Crew Cut Hairstyles

A crew cut is a style of cutting the hair that starts with the hair one length in the front and tapers to a uniformly shorter length at or near the crown of the head. The sides and back can actually be of short or medium length, though when most people think of a crew cut, they think of a buzz cut.


Military Crew cut

Most people think that the crew cut gets its name from the US military. The truth of the matter is that the hair cut got its name from its adoption by the Yale rowing crew in the 1890s. This hair cut was not adopted by the military until World War II. It was then determined that a buzz cut with the sides and back cut short (high and tight) was a good way to eliminate lice and other pests that like to live in the hair.


Flat-top haircut

Some of the more notable variations on this style include the flat top, the buzz, and the butch. All three of these are classed as short haircuts because the longest hair is generally not over an inch in length. In fact, most cuts range from one quarter inch to three quarters of an inch in length.

When the game of football was first invented, the helmets worn by the players were somewhat flimsy, being made of leather. At that time, football players tended to wear their hair longer. Later, when the switch was made to hard plastic helmets, most teams, starting with Yale’s football team, adopted the crew cut for their players.

At some point during the mid 1960s, a man’s haircut became a symbol for his political beliefs. Men who wore long hair were considered to be liberal, often referred to as hippies whether they embraced the hippy movement or not. Men with more conservative views tended to wear their hair shorter, with the most conservative adopting the buzz cut.

Today, unless a man is in the military, it is not overly common to see anyone sporting a crew cut. There are a few, however, who tend to wear some variation on it, either a flat top or a buzz cut. In general, even now, these tend to be men with ultra conservative views as opposed to the more liberal who sport medium to long hair. Long hair does not carry the negative connotations that it did in the 60s and early 70s, but a buzz cut is still the mark of conservatism.

How To Do A Crew Cut

Learning how to do a crew cut is a simple matter that only requires a bit of practice to perfect. In order cut hair in this fashion, one should start with a belt and wrap it around the head at the height where the hair is to be allowed to become longer. For a high cut, mark the head at the top of the belt. For a low cut, leave the belt in place and cut to the bottom of it.

With a set of adjustable electric clippers, one should set the length of the cut to the shortest setting. This will result in a nearly shaved appearance. For slightly longer sides and back, adjust the length of the cut to a longer setting. Cut the hair below the belt or mark on the head from bottom to top with the clipper facing away from the head.

The next step is to put the longest guard available on the clippers and cut the top of the hair from back to front. As the clippers are moved forward, gently pull the guard away from the scalp so that the front hair is left a bit longer than the back. If this leaves the hair longer than desired, choose the next shorter guard and repeat this process.

Finally, replace the guard with one that is one size smaller. Use this guard to create a taper around the top of the head between the shortest hair and the hair that was left longer on top.