The French crop has had something of a renaissance, and it’s easy to see why this haircut has become such a popular style: it has ease and versatility in spades.
Unlike the Peaky Blinders inspired undercut, which features a sharp contrast between the longer top and the short sides and back, the French crop has a relaxed feel and short ‘blunt’ fringe, with a subtle tightness that renders the cut clean, fashion-forward, and interesting.
What is a French Crop Haircut?
Its short length and textured top is connected with a soft gradient on the sides, which can either work all the way down to a fade (and into the beard), or embrace a bit more length so to achieve a softer look. This adaptability means that the French crop works for many different face types and hairstyles. Its top can be dramatically textured and styled, combed down and forward into a straight and short fringe, or it can be left au naturel.
Whatever the case, the French crop is characterised by its neatness and the charm of its nonchalant appearance, which is fairly easy to maintain. Despite its easy effort, be mindful that its length – long enough to style but not so short to create severity – needs to be regularly trimmed and texturised to maintain its distinctively kempt and tight look. This haircut demonstrates that even short hairstyles have great and versatile styling potential – and when kept this way, is a practical solution to managing hair even across the summer season.
Variations of a French Crop:
A French crop is essentially short, tight, and high on the sides with a longer length on top, typically including a fringe. Like most things, you can put your unique influence into this style, including the length on the sides and back, the length on the top, the amount of texture, how much product you want to use, the length and shape of the fringe, and how high or low the fade is on the back and sides. All these elements are up to you.
Traditionally, a French crop is short and tidy. You might ask your barber for anything between a 0 to a 2 on the back and sides with a high fade, finger-length on the top with lots of texture, and a blunt fringe. However, it's 2024, and personal uniqueness is more prevalent than ever, so you can go as wild or simple as you like.
You can keep the fade low, have more length on the top, opt for a side fringe, wear your fringe up and to the side, or have a V-shaped blend at the back. You can make it more of a military style for a clean-cut look or keep it long on top, add heaps of texture, and go for that "just got out of bed but spent the last 30 minutes styling my hair" look. The choice is entirely yours.
Make a booking at one of our stores to help create your own version of this style. Now let's move on to how to style the look.
How to Style a French Crop Haircut:
To get the most out of your new haircut, your product selection is crucial. Texture is key for this look, so choose a product with grit and a slightly tacky feel, with either medium hold (for finer hair) or strong hold (for denser hair), and a matte finish. Here are our top three recommendations:
Morris Motley Matte Styling Balm: Suitable for all hair types and lengths, this product is non-greasy with a 24-hour hold. It has a delightful citrus scent and includes ingredients like yerba maté, yuzu, citron zest, baie rose, grapefruit, moss, rosewood, and tonka.
Firsthand Clay Pomade: Don’t be afraid of the word pomade! This firm hold, matte finish styler is great for texture and is Firsthand’s strongest and most resilient product. It’s designed for easy on-the-go styling and adds volume to your hair.
Patricks M1 Light Hold, M2 Medium Hold, and M3 Strong Hold: Choose M1 or M2 for finer hair, and M2 or M3 for denser or longer hair. All three products have a matte finish and are high-performance, combining damage reduction and protective technologies. They fortify and nourish the hair and scalp, minimising hair loss and reinforcing existing hair mass.
