Brush Up Hairstyle: The Defenitive Style Guide

Published By Brooke
Updated 08-23-2022

The uniquely tousled appearance of brush up hair has its iconic memorable and recognizable image – celebrities of all ranks like Justin Bieber, Zayn Malik, or Bruno Mars adjust the upcut hairstyle to their styles and outfits.

Despite the popularity of brush up hairstyles for men, they don’t have an equally recognizable name like a pompadour or a quiff. But does it really matter if the hairstyle itself is so bright and authentic that no man or girl stays indifferent?

A brushed up hairstyle suits most guys, offers added volume and height, and is super easy in maintenance and styling. And all these benefits come with the fact the hair style is modern and outstanding.

Scroll down to find out what cool variations of brush up hairstyles you can create, what hair product will work best for your hair, and to check out a step-by-step tutorial on how to get hair to stand up.

Cool Brush Up Hairstyles for Men

Like with the majority of hairstyles, experimentation is key to a bright brush up hairstyle. Try to style your brush up hairstyle with fingers, with a brush, and with a wide tooth comb – compare and choose your best option.

Also, experiment with the hair products you apply to your combed up hair, vary the amount of styling product you use, try applying it on dry and slightly damp hair strands.

After several efforts, you’ll find your ideal recipe for a bush up hairstyle for men.

Side-Swept Brush Up

Side-Swept Brush Up

@caliberhairstudio

This brush style really rocks: the medium length hair area is waxed and lifted up and to the side. The pomp itself has a defined texture, and the side part is slightly deep and highlights this handsome brush up.

Slicked Back Brush Up

Slicked Back Brush Up

@dr.cut_

To get this iconic brushed up hairstyle, first cut the top section to medium length, taper the sides, and add some creative shaved extras around the ears and at the back if you want. Next, add some hair product, brush up your taper haircut with a hair dryer (following the steps described in the instruction above) and slightly slick it back like in the pictures above.

Low Fade with Comb Over and Brush Up

Low Fade with Comb Over and Brush Up

@kvenzo.barber.cuts

Contrasting haircut ideas work great for all hair types from thin hair to thick hair, from straight hair to wavy hair. Bald fade, a messy fringe up, and a beard will suit men with oval, round, square, or triangle face shapes.

Low Skin Fade with Messy Brush Up and Beard

Low Skin Fade with Messy Brush Up and Beard

@fader_cutz

Contrasting haircut ideas work great for all hair types. Bald fade, a messy fringe up, and a beard will suit men with oval, round, square, or triangle face shapes.

Mid Skin Fade with Textured Hair

Mid Skin Fade with Textured Hair

@fdr.cut_

This is a brush up hairstyle with mid skin fade and thick texture. Brushed forward and backward male hairstyles like this are especially loved by men who often visit casual parties.

Skin Fade with Textured Spiky Hair

Skin Fade with Textured Spiky Hair

@amadeuskaztrobarber

Adding some blonde highlights and a shaved-in design on the sides of your brush up hairstyle is always a great idea. The V-shaped hairline at the nape is another example of how to spice up classic brush up haircuts.

Comb Over with Short Brush Up

Comb Over with Short Brush Up

@bruno_rosa_oficial

This is not a simple brush up hair cut with 4 inches of lifted up bangs. In this iconic hairstyle, a barber can visually correct the face shape by means of a long taper on the sides, as well as to play with the crown by sweeping it to one side with hair wax, a comb, or just fingers.

Tapered Hair with Long Textured Brush Up

Tapered Hair with Long Textured Brush Up

@dr.cut_

In this brush up hairstyle, long textured hair is lifted in a shape of a wave, while the side parts are tapered down. Although this trendy hairstyle is pretty difficult to maintain, the result is definitely worth all the efforts.

Short Messy Textured Haircut

Short Messy Textured Haircut

@dr.cut_

Unlike in the majority of brush up hairstyles, in this cut, the hair is not lifted too high and is rather disconnected. For this messy style, a brush should be used instead of a comb as it gives this neat and thick result. A hair mousse will help to sweep your hair upwards and hold onto the shape.

Side Part Haircut

Side Part Haircut

@taufantm

A defined side part is a win-win option in any situation. Suitable for any men’s hairstyle, this grooming detail spices up this side-swept blonde disconnected brush-up.

Taper Side with Front Up

Taper Side with Front Up

@blackcandybarbershop

This front up hairstyle looks like a quiff as the forehead section of the hair is longer than the rest of the crown.

Textured Side Swept Hair with Short Tapered Sides

Textured Side Swept Hair with Short Tapered Sides
@boldgrooming

This is a classic style for men, where some volume is added to the hair and after that, it’s slicked to one side with a comb and a hair gel. The dramatic taper on the sides adds more weight to this brush up cut.

Line Up Spiky

Line Up Spiky

@duttybarbeiro

Brush up hairstyles can be spiky too. This option is especially good for men with thin hair. You can experiment with the outfits and styles you combine this hairdo with, the age of a man doesn’t matter too. This spiky hairstyle with a high fade in blonde color makes the difference.

Modern Quiff Brush Up

Modern Quiff Brush Up

@lodeandresbarberia

Having a quiff in your brush up will make you look unique and bold. Also, you may become a setter of the trends if you mix graceful silver and deep black into an amazing duet. Take a blow dryer and a comb to make this crazy high style tonight. For this disconnected brush up, you’ll need longer hair.

Spiky Faux Hawk

Spiky Faux Hawk

@theclutchbarbers

Wow! This purple faux hawk with skin shaved sides will definitely get plenty of comments, astonished looks, and compliments. However, it will take a lot of time to tame your long hair on top and achieve this iconic image too!

Faux Hawk Fade

Faux Hawk Fade

@_camelcitybarber_

Combine a short hair faux hawk with a middle fade and a delicate side part. Two minutes in front of the mirror, a comb, and some wax in the morning – and your messy look is turned into an irresistible brushed up hairstyle.

Undercut with High Pompadour

Undercut with High Pompadour

@hairfunctions

A perfect pompadour is an ideal solution for multiple occasions. Men love the pomp because it looks simple but smart, it’s versatile, shiny, and ready to refresh any outfit of yours.

High Skin Fade with Thick Brushed Up Hair

High Skin Fade with Thick Brushed Up Hair

@people_barber_shop

Skin fade brush up is one of those hairstyle ideas that get your hair ready to go in several seconds of hair styling. This high fade brushed up hairstyle resembles a military cut.

Wavy Brushed Up Hair with Taper Fade

Wavy Brushed Up Hair with Taper Fade

@flatmax

The Classic Brush Up Hair

The Classic Brush Up Hair

@bertlebarbier

Brush Up Medium Length Hair

Brush Up Medium Length Hair

@barbeariacams_

Disconnected Undercut with Brush Back

Disconnected Undercut with Brush Back

@freemansbarbershop_

Hard Part with High Brush Up

Hard Part with High Brush Up

@mestre_danavalha

Curly Brush Up and Disconnected Design

Curly Brush Up and Disconnected Design

@eclecticbarbershop

Angled Brush Up

Angled Brush Up

@fader_cutz

What Is the Brush Up Hairstyle?

In a brush-up style, the medium length hair on the top of the head is styled up and over backward, usually, in a pretty messy way. The short sides and the back are cut in a mid bald fade, undercut, or taper. Thus, brush up hairstyles can resemble the quiff.

Brush Up VS Quiff

In a quiff hairstyle, boys style up only the front part of the hair (the area above the forehead.) In a brush-up, the whole top is lifted upwards and fixed with different hair products.

Brush Up VS Spiky Hair

In spiky hairstyles, the strands are lifted up vertically and defined, often, with a comb and stronghold pomade or gel, while in the brush-up, the hair is given upward vertical volume with fingers and after that messed up chaotically with a hairdryer.

What Do I Need for the Brush Up Hairstyle?

Here’s your must-have list:

  • The hair length on top of the head – about 2-4 inches long.
  • Straight hair. Wavy is acceptable too. Curly hair is almost impossible to style into a traditional brush-up.
  • A comb.
  • A hairdryer.

Also, you’ll need some hair products – choose the appropriate ones bearing your needs and preferences in mind:

  • Hair Wax – Used to shape your hair and give it the necessary texture. The best part is that hair waxes look very natural, so nobody will notice any hair product on your hair.
  • Hair Mousse – Adds more volume to the hair, defines the curls (if the hair is curly.) It looks dryer than hair wax, so make sure you don’t overdo it.

How to Style the Brush Up Hairstyle

This easy guide will help you to know how to do the brush-up hairstyle:

  1. Shampoo your hair and dry it up with a towel.
  2. Apply some hair wax or hair mousse to damp hair. Make sure that no locks without hair product coverage left.
  3. Style the crown using your fingers or a brush/comb. Spike the hair up and also mess it up a little bit.
  4. Point a hair dryer towards the strands you lift with fingers. Continue doing it until the necessary height and brush up texture achieved.
  5. You can use a comb to polish the look of the medium length hair area.
  6. Finish off by applying some more hair wax, hair mousse, or hairspray for a rocking brush up hairstyle.

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