Guys are letting their hair grow from all parts of their body in 2026. Mustaches are back. So is chest hair. So it follows that longer locks up top are, too. This all started with guys ditching their fades for fuller, yet still “short,” looks. Connor Storrie showed up to the 2026 Golden Globes with a grungy mini mullet, Oscar Isaac appeared in the second season of Beef with a similarly grown out-out ‘do, and a whole bunch of today’s hottest A-listers suddenly grew “boy bangs."
Now we’re seeing even longer lengths at Paris Fashion Week and Wimbledon, which just means there’s plenty more room for experimentation. “Longer hair has become another way for men to express individuality rather than maintain a uniform,” celebrity hairstylist Sami Knight says. “Also, if you’ve a great hairline, it’s well worth showing off.”
The key to growing your hair out is maneuvering the “awkward middle ground,” Knight says, so don't think you can just let your mane go wild without regular upkeep. “Patience is genuinely the technique,” he says.
Looking for inspiration to take a stab at the trend? Here’s a short list of the best long hair styles for men of 2026.
The Baby Mullet
Mullets in their purest form may have once been considered an unserious hairstyle, but the style has recently been co-opted and revamped for runways and red carpets. Now it’s just called the “baby mullet.” It differs from a classic mullet in that the hair barely kisses the back of the neck, and the difference in length between the shorter front and longer back is less drastic. The ends of the hair flick out ever so slightly, and today’s preferred style will rarely feature shaved sides. Oscar Isaac, Paul Mescal, and Superman have all tried out the length of the mini mullet in 2026, affirming it’s a major trend of the year.
The Full-Grown Mullet
Where the baby mullet just graces the top of the neck, the full-on mullet starts to creep down to the top of the upper traps. Glen Powell’s current hair is about the same length all over, but what makes this a true commitment to the purest form of the style is the way Powell brushes the front of his bangs to the side while the wispy bits at the nape peak out. “This is the shape with real weight and intention behind it, not a throwback joke," Knight says. “On the right man it says confident enough to commit to something divisive.” The Texas-born star has been embracing his Southern roots, complementing the style with classic blue jeans, white tees, and the occasional cowboy hat to seal the deal.
The In-Between (The Growing Out Phase)
So you’re in the “awkward middle ground” of growing out your hair that Knight mentioned. This is the point of your hair journey where you’re looking at about three to six inches, and you’re just figuring out how to style it. Take a page from Knicks point guard Tyler Kolek, who two days after becoming an NBA champion was photographed with a mid-length cut ‘90s-style middle part. “This is the most honest trend on the list," Knight says. “That ear covering, slightly shaggy length where you’re clearly past a haircut but not yet at a style.” For this look, Knight recommends regularly trimming the edges to keep it “deliberate rather than overdue.”
The Full-Grown Curls
Grown-out curly hair poses its own set of challenges. The key, Knight says, is to “work with the hair’s natural pattern instead of fighting it.” Once curls are allowed to grow more than a couple inches, their growth patterns will ultimately dictate the way in which you should style it. For example, Aaron Taylor Johnson’s curly long hair circles his face like a majestic mane. Because of its texture and length, Knight says it’s important to keep the curls moist. While long hair usually requires quite a bit of maintenance—read: regular trims—longer curly hair could actually get by with fewer cuts and “resisting the urge to tidy it away.”
The Beachy Waves
Once your hair is long enough to start showing off some texture, a beachy look might be what you’re after. It’s a style defined by loose, tousled waves, and piece-y ends that look especially good once your hair is about shoulder length. Jason Momoa has a history of pulling off the look. It could be because he’s actually an avid surfer or, as Knight posits, went with a few spritzes of a sea salt spray and let the look air dry. Hair at this length and with this texture offers what Knight calls “an unbothered confidence,” an aura that Momoa has brought to many a press tour.
The Shag
A little Oasis and a little bit of Aslan from Narnia, the shag is an overgrown top of wavy hair that frames the face rather than swallowing it whole. Lucy Halperin, Andrew Garfield’s longtime stylist, told British GQ that his recent take on the shag haircut was “tamed but untamed.” This style requires a mix of sea salt spray and hair cream to help maximize volume, while taming the hair’s natural desire to spread out in various directions. The final product should look a little messy but with a clear sense of direction and control.
The Grown-Out Afro
The grown-out afro allows one’s natural hair texture to shine through, and it’s part of a larger trend of black men riding what Jay-Z’s hairstylist Letisia “Lety” Ravelo calls the “natural-hair wave.” Rather than cropping the hair tight, allowing the curls to do their thing allows the person a greater level of self expression, and in Jay-Z’s case, it allowed him to pay homage to his father who wore a similar style. Maintenance for this look requires “consistent moisture, scalp care, and a barber who understands natural texture is everything,” Knight says.
The Soft Punk
This face-framing cut pays homage to the longer hairstyles of punk rockers from the ‘80s and ‘90s. The layered look conveys a conscious decision to have grown out one’s hair rather than simply letting it become an untamed mess. Case in point: BTS member Jimin recently rocked the soft punk at Dior’s 2026 Paris menswear show, and looked like an ethereal prince rather than a rebellious musician.