What is a layered scissor cut?

A haircut that uses different internal lengths to remove weight and create movement while preserving the overall length and shape. Scissors handle the whole cut, no clippers.

What is a men's flow haircut?

A medium-length hairstyle designed so the hair moves naturally back away from the face. Also called a brush back. Can be done with tapered sides or fully scissor-cut sides. This example is the scissor-only version.

Does a flow haircut need a fade?

No. A fully scissor-cut side actually creates a softer and more connected flow than a fade. The sides staying long is part of what makes the movement work.

Is a flow haircut good for thick hair?

Yes. Thick hair gives plenty of density to shape, but internal weight needs to be carefully removed so the cut doesn't become bulky. That's exactly what the layering does.

How long does your hair need to be for a layered flow cut?

Typically around four to seven inches through the top. If you're currently short, plan for a few months of grow-out before the shape will really work.

How often should a flow cut be trimmed?

Around six to eight weeks depending on growth rate and how quickly the sides and back become heavy. Longer than a fade cut, which is part of the appeal.

Is a flow haircut hard to style?

Not if it's cut properly. Lightweight cream or paste plus some backward direction while drying is usually enough. The layering does most of the shape work; product just holds it.

How is this different from just growing my hair out?

Grown-out hair gets longer everywhere. A flow cut is still shaped: internal weight controlled, crown managed, side panels directed, top-to-back relationship built. That's why it looks deliberate rather than neglected.

1 September 2026 7 min read Prince

Flow Layered Scissor Cut

There's nowhere to hide behind a fade with this one. The scissors have to do the work.

Men's layered flow scissor haircut with longer connected sides and back, cut by Prince at Fresh By Prince in Surry Hills Sydney

The cut

Style: Flow Layered Scissor Cut
Top: Medium length with natural backward direction
Best for: Straight to wavy hair, medium-to-thick density
Finish: Natural, flowing (lightweight cream or paste)
Maintenance: Approx. 6 to 8 weeks
Cut by: Prince
Location: Surry Hills, Sydney

There's nowhere to hide behind a fade with this one. The scissors have to do the work.

For this cut, Prince kept the length through the top, sides and back, then built layers through the hair so it naturally flows backwards instead of sitting like one heavy block.

That's the key. More length doesn't have to mean more bulk. A proper layered scissor cut removes weight where the hair gets heavy while preserving enough length for the shape to move.

The result is softer than a fade. More natural. And once it settles, it should look even better when the client runs his hands through it.

What he wanted

Length preserved without the helmet effect. Weight removed from the inside, not the outside. A shape that moves backwards on its own instead of needing product to hold it there. Something that keeps growing gracefully rather than needing a fortnightly reset.

What we did

Kept the length through the top, sides and back so the hair can travel front-to-rear as one connected shape
Cut internal layers through the crown and mid-length to remove bulk without shortening the perimeter
Scissor-worked the sides all the way down (no clipper work, no fade)
Left the neckline longer than a traditional short back and sides so the flow continues into the rear
Directed the layering so the hair naturally wants to sweep backwards, not down

Why the cut works

Longer thick hair can become bulky through the crown and rear if the internal weight is left in. It starts looking heavy and the client ends up pushing it around all day trying to create movement that was never cut into it. The layers redistribute that weight: visible length preserved through the perimeter, internal density reduced. The hair still feels substantial but no longer sits flat against itself. That's the difference between making hair shorter and giving long hair shape.

Who this cut suits

You want medium-length men's hair, not short
You want a fully scissor-cut shape (no fade, no clipper)
You want natural movement through the back
You want the hair to brush backwards without slick product
Straight or naturally wavy hair (both work well)
Medium to thick density (thick benefits most from the layering)
You want a cut that can continue growing gracefully

Maintenance and grow-out

Around 6 to 8 weeks for most clients. Longer than a skin fade, because the shape doesn't depend on a fresh perimeter to look right. The layering handles the visual work between visits. If your sides bulk out fast, come sooner. If they don't, stretch it.

At home

Start with damp hair. Use a lightweight styling cream or paste if you need control. Direct the hair back with your fingers or a brush while drying. Don't flatten it, you want some air through the layers. Natural wave in the hair does part of the styling itself. If the cut is layered properly the shape should be there before any product goes in.

What to ask your barber

Ask for a medium-length layered flow cut done mainly with scissors. Keep the length through the sides and back, remove enough internal weight so it can brush backwards naturally, and don't turn it into a short back and sides. Then show the photo. A lot of blokes ask for "just a tidy up" and leave with half their hair gone. If the goal is flow, the barber needs to understand that length is part of the architecture.

What is a layered men’s flow scissor cut?

A men’s layered flow haircut is a medium-length scissor cut that keeps length through the top, sides and back while using internal layers to remove bulk and create natural backward movement. Unlike a fade, the sides remain connected to the longer top and rear, producing a softer brush-back shape that can grow out naturally.

Prince’s version here is firmly in the scissor-cut lane. Instead of tightening the sides with clippers, the whole shape stays connected. The layers create movement, the perimeter keeps length, and the back is allowed to flow rather than being chopped into a traditional short back and sides.

Why the layers matter

Look at the back of the cut. The hair isn’t hanging down as one solid curtain. You can see different sections sitting over one another. That’s the layering. Without those internal layers, longer thick hair can become bulky through the crown and rear of the head. It starts looking heavy, and the client ends up pushing it around all day trying to create movement that was never cut into it.

Prince removes that excess weight without destroying the length. That’s the difference between making hair shorter and giving long hair shape.

Why the back stays longer

If Prince cut the neckline too high or tightened the back with clippers, the front and sides would sweep backwards and then suddenly hit a wall. Instead, the length continues through the crown and into the rear. That creates one connected shape. It also gives the client room to keep growing the style if that’s where he wants to take it.

Why this isn’t just grown-out hair

Grown-out hair gets longer everywhere. A flow cut is still shaped. Prince is controlling the internal weight, the crown, the direction of the side panels, the relationship between top and back, the neckline, and how the whole shape grows out. That’s why it looks deliberate rather than neglected.

Does it work with fine hair?

Yes, but the technique changes. Fine hair usually needs more restraint. Too many layers can make it look thin. Prince would generally preserve more density through the outer shape and use softer layering to create movement without exposing too much scalp or making the ends look weak. Same haircut family, different execution.

More flow cuts

Prince’s full flow catalogue lives at /flow-haircut-sydney/. The variations (natural curtain part, layered scissor, brush back) explained side by side with photos.

Why get this cut at Fresh By Prince?

This is where Prince’s scissor capability actually gets shown. The standard Haircut service covers scissor work alongside skin and zero fades, and one barber owning the full cut from consultation through finish is what makes the movement land on a style this dependent on shape. Fresh By Prince is a one-chair studio at 216 Devonshire Street, Surry Hills.

Frequently asked

What is a layered scissor cut?

A haircut that uses different internal lengths to remove weight and create movement while preserving the overall length and shape. Scissors handle the whole cut, no clippers.
What is a men's flow haircut?

A medium-length hairstyle designed so the hair moves naturally back away from the face. Also called a brush back. Can be done with tapered sides or fully scissor-cut sides. This example is the scissor-only version.
Does a flow haircut need a fade?

No. A fully scissor-cut side actually creates a softer and more connected flow than a fade. The sides staying long is part of what makes the movement work.
Is a flow haircut good for thick hair?

Yes. Thick hair gives plenty of density to shape, but internal weight needs to be carefully removed so the cut doesn't become bulky. That's exactly what the layering does.
How long does your hair need to be for a layered flow cut?

Typically around four to seven inches through the top. If you're currently short, plan for a few months of grow-out before the shape will really work.
How often should a flow cut be trimmed?

Around six to eight weeks depending on growth rate and how quickly the sides and back become heavy. Longer than a fade cut, which is part of the appeal.
Is a flow haircut hard to style?

Not if it's cut properly. Lightweight cream or paste plus some backward direction while drying is usually enough. The layering does most of the shape work; product just holds it.
How is this different from just growing my hair out?

Grown-out hair gets longer everywhere. A flow cut is still shaped: internal weight controlled, crown managed, side panels directed, top-to-back relationship built. That's why it looks deliberate rather than neglected.

Coming from outside Surry Hills?

Coming from the Inner West?

If you're travelling from Newtown, Erskineville, Marrickville, Petersham, Stanmore, Ashfield or Burwood, getting into Central makes Fresh By Prince an easy city-side appointment rather than a cross-Sydney mission.

Coming from the Eastern Suburbs?

Clients coming from Randwick, Kensington, Kingsford and the eastern light rail corridor can use the light rail network toward Surry Hills and Central.

Coming from Western Sydney?

If you're travelling from Parramatta, Strathfield, Lidcombe or further west, get the train into Central and walk up toward Devonshire Street.

Coming from North Sydney?

Metro and rail connections make Surry Hills accessible from North Sydney, Chatswood and the Lower North Shore without needing to drive across the city and hunt for a park.

Like this cut?

Book the Haircut and bring the photo. Consultation covers the rest.

Book the chair

216 Devonshire St, Surry Hills · L1 light rail at the door