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25 Men’s Curly Hair Fade Haircuts That Look Slick & Modern

Let your natural hair texture take centre stage by providing a sharp, clean platform for them to shine.

Words by: James Uden

Whether you’ve got thicker curls or more flowing wavy locks, a fade haircut can be just the right option for guys with curly hair to create more definition and amplify that natural texture.

With drastically shorter sides forming the base of any faded hairstyle, this clipper cut template can make a great impact on your overall look. The choice is yours on how high or low you go, but ultimately a faded back and sides is guaranteed to provide a sharp, no-nonsense foundation that will give you the freedom to focus on working plenty of vibrancy and direction into those curls or waves across the top.

Here are some great examples of curly hair fade haircuts that have been adapted across a whole host of different hair types and lengths.

Choppy curls with fringe and low fade

Men's Choppy curls with fringe and low fade

Going less aggressive on the fade doesn’t mean you have to compromise on any shaping. This hairstyle sees the back and sides kept neat despite not being extremely short, while the thick curls are built up and ruffled evenly over the top.

This high shape flows effortlessly into the shorter trimmed fringe, which has plenty of room to fall messily over the forehead while remaining cropped and choppy.

Mid-length curly hair with fade

Mid-length curly hair with fade

A great look for guys with slightly finer curlier hair, the skin fade here cleanly disconnects the hair from the beard, while blending neatly up to the top. Here the longer texture left towards the fringe can be styled forwards and tousled quite aggressively with a higher-shine texturising paste to create the wilder, bunched finish.

Short, neat curly hair fade

Short, neat curly hair fade for men

This short and tidy example of a curly hair fade proves that you don’t need a sharp disconnect or dramatic volume to make a statement.

Instead, this understated and highly achievable look keeps things simple with the clean blended fade along the sides while the matte, subtly ruffled styling on top perfectly emphasises the hair’s natural thickness.

Black men’s short afro with fade

Taking the approach of a burst fade by curving around the ears, this look keeps the sides nice and tight and offers some creative shaping supported by the clean-cut lines across the forehead and blended into the sides.

This sharp border allows the lengthier, textured afro on top to be free to thrive and naturally lift the overall shape of the style.

Choppy curly hair with high fade

Men's Choppy curly hair with high fade

Taking a choppier approach to a curly fade hairstyle like this is a great solution for guys with particularly fine hair. The fade is cut high to provide a sharp edge from which the texture of those longer curls on top can be manipulated with a light styling clay and flow forward in waves.

Short curly hair with skin fade

Men's short curly hair with skin fade

This high taper fade is cut down to the skin and sits higher around the sides and neck to establish that distinct curved outline. As for the curls, they have been lifted from the roots to bring plenty of height to the top with a wavier texture that can be shaped in using a slicker finishing product.

Short, sharp wavy hair with high fade

Short, sharp wavy hair with high fade

This super-short cut blends the fade into a perfect clean crop. Despite being so short in length, there is still enough texture to work with on the top, which can be styled forward towards the square edge using a tough matte clay.

Long curly hair with low fade

Men's Long curly hair with low fade

The tangled, forward-flowing volume on these longer curls looks even more impactful styled out from the faded sides and shorter back.

Plenty of texturising product should be used here to not only lift the heavy curls, but influence those clusters of strands to shoot off in random directions with plenty of hold so they don’t fall flat.

Neat afro with high skin fade

Men's Neat afro with high skin fade

Going super short again, this fade really complements thicker curls. By fading high above the ear you create a squarer outline that contrasts perfectly against the tight, natural curls on top.

Curly hair fade with tram lines

Men's curly fade haircut with clippered tram lines

Talk about a fade with flair. This look utilises sharp lines to create a clear disconnect between the super-short sides and longer length on top.

The edges of this hairstyle feature clipper cut tram lines to create that distinct curve, while the top itself is scissor cut and styled using volumising products to champion those natural curls and bring plenty of height to the shape.

Long curly hair with small fade

Men's curly hair mohawk with short fade to sides

This boxier take on a traditional mohawk exaggerates the great levels of volume that curly hair has to offer. The fade itself covers just a small pocket above the ear but this really helps to define the shaping of the cut by creating a clean curve that flows along from the edge of the front, across the side and down to the lifted back.

Long curly hair with low fade

Long curly hair with low fade

Showcasing huge amounts of volume, this hairstyle is suitable for guys with longer curly hair. The fade is cut neatly around the ear and blended into the sides but ultimately sits quite low on the overall look, which is dominated by the wild and forward-flowing texture on the top.

Curly hair with fringe and fade

Men's Curly hair with fringe and fade

This highly adaptable and popular look is faded short and straight around the back and sides while leaving the curls on top to sit with a natural level of volume.

Styled with a pliable matte finishing product, you can push the curls forwards to sit heavier over the forehead like this, or sweep them to the side if your skin is easily irritated.

Curly high top with skin fade

Men's curly high top with skin fade

This high top fade works brilliantly to keep the back and sides short and tight while showcasing some great volume with afro-textured hair.

The raised curls are trimmed evenly over the top to create the clean, rounded shape.

Curly mohawk with skin fade

Curly mohawk Curly mohawk with skin fade

This hairstyle has been approached with meticulous attention to detail, with every faded line cut around the beard and sides looking immaculate. The impressive sharpness of this template steals the show while allowing the curly texture on top to flow with plenty of loose, natural texture from front to back.

Black men’s curly fade with hard line

Black men's curly fade with hard line

While the bold, curved clipper line makes a statement, the clean profile from front to back is the real hero of the cut. The loose curly texture on top creates such a satisfyingly rounded shape while the fade itself blends perfectly up through the sides.

Big volume curly hair with high fade

Men's Big volume curly hair with high fade

This fade has been cut straight and square so that the loose, volumised curls on the top can be styled to sit heavy, but neatly in place.

No matter how wildly you choose to ruffle through those curls the square-cut outline will keep the overall shape boxy and contained, from front to back.

Shaped afro with low fade

Men's Shaped afro with low fade

This rounded afro utilises plenty of distinct curvature across the fade, which has been cut relatively low to allow the natural curly texture to edge out along the sides, while blending upwards seamlessly to the raised volume over the top.

Short afro with high fade

Men's Short afro with high fade

This high and tight fade provides a clean, slim profile to house the matte textured curls on top. By cutting the curls nice and short but leaving enough length on them to lift, this perfect square outline can be achieved.

Long curly hair with high fade

Long curly hair with high fade

The fade here blends well above the ear with a clean curve to sit just below the flattened side parting. The hair on top maintains plenty of length, allowing it to be lifted and swept over to the other side for a creative and loose-hanging finish.

A texturising primer will give a boost to the height while also providing some grit to the feel and hold of the hair.

Short curly hair with disconnected fade

Short curly hair with disconnected fade

This look revels in texture as those finer curls have been left cut quite dramatically longer than the evenly faded back and sides.

By disconnecting the top from the sides in such a way you create a platform for any texture on top to command the cut and here the dishevelled look works well thanks to such free-flowing waves.

Wild curly hair with fade

Men's Wild curly hair with fade

Sometimes it’s best to just maximise wilder curly hair to its fullest. By fading so high and evenly across the back and sides, it allows the hair above to do all the talking. Use a good texturising product and you can easily achieve something similar.

Slick curly hair with fade

Men's Slick curly hair with fade

The slicker curls and harsh disconnect between the beard and temple are what really set this curly hair fade apart. The fade is as smooth as you can get, down to the skin going up and around the ear, proving the skillset of the barber. Extra kudos for that clean graduation on the neck.

Black men’s high & tight fade

Men's Black men's high & tight fade

This is a great example of a perfectly blended fade that provides a clean connection between the beard and sides. This is an ideal cut when working with shorter curls on the top, with such a balanced fade providing an accomplished and tidy finish.

Wet-look curls with fade

Men's Wet-look curls with fade

Sleeker curls can offer plentiful volume, as proven by this haircut. The one-grade fade over the ear cuts in a straightforward shape and gives the fullness of the curls the platform to literally shine from. Lots of malleable styling cream applied to damp hair will get you this kind of finish.