5 Man Buns Without Beards You Really Need To See

It’s a style that works perfectly well both with and without facial hair. But if you’re in that clean-shaven or lightly stubbled camp, you’re in the right place. Let’s discuss some phenomenal man bun without beard styles you really need to know. 

Man buns and facial hair often go hand-in-hand. There’s no rhyme or reason behind this and it isn’t the way it needs to be done; it’s just the way it usually turns out. 

It may be because the type of men who style man buns are also often the type to grow a beard. 

Who knows? 

What matters is that I’ve got some fantastic examples of those who choose to go without it to show you. 

Let’s get to it. 

5 Great Man Buns Without Beards

Use this as a source of inspiration. A guide to influence your style decisions going forward.

1. Low And Neat Man Bun

A “low” man bun can be loosely defined as one that lies beneath the crown. The crown is the swirl at the back of the head. 

When the knot is tied lower than this point, it can safely be labeled a “low” man bun. 

The hair needs to be long enough to allow you to tie it so far back. That’s the main reason why it won’t be possible for a lot of men. 

But those of you who do have locks that are long and lustrous enough to pull this off, it’s definitely one to consider. 

The “neat” aspect of this style refers to the two main broad categorizations of man buns. “Neat” and “messy”. 

As the name suggests, “neat” man buns are tightly wrapped and knotted, with most of the hair lying firmly within the bun. 

“Messy” man buns are tied in a much looser fashion. It’s a very popular variation due to its laid-back vibe. 

But as you can see from the picture above, neat man buns work very well without a beard. The tidiness of the bun compliments a clean-shaven face very well. 

2. Man Bun With Subtle Braiding

Subtlety is appealing, as is simplicity. 

Man buns are endearing because they’re so incredibly simple. Grouping your hair together, pulling it back, and tying it into a bun is such a simple, yet effective way of styling long hair. 

But if you were looking for a way to stand out from the crowd a little while still retaining that sweet, sweet simplicity, a few subtle braids definitely wouldn’t hurt. 

You don’t need to go all out. 

A few braids immediately next to the bun is a nice, decorative touch. 

Of course, you’ll need to learn how to braid in order to pull this off. That is, unless, you’ve got a close friend or family member kind enough to do it for you. 

Personal preference will definitely be important here. Braiding won’t be for everyone. If you’d rather stick to a simple and straightforward bun, that’s not a problem at all. 

3. High And Full Man Bun

A high man bun is one that sits further forward on your head. Usually, this will be above the level of the crown. 

The key point to be aware of with this style is that the bun is much more prominent when viewed front-on. 

This may not be for everyone; having it front-and-center does draw more attention. 

Plus, having the man bun further forward does make the face look longer in shape when looking at it from the front. 

This may be ideal for men with shorter or rounder face shapes, but definitely less than ideal for men who already have faces on the longer end of the spectrum. 

The man bun in the picture above looks “full”, mainly because the hair is long enough to allow for this. 

You can try fanning out the man bun a little to make it look fuller than it otherwise would. 

It’s a tip that’s useful if your hair is still quite short and you want to beef up the bun. The effect is more pronounced when you’ve got curly hair. 

High man buns generally look better when neat rather than messy. Messy man buns can look pretty untidy when taking center stage on top of your head. 

If you’re not careful, it can look out of control. 

Try and keep it relatively neat and tight if you can. 

This is a great example of how high man buns can look great without beards. Beards, particularly beards with significant length on the chin, could make the face look even longer. 

It’s also a great example of how man buns and a pair of glasses often go great together. It adds an immediate intellectual vibe that’s very appealing. 

4. Man Bun Undercut

An undercut is a style where the top is left long while the hair on the back and sides are trimmed down much shorter or simply shaved. 

A “disconnected” undercut is one where the difference in length is so stark that there is a hard line between the top and the back and sides. 

The hair on top can be styled in so many different ways; cropped, tapered, quiffed, etc. 

This picture shows you exactly what a man bun undercut looks like. The hair on top is pulled back and tied into a glorious man bun that sits quite high. 

It’s nice and neat, tightly wrapped without much trouble. The hair is still relatively short which is why the bun is quite small and sits pretty high. 

As a whole, the style isn’t the most subtle. It’s fairly in-your-face and does draw attention. It’s a great way to stand out from the crowd if this is what you’re looking for. 

But it won’t be for everyone. 

Some people call this short hairstyle a “top knot” and not a man bun, but they’re really talking about the same thing. 

If you wanted to be specific you could say that any man bun that sits further forward on the head with the back and sides trimmed short is technically called a “top knot”. 

Either way, it’s a good option for men with shorter hair who don’t want to wait all those months necessary to grow a fuller and beefier man bun that sits further down. 

5. The Highballer Man Bun

Jon Snow anyone? 

The man has pretty much single-handedly brought this style into the limelight. 

Essentially, it’s any man bun style where you’ve got hair flowing and cascading down underneath it. 

In other words, the hair isn’t all tightly wrapped within the man bun. In fact, most of the hair at the back is left to flow freely downward. 

It has features of both the mullet and the man bun. A “highballer” is a more appealing and punchy way of referring to it. 

It’s a great one to try out if you’ve got hair long enough to pull it off. It may just be a style that you bust out whenever you’re looking for a change. 

The style does require a little bit of additional maintenance and you probably won’t get it right the first time. 

It’s one of those styles that does require a bit of patience to get perfect, but it’s usually worth the commitment. 

Do Man Buns Look Better With Or Without Beards? 

Man buns don’t necessarily look better with beards, but you’ll often find that they go hand-in-hand. 

For whatever reason, man-bunned men love facial hair. 

One reason may be this. 

When you tie a man bun, you group the hair together, pull it back, and tie it. Wrapping the hair so close against the scalp has the effect of exaggerating the shape of your face. 

For example, it can make a round face look rounder. This is because you aren’t able to use your hair to adjust for this by quiffing or puffing it up, for instance. 

But a beard can have the same effect. It can make a round face look less round, or a longer face look less long. 

For example, growing a goatee will add length and prominence to the chin. In fact, any style where you’ve got length on the chin would do this for you. 

To sum that all up, a beard can adjust the shape of the face after you tie a man bun if you want it to. 

Another reason men with man buns often grow beards as well is that the combination just works. 

They both give off that earthy, laid-back vibe that appeals to so many men. 

Plus, a lot of men with long hair may want to grow a beard but shy away from it because they may feel that it’s just too much hair. 

When you’ve got long locks flowing to either side of your face and then cover half of the face with a beard, you might feel as though there’s not enough face actually on show. 

But tying a man bun is actually a great way of preventing your long hair from preoccupying and overwhelming your face. 

Keeping it tidy and pulled back will give your face more exposure and prominence, giving you the “space” to grow a beard if you want to. 

However, any man bun with no beard style has the interesting effect of making you look younger. It’s something to try out for yourself and see if it’s true. 

Plus, if you’re into a sleeker and tidier aesthetic, the no-beard look may well be for you as well. 

Personal preference does play a very big role here. 

Conclusion

Hopefully, this article has given you some great examples to potentially try out for yourself. 

Experimentation is the key. Try them out and find one that works for you. 

Enjoy.