The Top Knot: Compact, Modern, and Easier Than a Man Bun

The top knot is exactly what it sounds like: the hair on the top of the head is gathered, pulled straight up, and twisted into a knot at the highest point of the skull. Unlike the man bun, which sits lower and tends to sprawl, the top knot is precise and upright. It has a long history — the Japanese chonmage worn by samurai and still worn by sumo wrestlers is a version of it, and Sikh men traditionally wear uncut hair tied in a joora at the crown — but its contemporary form is distinctly modern: a skin fade or undercut on the sides with 5–7 inches of length gathered up top.

Top knot vs. man bun: real differences

People use both terms interchangeably, but they describe different shapes. A top knot is positioned at the vertex — the very highest point of the skull — and the knot is compact, tight, and sits upright. A man bun is positioned lower, typically at the back of the crown or even lower, and is larger and fuller. The top knot requires less length to pull off cleanly (4–5 inches vs. 6+ for a man bun) and looks sharper when paired with short faded sides. The man bun works with all-round long hair and tends to look more casual and relaxed.

The faded and undercut top knot

The most popular contemporary version combines a top knot with either a skin fade or a disconnected undercut on the sides and back. The sides are clipped down to skin or a #0.5–#1 (1.5–3 mm), creating a high-contrast line between the short sides and the long top section. This is fundamentally different from an all-round long-hair top knot: it is a barbershop cut, not just a styling choice. The fade needs refreshing every 2–3 weeks; the undercut can go slightly longer, around 3–4 weeks, before the disconnection starts to soften.

How to tie a top knot

1. Gather only the top section of hair (if you have faded sides, only the long top section is available anyway) and pull it straight upward from the crown.
2. Hold the gathered hair with one hand and position the elastic near the base of the gathered section, close to the scalp.
3. Wrap the elastic around the base two full times to create a secure anchor.
4. On the final wrap of the elastic, pull the hair only halfway through so it forms a loop rather than a ponytail. For a neater knot, twist the tail instead and coil it around the base.
5. Tuck any loose ends under the elastic, or secure the coil with a second elastic or a couple of bobby pins if your hair is short or slippery.
6. Apply a tiny amount of pomade or hair wax to smooth stray hairs and tighten the silhouette of the knot.

How to grow out a top knot

Hair grows about ½ inch (1.25 cm) a month on average, at the same rate on top and at the sides — the sides just look messy sooner because they start shorter. The fastest route is to leave the top completely alone and keep the sides tidy with a fade or undercut the whole way through:

• From a short crop (about 2 in on top): roughly 5–6 months to reach 4½–5 in and a small knot.
• Months 2–4: the awkward stage. The top flops forward — slick it back with a light cream or use a headband rather than trimming it.
• The front hairline is the bottleneck: front hair has the furthest to travel to reach the crown, so it needs the most length. Expect short front pieces to escape until they reach 6 in or so.

Ask your barber to "dust" the ends every couple of months only if they're splitting — otherwise every trim on top sets you back.

How to ask your barber for a top knot cut

The cut is mostly about the sides — the top is left long enough to tie. Specify where the undercut or fade stops so there's enough hair left to gather.

Prefer a blended look? Swap the undercut for a mid skin fade. Our guide to asking your barber covers the rest of the vocabulary.

Face shape guide for the top knot

The top knot's upward-pointing knot adds perceived height to the head. That helps round faces look longer and balances the width of a square jaw. Oval faces suit it easily. Oblong faces — already long — should keep the knot compact and avoid very tall or prominent tied shapes. Read the full face shape guide to confirm which approach works for your proportions. Men with a high or prominent forehead may want to leave a few strands loose at the front rather than sweeping everything back cleanly, which can over-expose the forehead.

Hair care for the top knot

Because the top knot concentrates all tension at one point on the crown, wearing it tight every day can cause traction alopecia — hair loss from repeated pulling, which can become permanent if it goes on for years. Keep it loose enough that it doesn't pull at the hairline, and rotate the exact tie position slightly forward or backward each day. Use only snag-free elastics — no rubber bands or thin sports hair ties that can cut into the shaft. Keep the top section conditioned; dry, brittle hair breaks more easily at the tie point. If you notice tenderness or early thinning at the tie position, take a break and wear the hair down for at least a few days per week. For a complete approach to scalp and hair health, see our men's hair care routine.