The Viral ‘Warrior Cut’ Is an Ode to Tyler Durden

David Fincher’s Fight Club is pretty influential. Take it from the number of guys still buying Tyler Durden’s red leather jacket and Hawaiian shirts. But tinted shades and fur coats aren’t the only thing men are biting from the 1999 movie. It also inspired a new type of cut: “the warrior.” And, like all ’90s relics, it’s been dug up and put on social media for a second wind. (There are currently thousands of posts on TikTok with the hashtag #warriorcut.)“It’s a good time to get a warrior cut,” says barber TJ Hunt of Time Shoreditch. He mentions that Austin Butler’s hair is the modern day equivalent—another pretty good reason why you should get one.“It feels like it’s a natural progression from the mullet, and to some degree, mod cuts as well. There’s still an element of a mod cut to a warrior cut, in the soft edges, the heavier back, and the sideburns that aren’t too crispy and neat. But at the moment, the warrior cut would be a bit more of a niche, cool option to go for.”We asked Hunt, as well as co-founder of Supply91, Luke Davies, and Matt Hughes of Idris Barbering Co., to break down exactly what a warrior cut is, and what to ask for to ensure you leave with exactly what you envisioned.Karwai TangSo, what is a warrior cut?“The warrior cut is a lived-in, messy, and heavily textured style that originated in the ‘90,” says Davies. “It has soft, natural edges with a heavily textured top, creating plenty of movement. Choppy layering and weight removal are used to create a deliberately undone finish. This hairstyle is controlled chaos: bold, masculine, and effortless looking.”The key word is messy. Warrior cuts aren’t meant to look particularly put together, but more like you’ve just run your fingers through your hair and left the house like that. “It’s the opposite to what's happened over the last few years with soccer player haircuts, which are very crisp and tight and neat,” adds Hunt. “It’s sort of a bedhead-type look.”Why is it making a comeback now?As Hunt said, guys are becoming more drawn to it as an alternative to the abundance of mullets, or on the other end of the spectrum, more polished styles of our favorites on the pitch.“I think there’s definitely a nostalgic element to it,” adds Davies. “We’re seeing a lot of ‘90s influences coming back through fashion, music, and culture, and hair naturally follows that. But I also think people are moving away from haircuts that look overly polished or overly styled. The warrior cut feels much more effortless. It has character, and looks great as it grows out. It’s a statement without looking like you’ve tried too hard.”What hair texture and face shape work best for this haircut?Hughes says that the best; “Face shape is ideally angular, square, or rectangular. It won’t work so well on a rounder face.” Davies adds that: “The structure of the cut complements stronger jawlines and masculine features.”“I think it’s actually a haircut that really suits guys with straight hair, which is kind of unusual at the minute,” says Hunt. “A lot of the on-trend trims at the moment, particularly with the younger generation, are for quite wavy hair. There’s a lot of wavy mullets. Whereas actually the warrior cut suits people who’ve got naturally straight hair.” Texture can be created through a process called point cutting, where hair is cut at an angle and would be more resemblant of a peaked mountain range rather than a regular trim.“It’s quite a difficult hairstyle for tightly coiled hair or very fine hair because it needs to stick up, and that’s quite hard to do with hair that doesn’t naturally want to do that.”©20thCentFox/Courtesy Everett CollectionWhat should you ask your barber?“We all know what the warrior cut is now, if they don’t, get out the chair,” says Hughes. Davies makes the point that while it’s not an unfamiliar hairstyle, it’s worth bringing a reference pic anyway. “There are quite a few variations of the warrior cut, so it’s important that you and your barber are looking at the same thing.”In terms of what to ask for, Davies says: “A heavily textured, layered cut with deep point cutting, plenty of movement through the top and soft, natural edges. The great thing about the warrior is that it’s quite versatile; you can keep the shape shorter and tighter or leave more length through the top for a more relaxed, ‘90s-inspired finish.”What hair products do you need?“A pre-styler, like a sea salt spray, which you spray into the hair when it’s damp or towel dried,” says Hunt. “Then blow dry upwards and outwards, not concentrating too much on any sort of specific shape or direction or anything like that, because it’s a look that benefits from being not overly styled. That might be all that you need if you want a very natural, dry matte finish. Otherwise, I would use a clay or a stronghold paste to finish it the look and define the strands.”Davies agrees, and adds: “For finer hair, a small amount of hair powder can add extra volume and grip.” His product recs? Evo Salty Dog Salt Spray, Evo Box O' Bollox Texture Paste, Evo Haze Styling Powder, Oway Supreme Matt Paste and Kevin Murphy Night Rider.EvoBox O' Bollox Texture PasteEvoHaze Styling Powder Spray PumpA version of this story originally appeared in British GQ.