The Best Haircuts for Men with a Widow’s Peak, According to Hairstylists

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Plus, which styles & cuts to avoid with this hairline

Co-authored by Annabelle Reyes

Last Updated: April 3, 2026 Fact Checked

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Haircuts for a Widow’s Peaks

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What to Avoid

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Care & Styling Tips

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What is a widow’s peak?

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A widow’s peak (or V-shaped hairline) is a pretty common trait, especially among men. If you’re a guy with a widow’s peak who’s trying to figure out the best haircut to get, you’ve come to the right place! We’ve compiled this helpful list of the best haircuts for men who have widow’s peaks, as well as cuts to avoid and styling tips. We’ve even consulted wikiHow’s expert barbers and hairstylists for their insights, so keep reading!

What are the best haircuts for guys with widow’s peaks?

Haircuts that look great with a widow’s peak include crew cuts, buzz cuts, Caesar crops, French crops, textured crops, undercuts, faux hawks, and modern mullets. To downplay your widow’s peak, consider getting bangs or wearing a side part. To accentuate your widow’s peak, try a slicked-back style.

Section 1 of 4:

Haircuts & Styles for Guys Who Have a Widow’s Peak

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Crew cut A classic crew cut looks great with a widow’s peak, and master hair stylist Frankie Sanderson says they’re an especially great choice if you’ve got a bit of a receding hairline as well.^{[1]
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Expert Source

Frankie Sanderson
Master Hair Stylist

Expert Interview} This option offers a polished, clean-cut vibe, and it’s also super low-maintenance and easy to style, which is a major plus!^{[2]
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- Best for: Receding hairlines, a timeless vibe
Meet the wikiHow Experts

Frankie Sanderson is a master hairstylist and founder of TheStudeo, a styling business based in Washington, DC that specializes in hairstyling and personal image consulting services.

Michael DiGregorio is a barber and men’s grooming expert based in New York City. He’s known as Primo the Barber on social media, where he shares content to his over 110k followers.
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Buzz cut A buzz cut is another great option for a widow’s peak, especially if you’re dealing with a bit of hair loss. “Buzz cuts work with the receding hairline, and they are great for thinning or fine hair. These haircuts help fine hair look slightly fuller, bring out the cheekbones and jawlines, and are easy to keep clean and hydrated,” explains Sanderson.^{[3]
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Frankie Sanderson
Master Hair Stylist

Expert Interview}
- Best for: Receding hairlines/thinning hair, low-maintenance styling
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Caesar cut The Caesar haircut features short bangs that are cut straight across the forehead, while the rest of the hair is kept short, usually with a slight taper around the edges.^{[4]
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Research source} The bangs make this trendy style perfect if you want to downplay your widow’s peak or hide it altogether.
- Best for: Downplaying/concealing a widow’s peak, a trendy/modern vibe
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French crop A French crop is longer on top and has shorter, tapered sides.^{[5]
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Research source} This cut is similar to a Caesar cut because it features bangs as well, but they’re typically longer and more textured. As with a Caesar cut, the fringe is great for softening or concealing a widow’s peak hairline!
- Best for: Downplaying/concealing a widow’s peak, a combination of classic and modern energies
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Textured crop With a textured crop, the sides and back are cut short, while the top is kept longer, messier, and more layered. Since the style leaves you with more volume and hair around the front, it’s a great option if you want to soften the appearance of your widow’s peak or draw attention away from it.^{[6]
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- Best for: Thicker hair, wavy or curly hair, softening your widow’s peak
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Pompadour with fade A pompadour with a fade is a modern spin on a classic. The pompadour part involves leaving lots of length and volume in the front and gradually cutting the hair shorter toward the back. The look gets finished off by buzzing the sides and back for a seamless transition from your hair to your skin, also known as a fade. The extra volume and height on top is perfect if you want to draw attention away from a widow’s peak!^{[7]
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- Best for: Thicker hair, drawing attention away from your widow’s peak
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Undercut With an undercut, the top of the hair is kept long, while the back and sides are cut extremely short or even buzzed. This look is a great option if you have thinner hair, as the very short back and sides make the top appear fuller. The extra length in front also softens the appearance of your widow’s peak, and you can switch things up by styling it in different ways!^{[8]
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- Best for: Thinner hair, softening your widow’s peak, having more styling options
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Modern mullet If you’re looking for something with a little more length all around, a modern mullet is an excellent option. Like a classic mullet, the modern mullet is shorter in the front and sides and longer in the back, but the transition is softer and much more blended. The length in front draws attention away from your widow’s peak (or covers it completely, depending on how you style it!) so it’s a great choice if you want to draw attention away from your hairline.
- Best for: Thick, wavy, or curly hair, a modern/edgy vibe, concealing your widow’s peak
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Faux hawk Like a pompadour or quiff, this style is longer on top and shorter around the sides and back, but the strip of hair that’s kept longer is slightly thinner, creating a more dramatic mohawk-like look.^{[9]
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Research source} As with other styles that feature more length in the front, this cut works super well for those who want to draw attention away from or soften the appearance of their widow’s peak.
- Best for: Thinner hair, downplaying your widow’s peak, an edgy/daring vibe
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Bangs In general, bangs are a good choice if you want to conceal your widow’s peak, since they hang down below your hairline. If you want to completely hide your widow’s peak, opt for bangs that are cut straight across your forehead. If you want to draw attention away from your widow’s peak but don’t mind it showing a little, sideswept bangs or curtain bangs are excellent options.^{[10]
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- Best for: All hair types, hiding or downplaying your widow’s peak
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Side part A side part is a good option if you’re hoping to downplay your hairline. Sweeping your hair across your face in a deep side part draws attention away from your widow’s peak, and it also creates an effortlessly polished and classic look. You can pair a side part with practically any haircut that has a little extra length in front, so it’s a very versatile option as well!^{[11]
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- Best for: All hair types, drawing attention away from your widow’s peak
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Slicked back Who says a widow’s peak needs to be downplayed or hidden? If you love the dramatic look of your V-shaped hairline and want to play it up, consider slicking back your hair with a bit of styling gel.^{[12]
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Research source} This look works with pretty much any haircut with a little extra length in front, and it’s also got a super classy and timeless vibe. For example, you’ll often see Leonardo DiCaprio rocking a slicked-back style with his widow’s peak at red carpet events!
- Best for: Showing off your widow's peak, longer lengths

Section 2 of 4:

Haircuts & Styles to Avoid if You Have a Widow’s Peak

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When it comes to your haircut, it’s all about what makes you feel confident and comfortable. That being said, there are a few cuts and styles that are considered to be a bit less flattering for those with a widow’s peak hairline, so you may want to avoid them. Ultimately, though, if you love one of these styles, you should go for it! If you like the way it looks, that confidence will be visible in the way you carry yourself.
- Very long hair: Some people might think it’s a good idea to grow out as much length as possible to distract from a widow’s peak, but this doesn’t usually have the intended effect. Plus, if your widow’s peak is paired with thinning hair or a slightly receded hairline, the extra length can actually make these thinning areas more apparent.
- Center-parted styles: A center part draws the eye toward the middle of your face, and by extension, toward your widow’s peak. It will also go directly through your widow’s peak, so it naturally plays it up. Of course, this is totally fine if you want to accentuate your widow’s peak! It’s just not the best option if you want to downplay it.
- Man buns: Pulling your hair back into a tight man bun will draw attention to your widow’s peak (and hairline in general), so it’s not a great option if you’re trying to conceal your widow’s peak or soften its appearance.

Section 3 of 4:

Care & Styling Tips for a Widow’s Peak

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Style your hair forward and create volume with texture powder. For guys with widow’s peaks, barber and men’s grooming expert Michael DiGregorio recommends styling the hair forward and using texture powder to give it volume and texture. This helps conceal your hairline, whether you have a widow's peak or are dealing with a receding hairline.^{[13]
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Michael DiGregorio
Barber & Men's Grooming Expert

Expert Interview}
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Blow-dry your hair upward to create height and volume. When your hair dries flatter against your forehead, it draws more attention to your widow’s peak. If you’ve got a haircut with more length in front (like a pompadour), blow-dry it in an upward motion. This creates more volume and draws the eye up and away from your hairline, essentially downplaying your widow’s peak.^{[14]
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Section 4 of 4:

What is a widow’s peak?

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A widow’s peak is a V-shaped hairline that comes to a point at the center of the forehead. Although a widow’s peak is often confused with a receding hairline, the two actually aren’t the same thing—you can have a widow’s peak without a receding hairline, and vice versa. Widow’s peaks are genetic, meaning they’re inherited from your parents, and they’re a completely normal and common trait.^{[15]
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