Straight-hair fades and wavy fades behave differently the moment the clippers come out. Screenshot one of these instead — each one works with the texture instead of fighting it.
1. Medium Fade Textured Quiff
The fade tapers in around the ear, usually landing at a number 2 or 3 on the sides. Up top, wave texture gets pushed forward and lifted with a matte paste — not gel, which flattens the natural bend.
Barbers point-cut the fringe so it breaks instead of sitting in one straight line. That’s what keeps a quiff from looking like a straight-hair style forced onto wavy strands.
Expect a trim every 3 weeks to keep the fade line sharp. Skip it much past 4 and the sides start climbing into the wave zone.
2. Medium Fade Curly Fringe
This one leaves more length on top than a quiff, around 3 to 4 inches, and lets the natural curl-wave pattern fall forward instead of getting brushed back.
A curl cream applied to towel-dried hair does more work here than any amount of blow-drying. Diffusing on low heat helps. Air-drying works almost as well if you’re not in a rush.
The trade-off is shrinkage. Hair that measures 4 inches wet can read closer to 3 once it dries, so tell the barber to cut slightly long.
3. Medium Fade Side Part
A hard part gets razored into the fade’s highest point, and the top hair combs over it in a wave that a straight-haired guy can’t fake as cleanly.
This is the version that reads most formal, which makes it the pick for guys who need one haircut that works for a graduation photo and a Tuesday at school.
It needs a comb and a dime-sized amount of pomade every morning — around 90 seconds, not the 5-minute production some styles demand.
4. Medium Fade Wavy Crop
A French crop cut short and blunt across the fringe, fading into the sides at a mid-height. Wavy hair adds texture the straight-hair version of this cut doesn’t have.
It’s low-maintenance by fade standards. A little texturizing spray worked in with fingers, and you’re done. No brush, no comb required most mornings.
The fringe needs trimming every 2 to 3 weeks or it stops looking cropped and starts looking like it grew out by accident.
5. Medium Fade Pompadour
Height comes from the front third of the hair, pushed up and slightly back while the fade handles everything below the temple.
Wavy hair holds a pompadour’s shape longer than straight hair does. The bend gives the style something to grip instead of collapsing by noon.
It does need a blow-dryer and a round brush to set properly, so budget about 6 to 8 minutes most mornings. That’s the real cost of this one.
6. Medium Fade Curtain Fringe
Curtains part down the center and sweep to both sides, framing the face instead of pushing hair back or up.
On wavy hair, the part looks less severe than it does on straight hair. The wave blurs the line naturally instead of leaving a stark gap.
This style needs length up top, at least 4 inches, so it takes a few months of growing out before the fade underneath can support it properly.
7. Medium Fade Textured Crew Cut
Short and uniform on top, maybe an inch and a half, fading tight into the sides. This is the cut that shows up most in barbershop reference photos, and for good reason.
A little texture spray or clay keeps the top from lying flat. Wavy hair barely needs it, honestly. The movement is already built in.
This is the lowest-upkeep option on this list. Wash, scrunch a bit of product through, done in under 2 minutes.
8. Medium Fade Mullet
Short and faded on the sides and front, longer at the back, anywhere from 3 to 6 inches depending on how far a guy wants to take it.
Wavy hair at the back reads less like a costume and more like an intentional style. That’s the main reason this cut works better on wavy texture than straight.
Not every school or workplace is fine with it, so that’s worth checking before committing to months of growing out the back section.
9. Medium Fade Comb Over
Longer hair on top combs over to one side across a fade that starts a little higher than most cuts on this list, usually right above the ear.
The comb-over reads more grown-up than the other options here. That’s exactly why some 16- and 17-year-olds pick it over anything with more texture showing.
It needs daily combing and a light hold product. Skip a day and the part disappears into loose waves by afternoon.
10. Medium Fade Wavy Afro Top
Length stays natural and full on top, untouched by product most days, while the fade underneath keeps the sides from competing with all that volume.
This is the cut that actually needs the least daily effort of anything here, provided the top gets a trim every 4 to 5 weeks to keep its shape.
A wide-tooth comb in the shower, once, is basically the whole routine. That’s rare for a fade this defined.
11. Medium Fade Spiky Textured Top
Short top hair, roughly an inch, worked up into separated pieces with a matte wax while the fade tapers in below.
Wavy hair actually makes the spiking easier. The bend gives each section somewhere to break instead of standing in one stiff line.
It takes about 3 minutes with product each morning. Miss a day of washing and the spikes hold even better, which isn’t true of most fades on this list.
