50 Cool Slick Back Haircut Ideas

The slick back haircut has a longer style history than you can imagine. We can travel a few decades ago and meet a very young Johnny Depp making his first appearance in 80s slasher films donning this very hairdo. Then we can go back to the 50s to an Elvis concert and see the king himself sporting the slick back haircut as if he ruled the world, not just the stage. Finally, we could even go back to the 30s and see a movie with Clark Gable in his signature hairstyle.

However, the slick back haircut has never seemed to be more popular than in the past few years. Every man in Hollywood has been wearing it, and the world followed suit. And we’ve got proof. Here are 50 cool slick back haircut ideas for you to try out.

1. The Slick Back Haircut with Low Fade

We’re starting off with one of the most popular ways of wearing the slick back. That is by pairing it with a low fade on both sides and in the back. In this way, all the attention goes to the top part.

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2. The Slick Back Haircut with Undercut

If you don’t want to shave it all off, you can simply opt for the undercut. It’s basically the same type of haircut, just with a few more inches on each side and in the back, in case you have a stricter dress code in the office.

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3. The Messy Slick Back Haircut

Although most slick back haircuts are typically very cared for and neatly arranged in perfect dos, you don’t have to do it like that. If you have a more artistic nature or if you like the ‘I woke up like this look’, go for messy instead.

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4. The Wavy Clean Slick Back Haircut

This version of the slick back is, in fact, a combination between a high pompadour and a wavy slick. In other words, you will get just about the best of three worlds. What could you possibly want more in a hairstyle?

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5. The Brushed up Slick Back Haircut

As the name suggests, you will need a brush if you want to copy this look. The secret is a fair amount of high-quality hair wax. Apply it liberally on your locks, put the brush into motion and see the ladies swoon.

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6. The Justin Timberlake

Justin is here to usher us into our long list of celebrities, current, and past who proudly wear the slick back haircut. Let them all be an inspiration to you. For example, Justin sports an Ivy League version of the cut, in a lovely natural chestnut brown.

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7. The Retro Slick Back Haircut

If you’re a fan of the retro vintage style, then this is definitely the haircut for you. All you need is some hair gel and a comb and you’re done. Pro tip – wear the comb with you at all times. It will help you keep your hair in place.

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8. The Harry Styles

The One Direction singer is very fond of his long locks, which he wears in a slick back haircut. They are partially curly, cut to a medium length, textured and with a lot of volume to them. The result is that they frame his face perfectly.

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9. The Joe Manganiello

The man who managed to marry beauty queen Sofia Vergara might know a thing or two about looking good himself. His classic handsomeness and rugged good looks are finished off by the slick back haircut with a part on one side.

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10. The Chris Hemsworth

Being compelled to wear his hair long for a long time given his lengthy role in ‘Thor’ and the ‘Avengers’, Chris sweetened up to the slick back haircut as well. He made it his own, however, wearing it messy and with many strands falling carelessly around his perfect face.

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11. The Slick Back Haircut with Cropped Sides

What we love most about this take on the beloved slick back is the color. It’s an all-natural sun-kissed blonde color, perfectly matching the ginger beard. It speaks of self-confidence and flaunting your best natural features.

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12. The High Fade with a Hard Part

This slick back haircut has a high fade, going almost to the top of the head and meeting the slick. It also has a perfect hard part that loses itself on the way to the back. The slick itself is textured and layered.

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13. The Brad Pitt in ‘Fury’

When the world saw ‘Fury’ it only seemed to notice one thing. Brad Pitt’s hairstyle. You guessed it. It’s a slick back haircut, as spiky and as raw as they come. The sides are shaved down and seem almost grimy in their manliness. Wow!

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14. The Long Slick Back Haircut

If you’re all about the party in the back, you can add a bit of pizzazz to your slick back. Ask your stylist to leave some length to the tail of the cut. In this way, it will look modern, manly, and artsy, all at the same time.

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15. The Slick Back Haircut with a Hard Part

Hard parts are very easy to explain. Think of them as the luxury cousins of the normal, natural parts. A barber or stylist will use a machine to effectively shave a hard part on one side of your head for the desired effect.

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16. Business Dapper

The slick back haircut is quite perfect if you happen to be a businessman. You will see that it transitions perfectly from working hours to night time. This means you can look presentable at meetings and then fun on dates or out with friends.

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17. The Disconnected Undercut with Textured Hair

A disconnected undercut means that your beard and, by means of consequence, your sideburns no longer touch up with your haircut. In this case, it is because you have opted for the slick back haircut with undercut and beautiful, textured hair.

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18. The Hipster Slick Back Haircut

Hipsters really do have a way of make everything more beautiful, don’t they? Just look at this simple approach to the slick back, coupled with a neck tattoo and earrings, nose and face piercings.

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19. The Very High Pompadour

If you happen to like eating cake instead of bread, you have found your hairstyle. It’s the slick back haircut with a theatrically high pompadour. Please be aware of the fact that you will need copious amounts of hair products to keep this up. Literally.

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20. The Windswept Slick Back Haircut

When you’re a fan of the natural hairstyles, you could always pretend that it was the wind who swept back your hair into a slick. In fact, it’s going to be a quantity of hair wax and a nice hair brush to give it some texture and volume.

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21. The Young Johnny Depp

Here’s a young Johnny Depp as he appeared in the now iconic 80s slasher ‘Nightmare on Elm Street’ with a fantastic slick back haircut. It did amazing things for his facial features, elongating his face and hollowing his cheeks.

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22. The George Clooney

As the years passed, George become a definite silver fox. He too adopted the slick back haircut in a gorgeous natural salt and pepper color that matches his heavy beard. He may be spiked with gray now, but his hair is still on par.

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23. The Leonardo DiCaprio

Second only to Clooney himself who got married, Leo is the world’s other most sought-after bachelor. He too fell prey to the slick back haircut which he proudly displays whenever he can with a lot of hair gel.

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24. The David Beckham

As Becks matured, he left the crazy hairstyles of his youth behind him. And happier we could not be that he did. He now sports a signature slick back haircut with tapered sides and a high pompadour. How handsome you are, Mr. Beckham!

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25. The Elvis

One of the absolute best promoters of the slick back haircut is none other than the King himself. In fact, his trademark hairstyle is one of the most well-known as well as most copied in history! Talk about inspiration…

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26. The Chris Pine

The lovely Captain Kirk is now getting a bit of gray among his natural chestnut brown locks as well. We still love him, though, just as we love his slick back haircut. Come to think of it, he does look a bit like Clooney now, doesn’t he?

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27. The Benedict Cumberbatch

Even though he doesn’t actually sport the slick back haircut in his real life a lot, you can still draw inspiration from when he wore it as Sherlock Holmes. He looked dashing in it. Therefore, we can definitely call it a win.

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28. The Tom Hiddleston

Here’s another very famous Brit who looks too handsome in a slick back haircut for his own good. His ‘Hello, darling’ line of memes on the web has girls weak at the knees and we bet you would love to take a leaf out of his book for a change.

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29. The Clark Gable

In 1939, the world fell irrevocably and unmistakably in love with a rascal. Rhett Butler was his name and loving Scarlet was his game. His devilish smile and old Hollywood glamour, as well as the slick back haircut that he pioneered, make him one of the most handsome men to ever grace the silver screen.

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30. The Tom Hardy

Yes, even baddie Tom Hardy loves a good slick back haircut. He wears his in a ponytail, a top knot, or, more often than not, a lovely low bun. Paired with a very well-tailored beard, all this sums up into the perfect picture we all know and love.

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31. The Justin Bieber

The Canadian teenage heartthrob went for the slick back haircut as well and it’s a good thing that he did. The very mature and manly hairstyle makes him look a bit more grown-up and serious.

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32. The Cristiano Ronaldo

This soccer player is a superstar both on and off the pitch. Of course, just as with David Beckham, his good looks and hair play a very important part in that. When CR7 gets a new hairstyle, the world follows suit, just like with the slick back haircut.

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33. The Slick Back Haircut with a High Fade

Another take on the slick is the slightly parted, high pompadour with the fade. Notice how it is very angular on every side, giving the impression of a much slimmer and even gaunt face. It’s an illusion that will help you shed a few pounds.

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34. The Supermodel Slick Back Haircut

If there’s one thing you’ll gain from sporting this hairstyle, that’s confidence. There are very few men out there who don’t actually look good in it. Therefore, when you do get it, run your fingers through your hair and act like you own the room.

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35. The Blonde Slick Back Haircut

Deciding to go for another color, such as blonde, for example, will give your hair a lot of depth. However, if you do, make sure your roots are brown or dark caramel, so that the overall dye job looks closer to natural.

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36. The Bubble Gum Slick Back Haircut

And speaking of going for colors other than yours, how about an unconventional one? Bubblegum pink can be your color of choice, especially if you have blue eyes, or you can go for pastels, such as lavender or even grays.

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37. A Modern Man’s Slick Back Haircut

Long gone are the days when Clark Gable wore this haircut. What you have to do now is take inspiration from men like him and perfect it. Add a beautiful beard to it and some wonderfully tailored eyebrows and you’re there!

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38. The 50’s Slick Back Haircut

If what you always wanted is to look like a character from Grease, then this is your cue. Ask your stylist to give you tips on how to maintain this gorgeous hairstyle. You will need some hair gel or some hair wax as well as a good comb.

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39. The Artistic Slick Back Haircut

With a hard part that goes three quarters to the back, the beginning of a pompadour in the front, and a faded undercut at the sides and in the back, this gorgeous slick back haircut is the stuff of legend.

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40. The Bed Head Slick Back Haircut

If you happen to have wavy hair and your haircut is medium size, then we might suggest you try the bed head look. You will need a small amount of hair wax, just enough to allow your locks to move as if you’ve just woken up.

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41. The Tom Welling

You don’t get to play Superman for so many years for not looking good. Yes, before Henry Cavil, there was Tom Welling, sporting a fantastic dark brunette slick back haircut with a barely visible side parting.

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42. The Ivy League Slick Back Haircut

The slick back is part of another very well-known hairstyle which is called the Ivy League haircut. It gets its name from the students of highly prestigious colleges in America who wore their hair in perfectly neat haircuts back in the day, to show their social status.

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43. The Chris Evans

Captain America himself is a huge fan of the slick back haircut. His natural hair is a deep and dark frosty chocolate which he likes to keep short and swept over the crown of his head. That, alongside his bushy beard, highlight his baby blue eyes.

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44. The Sebastian Stan

Here’s Captain America trusted sidekick, Bucky Barnes or the Winter Soldier. Actor Sebastian Stan wears the slick back haircut as well in real life. Whether tousled and combed or in a lovely top knot, he’s definitely into it. In fact, here are some more top knot ideas for you to try on.

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45. Clashing Styles

Being eclectic means being brave and beautiful at the same time. If your fashion senses tell you it’s right, you don’t have to stop at just one trend. Mix and match at your heart’s desire, showing the world you’ve got the chops to do it.

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46. The Silver Fox

The slick back haircut is so marvelous and versatile that it works for all ages. With the right amount and styling and hair product, you can wear it well into your mature years, without missing a beat. Think about it!

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47. Beautiful Boys

Here’s a very architectural slick back haircut which you can obtain with some hair wax and practice. In effect, you will need to learn how to do those perfect waves at the end and on the sides, continuing with simple comb marks down to the backside.

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48. The Long Hair Slick Back Haircut

If you have long or medium hair and you wear it in a man bun or a low or top knot, it’s still called a slick back. You can go for the lean look or for the messy style, in which you let strands of hair frame you face.

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49. The Frank Sinatra

Another classic promoter of the slick back haircut was none other than Frankie himself. He simply slicked his hair back, used a lot of pomade and a comb to help settle it all down into the look that we all know and love.

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50. The Daniel Radcliffe

Once he grew up and said goodbye to the round glasses, actor Daniel Radcliffe became a regular heartbreaker with incredible good looks. His angular, chiseled face, and stirring blue eyes are perfectly matched by his mess of jet black hair nicely slicked back this time around.

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Conclusion

Daniel Radcliffe and his slick back haircut conclude our list of ideas. Have our choices inspired you to go for this exceptionally fashionable and loved hairstyle? If so, let us know in the comments because we would love to hear from you!