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Short Dread Styles for Men: 32 Cute Inspos for the Stylish Guy

Besides clothes and accessories, one other thing that says a lot about you is your hair. It’s why many women pay attention to the man in the room who wears a head-turning hairstyle like short dread styles for men.

Michael Jordan rocking short dread styles for men

Though this coiffure has been existing for ages, they still earn attention anytime you wear them. It’s one of those beautiful male hairstyles that express your personality. Also, dreadlocks show how fun-loving and risk-taking you can be. The hairdo represents free spirit. And if you’ll like to pull it off, you’ll find the inspiration you need in this post.

What’s Special about Short Dread Styles for Men?

a guy rocking short dread styles for men

These are short ropelike strands of hair formed by braiding, locking, or matting your hair. You can call them baby locs, dreads, or dreadlocks. Initially, this hairstyle was associated with Rastafarians. Today, they’ve evolved to be the go-to hairstyle for men who grow their hair and love it locked.

a guy wearing brown short dreadlocks

Furthermore, short locs aren’t long. And that means they won’t be much of an inconvenience to you. They’re versatile too as you can still achieve other styles even with your locs on. For instance, you may choose to rock colored dreads or braid your locs into cornrows.

a guy rockingshort  dreadlocks with fades

But you must always remember dreads are permanent hairstyles. The only way to uninstall them is by cutting your hair. However, if what you installed were dreadlocks extensions, you have no problem.

In addition, you’ll also need to visit your hairstylist regularly to wash and maintain your dreads so you don’t invite dandruff or lice to your hair.

“A classic look for black men, locs are a protective hairstyle involving interlocking synthetic rope-like strands that need to be kept clean and moisturized to ensure a stylish finish”, says James Goodman, professional barber and stylist.

He adds, “From Wiz Khalifa and Lil Wayne to Bob Marley, the ever-popular locs style has become a pop-culture mainstay that radiates a calm and cool confidence, making the aesthetic a favorite within the African American community.”

How do I Achieve Short Dread Styles for Men?

A guy wearing full dreadlocks

There are different ways to lock your hair. You only have to visit your hairstylist and they’ll know what to do. But if you choose to do it yourself, we detailed the different processes in our guide on how to achieve dreadlocks. Read it so you can get to work.

How to Maintain Short Dread Styles for Men

Swae Lee wearing somewhat long locs

After installing this hairdo, you’ll also need to maintain it. Failure to do so will have you looking unkempt. So, how do you maintain your dreadlocks?

Lil Baby wearing short dreads styles for men packed up

First, start by shampooing often. This helps to get rid of buildup on your scalp. Also, try not to style your locs while they’re still wet. Let them dry so you don’t invite mildew to your hair. Furthermore, moisturize your locs and retwist them whenever they loosen.

a guy wearing short dreads styles for men packed up

There’s more to maintaining short dread styles for men and we discussed it in our guide. Ensure you read it up before you wear this coiffure.

Types of Short Dreads Styles for Men

a guy wearing short dreads styles for men with fadespacked into a band

Dreads with Fades

a guy looking sideways showing his short dreads styles for men

If you love fades with short hair, you’ll love this one. This style involves transitioning lengths and color around the back and sides of your hair before turning your remaining hair into cute locs.

a guy looking sideways showing his short dreads styles for men with fades

Go for it if you want the statement of dreads and the uniqueness that fade hairstyles bring. 

Colored Dreads

a guy rocking colored shrt locs with a sweater

Bored with your natural hair color? How about your dye your hair instead before or after installing your dreadlocks hairstyles?

a guy rocking colored dread styles for men with fades


Try it out. Just pick a color you’re comfortable rocking and you’ll be good to go.

Full Dreads

As the name implies, you don’t shave the sides of your hair for this style. You manipulate your full hair into dreads and rock them that way.

a bare-chested guy wearing full dreadlocks and pressing his phone

Full-haired dreads are the traditional dreadlocks hairstyles for men.

Ombre Dreads

A guy sitting in a car showing his ombre-colored short dread styles for men

This short dreads style for men involves blending one color hue to another, usually moving tints and shades from light to dark.

a guy wearing ombre dreads, drinking from a cup

For instance, you can color your hair midway blonde or any color shade you choose while the rest is black.

Braided Dreads

a guy wearing braided short dreads styles for men

After installing your locs, you can easily braid them into cornrows so they lie flat on your head.

a guy wearing braided short dreads styles for men with sunglasses

That’s what this style entails.

Mohawk Short Dread Styles for Men

a guy rocking mohawk short dread styles for men

For this variant of dreads for men, you shave both sides of the head and leave a strip of longer hair that’ll carry your locs.

a guy rocking colored mohawk short dread styles for men

It’s similar to fades only that for mohawk, you shave only the sides of your hair and not the back.

Other Dreadlock Styles

Need more short dread styles for men to inspire your next look? Feast your eyes on these:

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Victoria B. Willie

Writing has always been a part of me. From writing stories as a young child to studying Communication Arts in the university, it has always been more than a medium of expression to me.

And then one day, I found myself toeing the path of an entrepreneur and becoming a fashion enthusiast. This made me develop an interest in content marketing and copywriting which I've been chasing alongside my fashion career.

That aside, when I'm not sharing style articles, selling with stories, or creating fashion-forward pieces for Ria Kosher, you'll find me telling wild stories that always come with a twist.

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