The Temple Fade: A Sharp Hairline Detail, Done Subtly
A temple fade, often shortened to “temp fade”, is a fade confined to the temples: the short hair just in front of and above the ear is blended down close to the skin, while the rest of the sides and back keep their length. Many barbers carry the same short blend round the ear and into the nape as well, so the edges of the haircut look crisp without the whole side being taken short. It is a detail rather than a style. You add it to a cut you already like, it reads as tidy rather than fashionable, and it needs touching up roughly every two to three weeks to stay sharp.
Where the temple fade sits
A conventional fade, whether low, mid or high, runs around the whole head in a band. The temple fade works on a much smaller area: the patch between the corner of the forehead and the top of the ear, sometimes called the temple corner. That patch is where hair grows in several directions at once and where most haircuts start to look untidy first. Fading it gives a clean frame to the face from the front and a sharp profile from the side.
If you want the full picture of how any fade is built, from guard lengths to the blending passes, our guide to what a fade haircut is walks through it step by step.
Temple fade, taper, burst fade: telling them apart
These names get mixed up, by clients and occasionally by barbers. A rough guide:
| Style | What gets faded | How it reads |
|---|---|---|
| Temple fade | Temples, often around the ear and at the nape | Sharp edges, sides keep their weight |
| Taper | Sideburns and neckline only, gradually shorter | Classic, very understated |
| Burst fade | A curve around the ear, back left longer | More rounded, more noticeable |
| Low or mid fade | A band right around the head | Clearly faded sides |
The temple fade overlaps with the taper. The practical difference is that a taper keeps a little hair at the sideburn and simply shortens it, whereas a temple fade usually takes the temple corner much closer, sometimes to skin, and is often finished with a defined edge. If the curve-around-the-ear version appeals, our piece on the burst fade covers it.
Who the temple fade suits
Men who want a clean cut without short sides
This is the main reason to choose it. If your job, your face shape or simply your taste rules out a skin fade, a temple fade gives you the sharpness at the edges while keeping the side of the head soft. It works under a scissor cut, a crop, a short afro, waves and twists.
Afro and tightly curled hair
The temple fade has deep roots in Black barbering, often paired with a line-up, and it suits tight curl patterns particularly well because the contrast between the faded edge and the denser hair above is so clean.
Straighter hair, with care
On straight or fine hair the effect is subtler. It can look excellent, but the barber will usually keep the fade softer so it does not look like a patch has been shaved out.
Receding temples: a judgement call
If your hairline is going back at the corners, fading the temples hard can draw the eye straight to that recession. Some men find a soft fade actually makes the recession look deliberate; others prefer to leave a little length there. This is exactly the kind of decision the assessment at the start of a visit is for. Our guide to haircuts for a receding hairline covers the options.
The line-up question
A temple fade is often finished with a line-up: a defined edge cut along the forehead and temple with a trimmer or razor. It looks very sharp for the first few days. The risk is that a barber cutting a line-up repeatedly can creep the line back a millimetre at a time, and over months the hairline ends up further back than nature put it. We wrote about this in detail in our piece on the pushed-back hairline.
You do not have to have the line-up. A temple fade with a natural edge, blended out without a hard line, looks softer and grows out more gracefully. Tell the barber which you want.
How to ask for a temple fade
Because the terminology varies, describe what you want rather than relying on the name alone. Useful things to say:
- Where the fade should go: temples only, or temples plus around the ears and the nape.
- How short at the bottom: skin, or a short guard so a little shadow stays.
- Edge or no edge: line-up at the forehead and temple, or natural.
- What happens above it: the length you want on the sides and the style on top, so the barber knows how far up to blend.
- How it looks now that you like or dislike: a photo of a previous cut is more useful than any name.
At our Highgate barbers, the visit starts with the barber looking at your hair, how it grows at the temples and what you want, then making a recommendation. It is the right moment to raise any of the points above.
What happens in the chair
The barber usually cuts the main haircut first, so they know the length the fade has to blend into. The temple fade itself is detailed trimmer work: setting a guide at the lowest point, blending up in short passes with progressively longer guards or the clipper lever, then refining with a trimmer or foil shaver at the bottom. Hair at the temple often grows forwards or in a swirl, so the barber may work against the grain in short strokes. If you have a line-up, it goes in last.
It adds a modest amount of time to the haircut. It does not need any special preparation from you, although arriving with dry hair that is not full of product helps the barber see how it naturally sits.
Keeping it sharp
Close-cut hair shows growth quickly. Hair grows on average around a centimetre a month, so a fade taken to skin starts to look soft within a couple of weeks; our piece on how fast hair grows has more. Practical guidance:
- Plan a tidy every two to three weeks if you want it crisp, or four if you are happy with a softer look.
- Avoid tidying the temples at home with a trimmer. One slip pushes the hairline back and takes weeks to grow in.
- If you run a line-up, ask for it to follow your natural hairline each time rather than re-cutting it from scratch.
- On a skin-faded temple, a little sun protection helps in summer; the skin there is not used to exposure.
Questions we get asked
Is a temple fade the same as a Brooklyn fade?
The two names are often used interchangeably for a fade concentrated at the temples and edges. The safer route is to describe the area and the shortness you want.
Can I have a temple fade with a scissor cut?
Yes. It is one of the neatest ways to sharpen a longer scissor cut without changing its overall shape.
Does a temple fade work with a beard?
It can, but the barber will need to think about how the sideburn connects. A faded temple and a full beard usually call for a gentle blend through the sideburn.
How do I book?
Email us with the day that suits you, or see the full list of services on our barber page. More about the venue is on The Highgate House homepage.
Book with The Highgate House
Ready for a proper cut? Email us at [email protected] with the service and the day that suits you, and we will come back to you with times.
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The Highgate House, Archway Road, Highgate, London N6.
