5 Finest Peaky Blinders Haircuts: What to Ask for in 2025 | FashionBeans

With binge-watch performances from the likes of Tom Hardy and Cillian Murphy, razor-sharp fits, and bloody good haircuts throughout the board, BBC’s common crime drama Peaky Blinders had us gripped from the very begin. It follows the story of a gangster household operating a criminal offense racket in Birmingham simply after the First World Battle. It’s been probably the most trendy issues on TV since 2013 however apparently, not everybody was on board with the look that hair and make-up designer, Laura Schiavo, had in thoughts.

It took a few week to persuade the solid to cut off their hair for the now-iconic, period-style Peaky Blinders haircut. Iddo Goldberg (who performs Freddie Thorne) claims he went beneath the razor first – which inspired the ‘Peakies’ to repeat him. One of many details of reference for the look got here from the ebook Crooks Like Us by Peter Doyle: a compilation of portraits of criminals by the Sydney police from the Nineteen Twenties, however the type can be partly impressed by army haircuts and nods to earlier historic eras.

Peaky Blinders outfits – all herringbone coats and baker boy hats – have understandably turn into common off-screen, Schiavo continues to be baffled by the recognition of the males’s haircuts: “It’s strange, when I first did it, the boys wanted to wear hats to hide it, but now they don’t need to as everyone is wearing it.”

Off-screen, the enchantment lies in the truth that the cruel again and sides exhibit your bone construction (or beard) and the excessive distinction between the type on high of your head is a assured head-turner. Plus, undercut hairstyles and fade cuts of varied sorts have been a barbershop favourite since earlier than Peaky Blinders began.

What Is The Peaky Blinders Haircut?

Once we first meet mob boss, Thomas Shelby (Cillian Murphy), he’s returned to Birmingham from the hell of the trenches. His hair is worn in a “disconnected, unblended style that is very short and sharp” says Schiavo. It additionally attracts on the kinds worn by the ‘sloggers’ or hooligans from the late Eighteen Nineties.

Whereas a lot of the characters have harshly shaved sides and a pointy undercut coiffure, the type on high varies. Some put on the Peaky Blinders haircut with a easy aspect parting, some with a textured French crop, some with a quiff and a few with slicked-back hair. This versatility might be the opposite motive it grew to become common IRL.

The gang mentality was necessary to get throughout too, as Schiavo, explains: “In the post-war era when ‘Peaky world’ is set, they used to shave their heads because of lice.” Sure, this hipster-friendly haircut had a really sensible, quite grim perform of serving to stop the unfold of lice between troops and inside the poverty-stricken inhabitants at house.

“But the look I was after when I designed the cut for the series, was so you only saw skin when the boys were wearing hats,” she says. “This is so you only really see the individual character when he removes his hat.” This impact presumably would even have made it tougher for witnesses to establish a gangster if he obtained caught within the act.

The Finest Peaky Blinders Haircuts 

1. Thomas Shelby

The Thomas Shelby haircut is among the most iconic haircuts in all the present. Gang chief and prison businessman, Tommy, sports activities a brief again and sides with a cropped high that’s a number of inches lengthy. Much like a French crop, the highest is layered to create texture, with an extended half on the entrance. 

That is then brushed ahead to create an asymmetrical fringe that rests on one aspect of Tommy’s brow. In the meantime, the perimeters are shaved to between a grade 1 and three (relying on the sequence), making this an ideal selection for males with elongated faces and chiseled jawlines. A excessive fade will also be added for a extra wearable look.

2. Arthur Shelby

The brawn of the gang, Arthur, is the eldest of the Shelby brothers and probably the most unstable. In consequence, his coiffure options probably the most extreme distinction out of the entire characters. The perimeters are significantly shorter than Tommy’s at round a grade 0 – 1 and the lengthy high is slicked again to create Arthur’s signature look. 

This type is a superb instance of the disconnected undercut we talked about earlier. The 2 layers are left intentionally unblended for a pointy end that feels masculine, edgy, and nicely suited to the character’s cut-throat nature.

3. John Shelby

Because the youthful brother of Tommy and Arthur, John idolizes his siblings and his want to be taken critically as a gang member is mirrored in his trademark Peaky haircut. Like Arthur, John has the perimeters of his head shaved virtually all the way down to the pores and skin, at round a grade 0, however the high is way shorter than his brother’s. 

John’s brief, textured crop is simply lengthy sufficient to be styled to the aspect and largely stays in place by itself, making it a lot much less upkeep. Due to this, it’s probably the greatest Peaky Blinders haircuts for males brief on time.

4. Michael Grey

A former accountant and the cousin of the Shelby brothers, Michael is a little bit of an outsider with a extra refined look. Not like different gang members, his coiffure is longer and extra typical of the Nineteen Twenties. 

Characterised by a deep side-part and pure wave, this conventional minimize is created with scissors as an alternative of clippers and is partly impressed by the character’s stint in America. The perimeters are trimmed to taper naturally into the longer high part for a neat and tidy end – very best for males preferring a traditional look.

5. Alfie Solomons

Finest identified for his bushy beard and unpredictability, Alfie is a Jewish gang chief who has a number of dealings with the Shelby’s all through the sequence. His full and spectacular lumberjack-style beard has impressed many followers to develop their very own, though groomed variations are extra on-trend proper now. 

Alfie additionally sports activities a messy Ivy League haircut, with trimmed again and sides and an extended high that may be combed over – although we expect that’d be fairly unlikely. Because the longer size blends nicely with facial hair, this haircut is ideal for males with all beard kinds.

Asking Your Barber for a Peaky Blinders Haircut

Observing the solid members ought to offer you a sign of which look will work finest on your personal hair kind. The sequence is so common, your barber will most likely be acquainted with the look, however in essence, it’s essential ask for a disconnected undercut with no fade, or usher in your favourite Thomas Shelby haircut image for reference.

“You need to be confident about going really short on the back and sides,” says Joshua Gibson, principal on the Sassoon Academy in London. “Decide whether you want to wear the hair away from the face or closer to the head in length and worn forwards.”

Arthur Shelby (Paul Anderson), typically probably the most violent character, has probably the most excessive undercut to match. Ideally you want straight, positive hair to do that, with an extended part left on the high that he wears slicked again. Making an attempt to be the respectable face of a ‘legitimate’ enterprise, Tommy himself wears it in a barely softer crop pushed ahead over his face and swept to at least one aspect. Youthful brother John Shelby (Joe Cole) wears his parted straight into brief, slick curtains.

Styling Suggestions

Assuming you gained’t be hiding it beneath a flat cap, Gibson says the easiest way to type it on your hair kind: “If you have a straighter hair texture you might be better to dress the hair away from the face using a pomade or wax and use a Tangle Teezer to avoid comb marks for extra sleekness.” Frizzy hair varieties will profit from a lightweight oil equivalent to Illuminating Oil by Sassoon Skilled to maintain the textured crop glossy.

Gibson additionally recommends a textured product like a paste to bulk up blonde, positive or receding hair. With a styled look equivalent to this, he additionally recommends utilizing Nioxin Cleanser 2 to stop build-up from utilizing heavier merchandise. The ‘Arthur’ and the ‘John’ require a styling pomade that provides each excessive sheen and maintain and the ‘Tommy’ requires texture with a matte end.

Advisable Merchandise for a Peaky Blinders Haircut

To attain the best Peaky Blinders or Tommy Shelby haircut, listed below are the primary styling merchandise you’ll wish to have readily available.

1. Tancho Hair Dressing Pomade

Wish to type your new Peaky Blinders haircut utilizing the official Peaky Blinders package? Schiavo used Tancho Hair Dressing Pomade, an obscure hair styling wax that smells of lavender, for a lot of the sequence. It is available in a push-up stick and helps cope with flyaway hairs with out including an excessive amount of sheen.

2. Verb Ghost Oil

On set, Schiavo combined the Tancho pomade with a hair serum to get the moist look sported by Arthur and John. We like Verb’s Ghost Oil which supplies the hair a excessive sheen and protects it on the similar time.

3. Reuzel Pomade

For sequence 5, Schiavo has shaken it up by switching to Reuzel pomade which is available in a handful of formulation that cowl heavy maintain and excessive shine to a matt end, relying in your choice.

4. Kent Comb

To get a very sharp parting as per John, it’s essential type the hair when moist, with a exact comb equivalent to this handmade instance from Kent.

5. Tangle Teezer

When you’ve obtained the parting, use a Tangle Teezer to clean out any comb marks, as steered by Joshua Gibson.

Peaky Blinders Haircut FAQ 

The right way to get the Peaky Blinders haircut

To get the Peaky Blinders haircut, it’s essential trim the again and sides brief and develop out the highest so it may be swept ahead or slicked again. Ask your barber for a disconnected undercut with little to no fade to create the Shelby’s signature high-contrast look.

Why do Peaky Blinders have that haircut?

In accordance with historians, shaved hairstyles have been frequent amongst criminals throughout the early 20th century. Longer hair had the potential to get in the best way throughout fights and shorter kinds made gangsters look harder. Plus, the minimize made them tougher to establish when carrying hats.

How common is the Peaky Blinders haircut? 

As soon as a best choice for working-class males and criminals, shaved undercuts and textured crops have made a comeback in recent times. Following the success of the sequence, the type has turn into an more and more common haircut for males and the Peaky Reduce is now iconic.