20 Mid Taper Blowout Styles for a Fresh Look
A blowout mid taper pairs a temple-height taper with a round-brushed, volume-forward top. Twenty variations, who each suits, and how to ask at the chair.
In this article · 26
- What Is a Blowout Mid Taper?
- How to Choose a Mid Taper Blowout for You
- 20 Mid Taper Blowout Styles Worth Trying
- 1. Classic Mid Taper Blowout
- 2. Textured Mid Taper Blowout
- 3. Sleek Brushed-Back Mid Taper Blowout
- 4. Side-Swept Mid Taper Blowout
- 5. Messy Mid Taper Blowout
- 6. High-Volume Pompadour Mid Taper Blowout
- 7. Curly Mid Taper Blowout
- 8. Wavy Mid Taper Blowout
- 9. Straight-Hair Mid Taper Blowout
- 10. Fringe-Forward Mid Taper Blowout
- 11. Middle Part Mid Taper Blowout
- 12. Slick Mid Taper Blowout with Gloss
- 13. Afro Mid Taper Blowout
- 14. Mid Taper Blowout with Line-Up
- 15. Long Mid Taper Blowout
- 16. Short Crop Mid Taper Blowout
- 17. Mid Taper Blowout with Edgar Fringe
- 18. Mid Taper Blowout with Comb-Over
- 19. Mid Taper Blowout for Thin Hair
- 20. Mid Taper Blowout with Mullet Back
- How to Ask Your Barber
- Blow-Dry Technique and Styling
- Maintenance and Product Kit
The blowout mid taper is the styling version of a mid taper. Your barber tapers the sides at temple height, leaves four to five inches on top, and cuts the length with weight in the front. You blow-dry it up and forward with a round brush until the top sits rounded and full. Below: twenty variations across textures and vibes, with the blow-dry moves and the exact ask for each one.
What Is a Blowout Mid Taper?
A blowout mid taper is a two-part cut. The perimeter is a mid taper — hair shrinks through the clipper guards starting at the temple line, drops through a #1 or a #0.5 at the shortest point, and never touches skin. The top stays four to six inches long and gets cut with weight left forward, so a round brush has something to lift.
The blowout is styling. Damp hair, round brush, dryer on medium heat, brush from root outward and upward opposite to the natural fall. The dryer builds a rounded silhouette; a cool shot at the end locks it. That's the whole trick — cut and styling are inseparable here. Skip the dryer and it's just a mid taper.
Height sets the vibe. A low taper fade barely touches the ear and reads conservative. A high taper starts up near the parietal ridge and reads bold. The mid taper sits in the middle — enough contrast under the volume to look intentional, soft enough at the edge that the blowout owns the silhouette instead of fighting a hard fade line. Take the transition all the way down to skin and you're in blowout taper fade territory — same silhouette on top, harder contrast at the bottom.
The mid taper is also the safest entry point. It suits almost every face shape, grows out gracefully for an extra week between cuts, and works with straight, wavy, curly, and coily textures. See the low fade vs mid fade vs high fade breakdown for the height comparison.
How to Choose a Mid Taper Blowout for You
Three variables decide which version below to book. Get all three right and the cut works the first time.
Face shape. Oval and square faces suit almost every version. Round faces should go taller on top and pick a version with front weight — vertical lift lengthens the frame. Long or oblong faces should keep the top under four inches so the silhouette doesn't stretch. Heart-shaped faces want a fuller front and a lighter crown.
Hair type. Wavy and thick straight hair are the sweet spot — natural body stacks with the round-brush shape and holds all day with minimal product. Fine and thin hair needs a mousse plus a shorter top (three to four inches) so it reads dense. Curly and coily hair skip the round brush entirely — a diffuser and a pick do the work, and the taper cleans the perimeter without touching the pattern above.
Styling appetite. A blowout is not a wash-and-go cut. Budget ten minutes every morning for the dryer, the brush, and the product. If you refuse to own a hair-dryer, book a different cut. See the general blowout taper guide for a broader look at the family before you pick a version.
20 Mid Taper Blowout Styles Worth Trying
The variations sort by vibe — volume-forward first, then textured, sleek, side-swept, messy, brushed back, and a few extras that add a fringe or a mullet. Each entry tells you what makes it different, who it flatters, exactly what to ask for, and one styling move that locks the shape in.
1. Classic Mid Taper Blowout
This is the archetype — five inches on top, weight in the front, brushed up and slightly forward into a domed silhouette. The mid taper on the sides gives it contrast without going bare. Best for oval and square faces with medium-to-thick straight or wavy hair.
Ask for: "Mid taper, 0.5 guard at the shortest, five inches on top, cut for a blowout with weight in the front." Say "blowout" out loud so the barber leaves length pointing up and back.
Styling tip: Round-brush damp hair from the front section going backward and up. Cool shot for ten seconds at the end. Matte cream on the ends only — roots need to stay light.
2. Textured Mid Taper Blowout
The textured version breaks the shape into pieces — same lift, less helmet. Point-cut ends on top let the round brush build volume without a solid mass on top. Falls into the textured haircut family for guys who want body without polish.
Ask for: "Mid taper, four inches on top, point-cut through the length for texture, blowout finish." Point-cutting is the key word — it's what breaks up the ends.
Styling tip: Blow-dry with the round brush, then work matte clay or fiber through the top with your fingers, twisting small sections. That's what defines the pieces.
3. Sleek Brushed-Back Mid Taper Blowout
Instead of forward volume, this version sweeps everything straight back — think a modern slick-back with lift built in. The blowout adds height at the crown so the sweep-back doesn't collapse flat. Best for straight or wavy hair with a strong front hairline.
Ask for: "Mid taper, five inches on top, cut so the length falls straight back, blowout with height at the crown." Show a photo — sleek is easy to over-flatten.
Styling tip: Round-brush from front to back, then work a light pomade through with a wide-tooth comb. Setting spray at the end holds the sweep against gravity.
4. Side-Swept Mid Taper Blowout
The side sweep is the workwear version — length parted low and swept diagonally across the crown, with the blowout building softness on the heavy side. Reads dressier than the pure volume-forward look. Best for round and oval faces at the office.
Ask for: "Mid taper, four to five inches on top, cut for a side sweep with a soft part, blowout for the sweep side." Point at where you part naturally.
Styling tip: Blow-dry across the part with the round brush pushing the heavy side over. Finish with a low-shine cream and comb marks smoothed out.
5. Messy Mid Taper Blowout
The messy version is the blowout with the polish removed — same lift, but broken up with fingers instead of combed into shape. Sits with the broader messy hairstyles family. Best for guys with natural wave who want body without effort reading on them.
Ask for: "Mid taper, five inches on top, blowout with light layering, cut so it looks lived-in." Layers keep the mess from turning into a bulk.
Styling tip: Round-brush the front only, then break the rest up with your fingers while it's still warm. Sea salt spray on damp hair adds grit. No comb.
6. High-Volume Pompadour Mid Taper Blowout
This one turns the front third into a mini pompadour — hair round-brushed up and slightly back, with the tallest point right above the forehead. The mid taper stops the sides from competing. Best for oval, square, and long faces with thick straight or wavy hair.
Ask for: "Mid taper, six inches on top with front weight, cut for a pompadour blowout." Length matters here — anything under five inches won't stack the height.
Styling tip: Mousse at the roots first, blow-dry the front upward against the natural fall, then set with strong-hold cream. Dryer's cool shot at the end for at least thirty seconds.
7. Curly Mid Taper Blowout
Curly hair on a mid taper reads as a full, rounded crown with a clean perimeter. The curl handles the volume — you're really just shaping the outer edge. See the curly hairstyles for men roundup for the wider curly family. Best for 3a–3c curls with four to six inches of length.
Ask for: "Mid taper on the sides, scissor cut on top to keep the curl pattern intact, shape the top round." Scissors matter. Clippers on top flatten the coil.
Styling tip: Curl cream on damp hair, diffuser on low, plop and lift at the roots as you dry. Don't touch it after — every touch flattens the curl.
8. Wavy Mid Taper Blowout
Wavy hair is the sweet spot for this cut. The wave adds movement, the blow-dry adds height, and the two stack into a full silhouette without much product. Best for 2b–2c waves with three to six inches on top.
Ask for: "Mid taper, five inches on top, thin the crown so it doesn't sit heavy, blowout with the front weighted forward." The thinning matters — wavy hair gets bulky at the back if left alone.
Styling tip: Sea salt spray on damp hair, round-brush the front going up and slightly back, break the rest with your fingers. Don't over-brush — you'll straighten the wave.
9. Straight-Hair Mid Taper Blowout
Straight hair is the hardest texture for this cut — no natural body means every bit of lift is engineered. It works if you commit to the routine. Best for medium-density straight hair.
Ask for: "Mid taper, four inches on top, add point-cut texture through the length so the dryer has something to grip, blowout finish." Texture is what saves straight hair from lying flat.
Styling tip: Mousse at the roots on damp hair, blow-dry upside down for the first pass to lift from underneath, then flip up and shape with a round brush. Finish with matte cream.
10. Fringe-Forward Mid Taper Blowout
Instead of pushing all the length back, the fringe-forward version leaves the front pieces dropping onto the forehead with the crown lifted behind. Reads younger and softer. Best for oval and heart-shaped faces with any texture.
Ask for: "Mid taper, five inches on top, keep the front pieces long enough to fall on the forehead, blowout the crown up." Show a photo — fringe length is easy to misread.
Styling tip: Blow-dry the crown up and back first, then let the front fall naturally. Finger-style the fringe into place. Skip stiff product.
11. Middle Part Mid Taper Blowout
The middle part blowout splits the volume down the center — two rounded curtains on either side of a straight part, taper below. Modern K-pop and comma-hair adjacent. Best for oval and square faces with straight or wavy hair five inches or longer.
Ask for: "Mid taper, six inches on top, cut for a middle part with weight on both sides, blowout the length forward and out." Length has to be even on both sides for the part to sit clean.
Styling tip: Blow-dry the length forward with a round brush, then split down the center with the comb tip. Light-hold cream on the ends only.
12. Slick Mid Taper Blowout with Gloss
Same silhouette as the classic, but finished with a shiny pomade instead of matte cream. Reads dressed-up and dated to the 1950s pompadour lineage. Best for straight hair and formal events.
Ask for: "Mid taper, five inches on top, blowout with front weight, cut so it can take a shine finish." Blowout first, gloss on top of that shape.
Styling tip: Round-brush the full shape, then work a small amount of water-based pomade through with a comb from front to back. Water-based rinses out — oil-based lasts three washes.
13. Afro Mid Taper Blowout
The afro version keeps a full coil pattern on top and lets the taper handle the sides. The volume already lives in the curl — the mid taper just cleans the frame around it. Best for 4a–4c coils with three to five inches of length grown out.
Ask for: "Mid taper on the sides, scissor cut on top to preserve the coil pattern, shape the top round." Scissors, not clippers, on the top.
Styling tip: Pick out damp hair with a wide-tooth pick, then diffuse on low heat. Light sheen spray at the end. Never round-brush coils — you'll break the pattern.
14. Mid Taper Blowout with Line-Up
Adding a razor line-up along the front hairline and temples sharpens the whole cut. The perimeter reads geometric under a soft, rounded top — the contrast is the whole appeal. Best for guys with a strong hairline and any hair type.
Ask for: "Mid taper, five inches on top, blowout the top for volume, razor line-up on the front hairline and around the temples." Ask if the line-up is included in the price — some shops charge extra.
Styling tip: Line-ups sharpen the taper contrast in photos but blur first — book at two weeks instead of three if you're keeping the line clean.
15. Long Mid Taper Blowout
Six-plus inches on top gives the round brush real range — the silhouette gets taller, fuller, and more dramatic. This version needs commitment to the styling routine or the length collapses into a mess. Best for guys who already own a dryer and use it daily.
Ask for: "Mid taper, six to seven inches on top, cut for a big blowout with front weight." Say "big" out loud so the barber leaves length instead of trimming for shape.
Styling tip: Split into three sections and round-brush each — front, crown, back. Volumizing mousse at the roots. Strong-hold cream, not paste, for the ends.
16. Short Crop Mid Taper Blowout
The short crop version stays under three inches on top with texture cut through the length. The blowout still lifts the roots — you just get a shorter, tighter silhouette. Reads work-appropriate and low-maintenance for a blowout. Best for guys with thick hair who want body without the height.
Ask for: "Mid taper, three inches on top, textured crop, blowout the roots for lift." The lift is at the base — the ends don't need to move much.
Styling tip: Rough-dry with your hands first for root lift, then finish with a small round brush only on the front. Matte clay through the ends with your fingers.
17. Mid Taper Blowout with Edgar Fringe
The Edgar fringe is the blunt bang cut straight across the forehead. Pair it with a blowout mid taper and the top keeps volume behind the fringe while the front stays flat and geometric. Best for longer foreheads and guys with straight or wavy hair.
Ask for: "Edgar fringe, blunt across the brow, mid taper, blowout behind the fringe on top." Bring a photo — Edgar length varies shop to shop.
Styling tip: Blow-dry the crown forward, then comb the fringe flat against your forehead. Setting spray locks it. Don't touch the fringe once it's set.
18. Mid Taper Blowout with Comb-Over
The comb-over blowout combs the length diagonally across the top with a defined part on the heavy side. The blowout keeps the swept hair off the scalp so it doesn't read plastered-down. Best for oval, square, and long faces at the office.
Ask for: "Mid taper, five inches on top, cut for a comb-over with a hard part, blowout to lift under the sweep." Ask for the part to be razored in if you want it sharper.
Styling tip: Round-brush the heavy side up and across, then comb the whole shape into place. Water-based pomade for the sweep, matte cream for the crown.
19. Mid Taper Blowout for Thin Hair
Thin hair reads fuller when it's cut shorter and blown out with lift at the roots. The mid taper adds density illusion on the sides by keeping them cleaner. Best for guys with density loss who still have three to four inches of length to work with.
Ask for: "Mid taper, three to four inches on top — no longer. Cut to make the hair look denser, blowout for root lift." Shorter is fuller for thin hair. Length exposes scalp.
Styling tip: Root-lift spray, blow-dry against the natural fall for maximum lift, finish with a fiber that doesn't clump. Wet-look kills volume — stay matte.
20. Mid Taper Blowout with Mullet Back
The mullet-back blowout adds length at the nape while keeping the sides tapered and the top round-brushed. Sits with the quiff hairstyles and modern shag family more than a classic mullet. Best for guys with wavy or curly hair who want length without commitment on the sides.
Ask for: "Mid taper on the sides, blowout on top with five inches of front weight, leave the back at three inches down to the collar." Say "soft mullet" if the word helps — most barbers know that shorthand.
Styling tip: Round-brush the front and crown, then finger-shape the back so it curves naturally. Don't over-product the mullet — the length carries itself.
How to Ask Your Barber
Walk in with the ask organized. Five steps get you the exact cut on the first appointment.
- Bring a reference photo. Even a great verbal description gets read three ways. A photo cuts the ambiguity in half. Ideally, one photo from the front and one from the side.
- Say the fade height. "Mid taper" is the primary phrase — it tells the barber the transition starts at the temple line and doesn't go bare.
- Say the guard number at the shortest point. #0.5 or #1 for most mid tapers. #0 if you want harder contrast under the volume.
- Say the length on top in inches. Four inches for a shorter crop, five for the standard blowout, six-plus for maximum height. Round barbers use inches — "medium" and "longer" get read differently across shops.
- Say the word "blowout." That one word tells the barber to leave the top weighted forward and up so it shapes with a round brush. Without it, the top gets cut flat.
Book the next appointment before you walk out. Blowout barbers book out fast — the good ones especially.
Blow-Dry Technique and Styling
The cut is only half the shape. The other half is a ten-minute daily routine.
Prep. Towel-dry until damp, not soaking. Squeeze the excess water out with a microfiber towel — cotton roughens the cuticle and kills shine.
Product on damp hair. Root-lift mousse or volumizing spray at the base. Curl cream if you're curly. Sea salt spray if you want texture with hold. Product goes on damp so heat spreads it evenly.
Angle the dryer with a nozzle. Nozzle attachment is non-negotiable. Direct the airflow from root to tip along the round brush, medium heat, medium airflow. Too hot and you dry the ends before the roots have set.
Brush root to tip, opposite to natural fall. The lift comes from working against the fall. If your hair falls forward, brush up and back first. Wavy hair uses a two-inch round brush; hair over five inches jumps to three inches for a rounder curve.
Work in sections. Front, crown, back — three sections keep the shape even. Front sets the silhouette, so start there.
Cool shot last. Every dryer has one. Twenty to thirty seconds of cool air over the finished shape locks the cuticle and holds the lift for hours. Heat shapes; cool sets.
Finishing product on ends only. Matte cream, matte clay, or fiber — small amount, worked into the tips with your fingers. Roots need to breathe. Product at the base pulls the volume down by lunch.
A dry blowout with product-only styling is possible if you're rushed — rough-dry with your hands, then apply matte paste and shape with your fingers. Not as polished, still holds through a workday.
Maintenance and Product Kit
Book every two to three weeks. The taper transition line blurs first — you'll notice fuzz at the temple line around week two. That's when the whole cut starts looking untidy.
Between cuts, the routine covers three axes.
Wash cadence. Every two to three days. Overwashing strips the natural oils that give hair body. Underwashing weighs it down. Sulfate-free shampoo on wash days, water-only rinse in between. Skip conditioner on the sides — it softens the taper edge. Condition the top only.
Overnight care. Cotton pillowcases crush the volume and pull moisture out. Sleep on a silk or satin pillowcase, or wear a silk cap for curly and coily hair. The shape holds better in the morning and you need less time to reset.
Product kit for the drawer. The essentials — a dryer with a nozzle and cool shot, a two-inch or three-inch round brush, root-lift mousse or volumizing spray, matte cream or matte clay for the finish, and a light-hold hairspray or setting spray for humid days. That's the full kit. Sea salt spray optional for texture; curl cream and a diffuser required for curly or coily hair.
In between cuts. A cheap set of trimmers keeps your neckline clean between visits. Buzz the neckline down to skin every four to five days. Don't touch the taper line — leave that to the barber.
Book the next appointment before you leave. Good blowout barbers book out weeks in advance. You don't want to be scrambling for a chair the day your fade goes fuzzy.
