The Side Part Haircut, Its Versions, Parting and Styling

The short answer

A side part is a short back and sides with enough length on top to comb to one side from a line.

The Book of Barbering defines it by the line, “a clean, defined part line” that is “either natural or razored in”, and separates it from the comb over, which describes the sweep of the hair across the top for volume; as it puts it, “Most modern comb overs include a side part, but you can have a side part without the dramatic swept-over volume that defines a traditional comb over.”

Wahl’s cutting guide describes the cut as “cut clean on the sides with a longer bang, usually styled back”, worn “neat and tight or relaxed and side swept”, with “a #3 (3/8″) or #4 (1/2″)” guard giving “a nice clean look around the back and sides”, and its first instruction is to comb damp hair “to part in the direction it naturally falls” and “do not clip the hair above the part”.

The London School of Barbering places the line “either a couple of inches to the left or right of the imaginary centre line running down your head” and notes that the cuts “most conducive to a side parted style are those which are cut short at the sides and longer on top”.

The rest of this page is the versions, the parting, who it suits, the barber order, the styling routine and the upkeep.

Which is which

Side part, comb over, Ivy League and slick back

Barbers can use the two names loosely, so use the Book of Barbering’s distinction, in which a side part is the flatter, parted classic, and a comb over is the swept version with volume. The order below says both the length and the sweep so the barber does not have to guess.

The parting

Which side, and how to find the line

Comb damp hair straight back, then push it forward with the palm; the Book of Barbering’s method is “comb your damp hair straight back, then push it forward with your hand”, and the hair falls to one side along its growth pattern, revealing the line, typically above the arch of one eyebrow.

The left is the more commonly cited side in barbering guides, though none consulted here puts a figure on it; the side itself does not matter, the match with the growth does, and a parting cut against the growth lifts at the crown by lunchtime.

The line runs from the front hairline back towards the crown, straight or curving slightly with the head; a parting run all the way into the crown can open up the cowlick there, so stop it short of the crown.

The parting can be soft or hard. A soft parting is combed in and can move; a hard part is shaved in with a trimmer or razor along the same line, which makes the cut sharper and, in the Book of Barbering’s schedule, needs a fade-style refresh every two to three weeks.

The versions

The side part versions, and what to ask for

Who it suits

Face shape and hair type

The Book of Barbering’s position is that side parts work across virtually all face shapes and hair types with customisation, noting that round faces “benefit from height and volume on top”, square faces suit “softer, textured variations”, its vintage Mad Men version is “particularly striking on men with straight to slightly wavy hair”, and its wavy version “embraces natural texture rather than fighting against it with excessive product”.

For a long face, choose the classic taper with the top kept flatter; height adds length.

An oval face suits any version.

Fine hair takes the short or textured version with a volumising mousse at the roots, which the Book of Barbering recommends for fine hair, and a matte product; a flat pomade shows the scalp along the parting.

For thick hair, the classic and the long versions work, thinned or point-cut so the top lies down.

Curly hair suits a soft parting with the curl kept on top and a cream; a hard part on curls needs a fade to read as intended.

With a receding hairline, the side part is one of the safer cuts, because the parting can sit on the fuller side and the front is combed across rather than pulled back, and our guide to haircuts for a receding hairline covers which cuts work; a hard part on a receding line draws the eye to the corner it starts from.

The London School of Barbering’s note on hair type is that the vintage version is easiest “with hair that’s thick and left fairly long on top”, and the modern version works when “the side hair can be cut quite short to contrast with the longer hair on top”.

The chair

What to tell the barber

The four details are the length on top in inches, the sides (taper on a number, or low, mid or high fade), soft or hard parting and which side, and shine or matte, because the barber cuts a combed classic blunter and a textured version with point-cutting.

A complete order would sound like “a side part, three inches on top, scissor-cut, low taper, soft parting on the left, I wear it with pomade.”

Ask for the parting to be cut where the hair falls, not where you think it should go; a barber finds it in ten seconds with a comb and damp hair.

For the neighbouring cuts, see our comb over, slicked-back and Ivy League guides and the men’s haircuts hub; the face shapes guide covers the proportions.

Styling

How to style a side part in five steps

The routine below follows the Book of Barbering’s, and it starts with the hair damp.

First, towel-dry until the hair is damp rather than wet, so it still takes direction without dripping.

Then find the parting by combing back and pushing forward, and comb it in.

Next, work a dime-sized amount of product between the palms, pomade for the classic and clay for the textured version, and distribute it from the back forward through the damp hair, so the dryer in step five sets the hair with the product already in it.

After that, comb the top across from the parting with a fine-tooth comb, lifting the front a little, and comb the sides down and back.

Fifth and last, set it with the blow-dryer, at about six inches, following the comb; this is what fixes the direction, and it is why the product goes in while the hair is still damp rather than onto a finished dry style. The London School of Barbering’s instruction is to “blow dry hair in the direction you prefer, combing hair at the same time”, with “glossy pomade” for “a slick and shiny vintage look” or “a moulding cream for a matte finish”.

The short side part skips the dryer, so it is product on damp hair, comb across, done.

Upkeep

How often to cut it

The Book of Barbering’s intervals are four to six weeks for a traditional tapered side part, every two to three weeks for the fade versions, and three to four weeks for undercut or disconnected versions; a hard part is refreshed on the fade schedule.

A side part grows out well, because the parting and the sweep survive an extra two inches; it becomes a longer side part, then a swept-back style, before it needs cutting.

Questions readers ask

Common questions