be outdoors or need all-day hold.
Since the trend of the quiff hairstyles doesn't seem likely to end any soon and if you're someone looking for a haircut that would be appreciated by others. You should go out now and get yourself a smooth quiff haircut.
Here's a video showcasing how to style a quiff hairstyle
Quiff Maintenance Guide
To keep your quiff looking sharp daily (and not like a deflated puffball by mid-week), you need the right routine. Here’s how to maintain your quiff without spending hours every morning:
1. Trim Regularly
Every 3–4 weeks, visit your barber to keep the sides tidy and the top in shape. A grown-out quiff loses structure fast.
2. Wash Smart
Avoid overwashing. Shampoo 2–3 times a week to prevent drying out your hair, and always follow with a conditioner to keep it soft and manageable.
3. Use Dry Shampoo Between Washes
It absorbs excess oil at the roots and adds texture—perfect for reviving second-day hair.
4. Blow-Dry to Restore Volume
Quickly restyle your quiff by dampening the front slightly and using a blow dryer with a round brush to lift it again.
5. Refresh Styling Product
Don’t keep piling on product. Instead, rinse lightly, towel-dry, and reapply a small amount of your preferred wax, pomade, or clay.
6. Protect While Sleeping
Sleeping on cotton pillows flattens your quiff. Use a silk or satin pillowcase to reduce friction—or wear a soft head wrap if you're committed to preserving the shape.
Related: Looking for some low-maintenance hairstyles inspiration? Check out our new guide here.
Quiff Hairstyles for Different Face Shapes
1. Oval Face Shape
You're in luck—this face shape suits almost every quiff variation. A classic voluminous quiff or a modern textured quiff works well. Avoid extreme height; balance is key.
2. Round Face Shape
Opt for height and structure. A high, brushed-up quiff with short sides can elongate the face and create a sharper appearance. Avoid wide, fluffy styles that add bulk to the sides.
3. Square Face Shape
Square faces have strong jawlines—lean into that. Go for a soft, tousled quiff to contrast the angular features or a slick quiff with a low fade for a clean-cut vibe.
4. Rectangular / Oblong Face Shape
Stick to shorter quiffs with less height to avoid making your face look longer. A layered or side-swept quiff works well. Avoid ultra-high or exaggerated volume.
5. Heart-Shaped Face
Focus on balancing a narrower chin and wider forehead. A textured quiff with medium length helps soften the top, especially when paired with a taper fade or soft sideburns.
6. Diamond Face Shape
Use a wider quiff with some side volume to balance sharp cheekbones. Avoid tight fades—keep some fullness on the sides for harmony.
Best Quiff Hairstyles For Men
- Side Parted Quiff
- Quiff Hairstyle With Scissor Fade Sides
- Thick Hair Textured Quiff
- Quiff With Fade
- Textured Quiff Hairstyle With Short Sides
- Curly Quiff Hairstyle
- Textured Quiff
- Sweep Back Quiff
- Long Hair Quiff
- Modern Quiff
Side Parted Quiff
"One of the best ways to style your quiff is to go for a side part along with it. A lot of people do not go for this because the volume of the quiff itself is distributed unequally on either side of the parting.
"But we would argue that it is the unequal distribution that affords this hairstyle its effortless, messy charm. See, the quiff is intrinsically a very structured hairstyle. It may not be as stiff as a pompadour, but it is still undeniably structured.
"Adding a hint of an asymmetry to it might be a really good step, especially if you are the kind of person who wants to introduce a variation to the look without changing it altogether.
"To get the side parting right, first separate your hair with your fingertips, and then go in with a hairbrush. Make sure the side of the quiff with the lesser volume isn’t matted down too much.
Related: 25+ Best Short Haircuts For Guys
Quiff Hairstyle With Scissor Fade Sides
You can also venture a scissor fade for your quiff. A scissor fade, which is also referred to as a scissor cut fade, involves tapering the hair with using scissors instead of clippers.
Unlike clipper fades, which use guards to create a more stark transition between the separate lengths of your hair, scissor fades are typically softer and more blended.
This means that the transition will be seamless. If you are going for this kind of quiff, we would recommend getting some conditioning treatment for your hair first.
This will make your stylist’s job much easier, and you would find that the quiff holds better when the hair is soft but grease-free.
You can style the quiff itself with pomade to give it a good hold.
Related: What is a fade haircut? The Ultimate Guide
Thick Hair Textured Quiff
A textured quiff works best with a few highlights, because it allows for the light to bounce off the very texture of your hair, making it look very glossy and elegant.
This is one of the most popular quiff hairstyles out there, and it is widely popular with those who like to keep their a little messy.
However, this hairstyle can get tangled very easily, so you would need some practice when it comes to detangling it without taking away from the texture of your hair itself.
One of the best ways to make sure that your hair remains detangled in this case is to principally style with your fingertips.
You will have to experiment with different amounts of product to find the right balance of hold and texture for your hair type.
Also, consider investing a volumizing shampoo and conditioner to enhance natural thickness and texture.
Related: Best New Men's Hairstyles
Quiff With Fade
This is one of the best ways to style your quiff if you want to incorporate more edge into your hairstyle. This balances the volume of your hair on the top with a clean, tapered finish on the sides and back.
The first step to getting this right is consulting your stylist about the length of the fade itself. If you want the quiff to not look as pronounced, make sure that you go for a low fade.
The thing with fades is that they can make the hairstyle at the centre look more prominent than they are, especially if you are going for a high fade or a skin fade. If you want to avoid that, go for a mid-fade like the one here, so that fade itself is still visible.
You will have to style you quiff with a really lightweight product if you want it to look as seamlessly styled as the one here.
Related: 16 Best Short Haircuts For Men
Textured Quiff Hairstyle With Short Sides
You can also take your texture quiff and add shorter sides to it. Most people opt for a fade, but shorter sides require lesser maintenance compared to fades, which can be a huge advantage.
Fades often require regular trips to the stylist to maintain the sharp transition. Shorter sides still give you a gradient, but they are not as prominent. Also, depending on your hair texture and thickness, shorter sides can help give a cleaner, more professional look that complements the volume and texture of the quiff.
Plus, you can ease out the scalp treatments this way. Shorter sides allow for more versatility in styling. They can easily blend into various other hairstyles, and if they look for a casual look, whereas fades often define the hairstyle more distinctly.
You can give your quiff more texture by adding some gentle highlights to. But if you want the look to be more professional, we would advise staying clear of starkly contrasting colours.
Related: Best professional hairstyles for men
Curly Quiff Hairstyle
For those of you who have curly hair, the quiff might be much easier to achieve than what you have been led to believe. Most people are conditioned to treat curly hair as inherently unmanageable, which can be the case if you do not learn to define and treat your curls.
But with a quiff hairstyle, you will discover that your curls take to it quite naturally. This is because both the quiff hairstyle and your curls function on their volume, so you will discover that there is greater harmony between.
You can either use your fingers or a comb to lift certain sections of your hair upwards, and gently set them slightly back to form the quiff shape.
When styling this, let your natural curls shape the quiff. If you try to use too much product you will find that you can end up flattening them out.
Related: 11 Best Curly Hairstyles For Men
Textured Quiff
The textured quiff has been mentioned quite a few times in this list, so it goes without saying that it is one of your favourites – both because of how well it can gel with other forms of styling, and how it can help you embrace the natural texture of your hair.
One of the easy hacks to get your quiff quickly is to go in with a round brush at the bottom of your hair to give it that volume across the lengths. This style is fairly versatile, and it works well with various hair types, including straight, wavy, or curly hair.
If you have straight hair, like in the look here, you will need to add some product to give the quiff its hold.
To enhance the textured look, you can also use your fingers to tousle and separate the hair strands. This will create a naturally messy appearance adding even more volume.
Here's a great video where an expert barber is cutting a perfect textured quiff hairstyle
Sweep Back Quiff
Quiff hairstyles look really great even when they are swept back. See what we meant when we spoke about the versatility of the quiff? Sweeping your quiff backwards will also make it more manageable and functional.
All you need to do here is to learn how to sweep your hair back without weighing it down – because then the volume of the quiff, which is the best thing about it, will be compromised.
To make sure that that does not happen, start with a small amount of pomade or wax, and subsequently add more as needed to achieve the desired hold and texture.
Make sure that you do not put too much product at the bottom. Also, you do not want the quiff to look messy, so try and control the fly-aways.
Long Hair Quiff
Long hair quiffs can be pretty easy to style once you learn to manage the ends of your hair. With long hair quiffs, as you can notice here, the volume of the hair will be concentrated at the centre of its length, keeping both the root and the edge of the hair closer to your scalp.
You can use a round brush to lift the hair upwards and back, while directing the sides slightly back as well.
This creates a bounce in your hair. One really great advantage of this, is that if you add highlights of a slightly lighter colour like in the case of the hairstyle here, you will find that the light bounces off of your hair making it appear even more glossy.
With this hairstyle, try and concentrate the product at only the ends of your hair to keep them towards your scalp. This is a really classy hairstyle, so you can style it in both professional and casual settings.
Related: Trendy Long Hairstyles For Men
Modern Quiff
A modern quiff like this one distributes the volume around the scalp, while keeping the sides edgy and minimalistic with a very low fade. The best thing about this particular kind of quiff is that it can give your face more symmetry because of the equal distribution of the volume.
Bear in mind, modern quiffs can vary in height, so you can go ahead and adjust the volume and lift according to your preference and face shape.
You can also add facial hair to this look, but make sure you do not go overboard with the beard because this is the kind of hairstyle that draws a lot of attention by itself.
If you have naturally wavy hair, make sure that you try and incorporate that into the structure of your quiff, so that the texture of it looks more organic.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
1. Is the quiff suitable for all hair types?
The quiff works best on straight to wavy hair types with medium to thick density. Fine or very curly hair may need more styling products or professional help to achieve and maintain the look.
2. How long does my hair need to be for a quiff?
You’ll need at least 3–4 inches of hair on top to style a proper quiff. The sides can be kept shorter, depending on the style—fade, taper, or undercut.
3. Can I style a quiff without using heat tools?
Yes, but a blow dryer helps add volume and hold. If you skip the dryer, use a volumizing mousse and strong-hold pomade or clay to set the shape.
4. How do I make my quiff last all day?
Use a pre-styler like sea salt spray, blow dry with a round brush for lift, and finish with a strong-hold product. A light hairspray can lock it in place for extra hold.
5. Is a quiff high maintenance?
It requires moderate upkeep. Daily styling and occasional trims are needed to maintain the shape, especially if you like a clean, defined look.
6. Does a quiff make my face look longer?
Yes, high quiffs can elongate your face. If you have a long or oblong face, opt for a flatter or side-swept variation to maintain balance.
7. What’s the difference between a quiff and a pompadour?
Both have volume, but the pompadour has more height and is slicked back more dramatically. The quiff often has texture and is styled upward and slightly forward.
Conclusion
The quiff isn’t just a hairstyle—it’s a timeless statement. Whether you prefer a classic shape or a modern textured twist, the quiff offers unmatched versatility for every face shape, hair type, and occasion. With the right cut, tools, and styling routine, you can make this iconic look your own. Don’t be afraid to experiment and find the version that suits your personality best. Remember: a great quiff doesn’t just elevate your hair—it sharpens your entire style game.
All images via Pinterest
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