Men Hair Bun: 14 Man Bun Styles and How Long Your Hair Needs to Be
Oleh Onysko 27 September 2026 14 min read
In this article
A man bun is long hair pulled back and tied into a knot on the head, and you need about 8 inches of hair to wear one properly, or about 6 inches on top if the sides are cut short. That second number is the part most guys never hear.
The bun itself is the easy bit. What decides whether it looks chosen or looks like you forgot a haircut is the cut underneath: how long the top is, what the sides are doing and where on your head you tie it. Two men can use the same elastic and the same twist and end up with completely different looks, because one has an undercut and a knot at the crown and the other has one length of hair dragged down to the nape.
This guide covers how much length you need, 14 man bun styles side by side, which one suits your hair, how to tie it in under a minute, what to tell your barber and how to wear it without thinning your hairline.
What is a man bun?
A man bun is any hairstyle where a man gathers his hair to the back or top of his head and ties it into a coiled knot, instead of leaving a tail hanging like a ponytail. It is sometimes called a top knot, though strictly a top knot sits higher, on top of the head, and often goes with short or shaved sides.
- Man bun: usually all one length, gathered at the crown or lower, sides pulled back with the rest.
- Top knot: tied high on the head, often with an undercut or fade so only the top hair goes into it.
- Half up bun: only the top section is tied up, the rest hangs loose.
How long does hair need to be for a man bun?
About 8 inches all over for a full bun that holds, and about 6 inches on top for a top knot over short sides. The shortest pieces are the problem, not the longest: hair at the nape and behind the ears has the furthest to travel to reach the elastic, so it is the first to fall out.
| Hair length | What you can do | What you cannot do yet |
|---|---|---|
| 4 to 5 inches | A small stub bun on top only, sides left down or cut short | Gather the back and sides without pieces falling out |
| 6 inches | A top knot over an undercut or fade | A full one-length bun |
| 8 to 10 inches | Full man bun at the crown, low bun, half up bun | A big wrapped bun |
| 12 inches and up | Any bun, including a large double-wrapped one | Nothing, but ends need trimming |
Hair grows roughly half an inch a month, so going from a short back and sides to a full bun takes a year or more. If you are starting from scratch, our guide to how long men's hair gets and how fast walks through the timeline. The quicker route is to cut the sides short now and grow only the top, which gets you to a top knot in about half the time.
Man bun styles: 14 ways to wear it
Every man in this gallery has the same basic setup: long hair pulled back off the forehead with no part and tied with one plain elastic. The only thing that changes from photo to photo is one variable, either where the bun sits, what the sides are doing or the texture of the hair. Scan it for the one that matches the hair you have, not the hair you wish you had.
Gallery14 photos · tap to enlarge
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Try this on meWhich man bun suits you?
Pick by your hair and your day, not by the photo you liked most. The table gives the short answer; each section below explains why.
| Your situation | Best bun | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Long hair, one length, no shaved sides | Classic bun at the crown | Uses all the length and sits where the head is widest |
| Want the look with less length | Top knot over an undercut | Only the top needs to reach the elastic |
| Want it neat and sharp | Bun with a fade | The fade keeps the sides tidy between trims |
| Curly or wavy hair | Loose curly bun | Pulling curls flat fights the texture and frizzes |
| Still growing it out | Half up bun or stub bun | Leaves the short back pieces down |
| Office or formal dress | Low bun | Sits under the collar line and reads as polished |
Long hair, no shaved sides
If your hair is one length and past the chin, the classic bun at the crown is the default for a reason. Tie it at the highest point of the back of your head, where the skull turns from vertical to horizontal. Tie it lower and it drags the face down; tie it higher and it becomes a top knot, which suits a longer face less. Our guide to wearing long hair as a man covers the trims that keep one-length hair from turning into a triangle.
Man bun with undercut
The undercut bun is the style that made the man bun famous, and it is still the most forgiving. The sides and back are clipped short, often a number 2 or 3 guard, and only the top section grows long enough to tie. That halves the growing time and removes the loose pieces at the nape that ruin most first attempts.
The trade-off is maintenance. Clipped sides need a trim every 3 to 4 weeks or the line between short and long goes soft and fuzzy. When you take the bun down, the top falls over the short sides, so this is a style you commit to wearing up.
Man bun with fade
A fade does the same job as an undercut but blends from very short at the ear to longer where it meets the top, with no hard line. It looks cleaner and more current, and it grows out more gracefully because there is no step to lose. Ask for a mid fade if you want the bun to be the main event; a high fade shows more skin and makes the top look heavier.
Curly and wavy hair
Curly hair makes the best-looking buns and the worst slicked-back ones. Do not brush curls flat to the head; gather them with your fingers so the pattern stays visible along the sides, and let the bun be a round puff rather than a tight coil. Curly hair also shrinks, so you can often tie a bun with less stretched length than straight hair needs. For cuts that suit your texture when the hair is down, see haircuts for curly hair.
Wavy hair sits in between. A spray of sea salt on damp hair before you tie it gives the bun grip and shows the wave, which looks better than fighting it smooth.
Still growing it out
The awkward stage is where most men give up. Between about 4 and 7 inches, the hair at the back will not reach the elastic. Two fixes: tie only the top half and leave the rest down, which is the half up bun, or tie a small stub bun on top and accept a few loose pieces at the nape. Both look intentional; a full bun with half the hair escaping does not. Our medium length hairstyles for men guide has more ways to get through this stretch.
For work
A low bun at the nape is the most professional way to wear long hair short of a suit-ready cut. It sits just above the collar, it is invisible from the front, and it does not add height to your silhouette the way a top knot does. Smooth the sides with a little cream and keep the bun compact.
How to do a man bun
How to do a man bun
- Gather the hair
Rake your hair back with your fingers, not a brush, from the hairline to the crown. Fingers leave a little texture so the bun does not look glued on. Hold everything in one hand at the spot where you want the bun.
- Make the first pass
Loop a fabric-covered elastic over the gathered hair and pull the hair all the way through once, as if you were making a ponytail.
- Pull it halfway on the last pass
On the second or third wrap, pull the hair only halfway through the elastic so it folds into a loop instead of a tail. That loop is the bun.
- Tuck and adjust
Wrap any loose ends around the base of the loop and tuck them under the elastic. Pull a few strands loose at the sides if you want it messier, or smooth them with a little cream if you want it sleek.
The whole thing takes under a minute once your hands learn it. The most common first-try mistake is pulling everything tight to the scalp, which gives a helmet look and puts all the tension on the hairline.
What to ask your barber for
Growing a bun does not mean skipping the barber. It means asking for a different cut. Say this in the chair:
Say this to your barber
I'm growing it out for a man bun, so keep the length on top. Clean up the ends by half an inch, take a little weight out of the back so it ties flat, and keep the sides tidy around the ears.
If you want the undercut version, add "clip the sides and back with a number 2 up to the parietal ridge, disconnected, and leave the top long." Most barbers know that line; if yours reaches for scissors on top, stop them.
Yours could be here.
Start with one selfie.
One photo, twenty seconds, and you'll know. Free account, no card for your first render.
Do man buns damage hair?
They can, if you tie them tight in the same spot every day. The American Academy of Dermatology warns that hairstyles which pull on the hair can cause traction alopecia, a gradual thinning where the tension is greatest. For a man bun that is the temples and the front hairline, which is exactly where most men are already worried about thinning.
Keep it loose enough that you cannot feel it pulling, move the bun's position around from day to day, use fabric-covered elastics instead of rubber bands, and take it down to sleep. If you notice small bumps, soreness or a receding line at the temples, stop wearing it tight.
Man bun mistakes that cost you the look
- Tying it too tight. It looks severe from the front and, over months, thins your temples. Loose wins on both counts.
- One length dragged to the nape. A low bun on hair that has never been trimmed looks like you ran out of time, not like a style. Clean ends make the difference.
- Skipping the barber for a year. Frayed ends make the bun lumpy and the loose pieces look dry. A trim every 10 to 12 weeks keeps the length and fixes the ends.
- Wrong elastic. Thin rubber bands snag and snap hair. A plain fabric-covered elastic in your hair color disappears.
- Undercut left to grow out. A soft, fuzzy line between the clipped sides and the long top is the fastest way to look unkempt.
A few of these are also on our list of haircut mistakes men make.
Are man buns still in style?
Yes, but the version has changed. The tight, high top knot over a shaved undercut peaked years ago and now reads as dated. What looks current is looser and lower: a relaxed bun at the crown or nape, some texture left in, and sides that are either grown out or softly faded. If you want to see how it compares to other long options, our roundup of hairstyles for men puts it in context.
The bottom line
A good man bun comes from the cut, not the tie. Get to about 8 inches, or 6 on top if you go short on the sides, tie it at the crown or nape rather than dead center, keep it loose and keep seeing a barber for the ends. Pick your version from the gallery by your hair type and your day, and try it on your own face before you commit to the grow-out.
Frequently asked questions
Rake your hair back with your fingers to the crown, loop an elastic over it and pull the hair through once, then on the next wrap pull it only halfway so it forms a loop. Tuck the loose ends under the elastic. The step by step is in the how-to section above.
About 8 inches all over for a full bun, or about 6 inches on top if the sides and back are cut short with an undercut or fade. At 4 to 5 inches you can manage a small stub bun on top only.
It is usually called a man bun. When it sits high on top of the head, especially over short or shaved sides, it is often called a top knot. When only the top section is tied and the rest hangs loose, it is a half up bun.
For most faces, at the crown, the highest point at the back of the head. A high top knot adds height, which suits round or square faces but makes long faces look longer. A low bun at the nape is the most polished choice for work.
Yes, in a looser form. The tight top knot over a shaved undercut looks dated now. Relaxed buns at the crown or nape with some texture, paired with grown-out or softly faded sides, are what look current.
Worn tight in the same spot every day, they can cause traction alopecia, which thins the hair at the temples and hairline. Tie it loosely, change its position, use fabric-covered elastics and take it down at night.
It depends on the person, and opinion on the man bun has always been split. What people consistently respond to is whether it looks cared for: clean ends, a loose natural tie and a bun that suits your face read far better than a tight knot on untrimmed hair.
Keep it loose, leave a little texture instead of brushing it flat, trim the ends every few months and match the placement to your face and hair type. Curly hair looks best tied loosely with the curls visible; straight hair looks best with a little cream to smooth the sides.
Preview it on your own photo: Men's Hairstyle Try-On.
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