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What’s This About
A pompadour is a haircut with the whole top swept up and back from the forehead into one smooth, high shape, held with product, over sides that are tapered or faded; the classic version is four to six inches on top, combed and shiny, and the modern pompadour keeps the sweep but adds texture, a matte finish and a fade.
This guide answers the questions men ask before they ask for one, such as
• What is a pompadour, and what is a modern pompadour?
• How is it different from a quiff?
• How long does the top need to be, and which sides go with it?
• What do I tell the barber, and how do I style it so it holds?
• Is it high maintenance, and who does it suit?
and many more!
The versions each have a card with the order in inches and guards, and the styling is a five-step routine.
Key Points
01In a pompadour everything goes up and back, swept into one continuous wave from front to crown; a quiff lifts the front only and leaves texture behind it.
02Length decides the version. Wahl’s method asks for at least three inches on top, the Book of Barbering three to four for a basic pompadour and four to six for a classic, with the front longer than the crown.
03The blow-dryer does most of the work, so dry the hair up and back with a brush first, then set it with pomade (classic) or matte clay (modern).
04The order covers three parts, the length at the front, the sides (taper, low, mid or high fade), and the finish (shine or matte).
The short answer
A pompadour is the haircut where all of the top goes up and back.
Wikipedia describes it as “a large volume of hair swept upwards from the face and worn high over the forehead”, and the Book of Barbering‘s traditional pompadour has “significant height at the front” with hair “swept upward and back in a smooth, continuous wave”.
Wikipedia records the men’s version appearing in the 1950s and early 1960s, worn by stars including Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash and Chuck Berry, and dates the modern pompadour as a trend from 2011; the Book of Barbering’s summary is that “The heavy, greased-back look of the 1950s has given way to textured, natural-looking versions with modern fades.”
The name is a historical accident, since Madame de Pompadour, in Wikipedia’s account, “wore her hair back rather than up, with no extra volume on the top”.
Key rule. The whole top up and back, usually at least three inches long, dried into shape before the finishing product, over tapered or faded sides.
Pompadour, modern pompadour and quiff
Scroll horizontally to see all columns →
| Style | The sweep | The finish | The sides | Length on top |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Classic pompadour | The whole top up and back, combed smooth, high at the front | Shine (pomade) | Tapered, often fuller than a fade | Four to six inches |
| Modern pompadour | The whole top up and back, with texture and a softer shape | Matte or light shine | Skin, mid or high fade | At least three to four inches |
| Quiff | The front only, up and back; texture behind it | Matte | Fade or taper | Three to four inches |
| Slicked back | Everything back, flat, no height | Shine | Tapered or faded | Four to six inches, three to five for a modern version |
The lengths are the Book of Barbering’s, from its pompadour, quiff and slicked-back guides.
The Book of Barbering draws the line by where the height goes. Its pompadour guide has the pompadour sweeping hair “upward and backward from the forehead, creating a continuous wave from front to crown”, and its quiff guide says a quiff “only builds the height at the front, leaves texture and movement through the rest, and finishes matte”.
The pompadour guide adds that the pompadour “tends to look more polished and formal, while the quiff leans casual and modern”, and its modern version has “textured volume” on top with shorter, faded sides and “a more touchable, natural finish”.
Our quiff guide covers the casual cousin, and our guide to tapers and fades explains the sides.
The pompadour versions, and what to ask for
Modern pompadour with a fade, the textured version
Four inches at the front graduating to about two at the crown, swept up and back with texture, over a mid or high skin fade; matte clay or a light pomade.
Ask for “a modern pompadour, four inches at the front, two at the crown, mid skin fade, textured, matte finish”.
Classic pompadour, the original
Four to six inches on top, combed up and back into one smooth wave over fuller sides, tapered or slicked rather than faded, with a shine pomade; the 1950s version Wikipedia associates with Elvis Presley.
Ask the barber for “a classic pompadour, five inches on top, tapered sides, I will wear it with pomade”.
Short pompadour, with less height
Two to three inches on top in the Book of Barbering’s version, swept back with less lift over a low or mid fade; it takes less product and styling time, which suits an office morning.
Ask for “a short pompadour, three inches at the front, low fade”.
Curly pompadour, for curly hair
The curl supplies the volume; the Book of Barbering leaves the top at five to six inches and uses a curl-defining cream instead of pomade so the curls stack upward, shaped with the fingers or a diffuser over a mid fade.
Ask the barber for “a curly pompadour, five inches on top, cut to the curl, mid fade”.
Pompadour with a hard part, the sharper version
The modern pompadour with a razored parting on one side, so the sweep starts from a line; the Book of Barbering suggests it for unruly hair or a strong cowlick, and the line needs re-cutting as it grows.
Ask for “a pompadour with a hard part on the left”, or the right.
Face shape, hair type and hairline
A pompadour adds height and takes the hair off the forehead, so it lengthens the face and shows the hairline.
In the Book of Barbering’s view, pompadours work particularly well with “oval, square, and oblong face shapes”, round faces gain from the added height, and longer faces suit “wider, less tall variations”.
Thick, straight or wavy hair holds a pompadour well; fine hair suits the short version or a textured pompadour with matte clay or texture powder, and the Book of Barbering advises keeping heavy pomades off it because they flatten it.
A receding hairline is the pompadour’s weak point, because the sweep pulls the hair back and exposes the corners; once the temples move, a shorter cut with the front textured or brought forward is the alternative to consider, and our guide to haircuts for a receding hairline covers which cuts work.
A beard adds weight at the jaw to balance the height, and the Book of Barbering pairs a tall pompadour with a fuller beard; the beard styles guide and the face shapes guide cover the proportions.
What to tell the barber
The order has three parts. Give the length at the front in inches, the sides, and the finish.
Name the fade level and the finish, shine or texture, and say what your hair is like; the length is the part to add, because the word “pompadour” alone covers anything from the Book of Barbering’s two-inch “subtle pomp” to six inches or more.
Wahl‘s cutting method gives the proportions, asking for “at least three inches of hair on top” and saying the difference between the bangs and the crown “should be about two inches”, so the front is the longest point and the crown the shortest.
A complete order is “a modern pompadour, four inches at the front, two at the crown, mid skin fade, textured, matte.”
For the cuts next to it, see the slicked-back hair guide, the Ivy League and the men’s haircuts hub.
How to style a pompadour
The Book of Barbering’s rule is that the blow-dry “creates 90% of the pompadour’s shape”, and the routine is built around it.
First, towel-dry until the hair is about 70% dry, the Book of Barbering’s starting point, so it still takes the product and the shape.
Then apply a root-lift product or a pre-styler, a mousse or sea-salt spray at the roots for the modern version, or a small amount of pomade worked through before drying for the classic; Wahl’s method is to finish “by applying some pomade or hair gel to the top of your hair, then blow dry it back to keep it in place”.
Next, blow-dry the top up and back with a round or vent brush, starting at the front and pulling the hair away from the forehead as the air hits it, then working back to the crown; for extra height, Wahl pushes the hair forward at the crown with one hand while using the other “to comb the hair straight up”.
Once the hair is dry, work the finishing product through the top, a shine pomade combed through for the classic or a matte clay worked in with the fingers for the modern version; where the tub’s label specifies damp or dry hair, follow the label.
Fifth, comb or finger the front into its final shape, push the sides in, and, for a long day, finish with “a light mist of hairspray”, which is Wahl’s last step.
The whole routine is eight to ten minutes for a classic and five for a modern pompadour, and the dryer is the step that decides whether it holds.
Pomade, clay or hairspray, which product for which pompadour
The classic pompadour is a pomade cut, worn with a water-based or oil-based pomade, combed through after the blow-dry and re-combed during the day, with hold and shine that vary with the formula.
Water-based pomade usually rinses out in a normal wash; oil-based pomade restyles with a comb all day and generally takes repeated washes or a clarifying shampoo to remove. Our guide to hair products compares them by hold and finish.
The modern pompadour is a clay or paste cut. A matte clay, warmed in the palms and worked in with the fingers, gives the textured, touchable finish without shine.
A pre-styler goes on before the dryer whichever finish you want, either mousse or sea-salt spray at the roots for lift, or a light grooming tonic combed through.
Hairspray is the last resort for a long day or wind, a light mist from a distance after the shape is set; too close and it flattens the front it is meant to hold.
Use less than you think. A fingertip is enough for a modern pompadour and a small coin’s worth for a classic, added in two applications rather than one.
Growing into a pompadour
The top needs three inches before the cut works in Wahl’s method, and scalp hair grows about 15 cm a year in the figure given by the StatPearls medical reference, roughly half an inch a month, so a one-inch crop needs about four months to get there.
Keep the sides cut on the way, every two to four weeks, so the shape stays a haircut rather than an outgrown crop; ask the barber to leave the top alone apart from the ends.
At two inches, wear it as the Book of Barbering’s subtle pomp or a short quiff; at three, the short pompadour; at four, the modern pompadour and the start of the classic’s four-to-six-inch range.
Blow-dry the top back from the first month, so the routine is practised by the time the length arrives.
Is a pompadour high maintenance?
Yes, by the standards of short cuts. It is styled every morning, and the sides need a barber every two to four weeks.
The Book of Barbering puts faded pompadours at a trim every two to three weeks and tapered or fuller-sided versions at four to six, and says the top can go four to six weeks between cuts if you are growing it.
When the hair feels coated or stops taking the blow-dry, a clarifying shampoo clears the build-up.
Common questions
What is a modern pompadour?
The pompadour’s sweep (the whole top up and back) with texture instead of a smooth comb, a matte or light-shine finish instead of grease, and a skin, mid or high fade instead of full sides; at least three to four inches on top in the Book of Barbering’s figure.
What was Elvis Presley’s haircut called?
A pompadour, the classic 1950s version, which is long on top, swept up and back with pomade, with the sides tapered or slicked; Wikipedia records that Elvis Presley and James Dean “had a great influence on the high quiff-pompadour greased-up style or slicked-back style for men with heavy use of Brylcreem or pomade”.
Is a pompadour high or low maintenance?
High, because it is dried and styled every morning and the sides are cut every two to four weeks; the short version needs the least product and styling time.
Pompadour or quiff?
A pompadour if you want the whole top swept up and back into one smooth, formal shape; a quiff if you want the height at the front only, with texture and less daily effort.
Does a pompadour suit a round face?
Yes, in the Book of Barbering’s view, because the extra height creates length; keep the sides faded and the front tall, and avoid the wide, low versions.
Sources checked for this article (12 September 2026, re-checked 12 October 2026)
Wikipedia, Pompadour (hairstyle), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pompadour_(hairstyle)
Book of Barbering, Pompadour haircut guide, Khamis Maiouf, updated 4 October 2026, https://bookofbarbering.com/pompadour-haircut/
Book of Barbering, Quiff hairstyle guide, Khamis Maiouf, updated 10 April 2026, https://bookofbarbering.com/quiff-hairstyle/
Book of Barbering, Slicked back hairstyles, Khamis Maiouf, updated 17 July 2026, https://bookofbarbering.com/slicked-back-haircut/
Wahl USA, How to do a pompadour haircut, https://wahlusa.com/how-to/haircutting/mens-haircuts/pompadour
StatPearls (NCBI Bookshelf), Physiology, Hair, Hoover, Alhajj and Flores, last updated 30 July 2023, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK499948/
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