Guides · 3 min read
How often should you get a fade?
The honest maintenance schedule — what actually happens to a fade in week one, three and five, and the cheap trick that stretches it.
A fade is a gradient, and gradients grow out. Here's the truthful timeline, so you can decide what level of sharp you want to live at.
The fade timeline
- 01Week 1: peak fade. The blend is invisible, the lineup is laser-straight. Enjoy it.
- 02Week 2–3: still good. The gradient softens; only you notice.
- 03Week 4: the fuzz era. The fade has become 'short sides.' Respectable, not sharp.
- 04Week 5+: the fade is a memory. Time to book.
The maintenance answer
Skin fades and high fades: every 2–3 weeks to stay crisp. Mid and low fades: 3–4 weeks. Scissor cuts and longer styles: 6–8 weeks. If you like week-one sharpness all the time, that's what a standing appointment is for.
The cheap trick
The Royal Clean Up — our 15-minute line-up — resets your hairline, ears, neckline and beard edges between full cuts for $25. A clean perimeter reads as 'freshly cut' even when the fade itself is in week three. Cut, clean-up, cut, clean-up: you look sharp every single week for less than weekly cuts would cost.