There's a certain kind of confidence that comes with combing your hair straight back and letting it gleam under the light. It's not subtle. It's not trying to be. And right now, in 2025 and into 2026, that look — the high-shine, slicked-back style — is everywhere. From fashion runways to red carpets to the resurgent neighborhood barbershop, the slick-back has reasserted itself as the defining men's hairstyle of the era. Not because it's new. Because it's right.
Here's what's driving the comeback, why it matters, and — most importantly — how to nail it.
What Is the History of the Slicked-Back Hairstyle?
The slicked-back hairstyle has been a cultural symbol of authority and intention for nearly a century — from early-20th-century practicality to Hollywood iconography to today's runway dominance. It never disappeared; it simply cycled back to the forefront.
To call this a "comeback" implies the slicked-back look ever went away. It didn't. It just went quiet for a while, overtaken by the messy textured crop and the matte clay aesthetic that dominated the 2010s. But the foundations never shifted.
Before the 1940s, the style was functional. It kept hair out of men's faces and conveyed a clean, put-together appearance. Then Hollywood got involved, and it became something else entirely: an icon. Gordon Gekko's immaculate slick-back in *Wall Street* (1987) — actually inspired by Lakers coach Pat Riley, according to the film's costume designer Ellen Mirojnick — became shorthand for ambition and power. Don Draper's side-parted, lacquered crown in *Mad Men* was effortlessly aspirational. Cillian Murphy's Tommy Shelby in *Peaky Blinders* turned the slicked-back undercut into a global phenomenon, with barbers reporting they were cutting two versions of the style per day at peak demand.
Each of these moments reinforced the same truth: a slicked-back hairstyle communicates something. It says you showed up intentionally.
Why Is the Slicked-Back Look Dominating Fashion Runways in 2025?
High fashion gave the slick-back its full editorial endorsement in 2025 — from the Sleek Wet Look at New York Fashion Week to the all-in beauty direction at Schiaparelli's Fall Couture show in Paris. This is no longer nostalgia. It's a declaration.
What separates this current resurgence from nostalgia is that high fashion has fully co-signed it. At New York Fashion Week 2025, the Sleek Wet Look emerged as one of the most prominent men's grooming trends across multiple shows — styled slick back, parted to the side, or slightly tousled, it was paired equally with sharp tailoring and luxury streetwear. The consensus from the runway was clear: structured, polished hair had returned as an editorial statement.
Then came Paris. At the Schiaparelli Fall 2025 Couture show, creative director Daniel Roseberry built his entire beauty look around the slick-back. Styled by Guido Palau, models walked the runway with hair matted down in sleek perfection. Off the runway, Hunter Schafer, Cardi B, and Skye Hankey all arrived with immaculate slicked looks. WWD declared it definitively: "At Schiaparelli, the future is 'the slick-back.'"
That's not a trend piece. That's a declaration.
According to Google Trends data, global search interest in "pomade" — the key product for achieving slicked-back styles — remained consistently high throughout 2025, spiking to index scores between 81 and 89 at multiple points across the year. Men aren't just wearing the look. They're actively seeking out the tools to do it right.
Why Are Barbershops Experiencing a Revival Alongside This Trend?
The traditional barbershop is the true home of the slicked-back style, and it's experiencing its own cultural renaissance in parallel — driven by a generation of men who are choosing craftsmanship and classic expertise over mass-market convenience.
No trend survives on runways and red carpets alone. For slicked-back hair to mean something in everyday men's culture, it needs to live in barbershop chairs — and that's exactly where it does. Men's grooming culture has shifted decisively toward craftsmanship and personalization, with a growing demographic of style-conscious men seeking out skilled barbers who specialize in classic cuts rather than mass-market salons. The barbershop is no longer just a place to get a trim. It's a cultural institution.
No barbershop better embodies this than Schorem Haarsnijder en Barbier in Rotterdam, Netherlands — the shop founded by barbers Leen Bergman and Bertus van Dijk that became the birthplace of Reuzel. Schorem opened in 2001 with an unapologetically singular philosophy: old-school cuts only. Pompadours. Flat tops. Slick backs. Side parts. No fades. No compromise
In an era when most barbershops were diversifying in every direction, Leen and Bertus doubled down on mastery. The result was a shop with a five-hour wait from day two and a global clientele that books weeks in advance. Schorem didn't just cut slicked-back hair — it made slicked-back hair a subculture.
And then, in 2013, they bottled the philosophy. They created Reuzel.
What Are the Best Pomades for a High-Shine, Slicked-Back Style?
For a high-shine, slicked-back style that holds all day and washes out clean, Reuzel Blue and Red pomades are the professional-grade tools built specifically for the job — developed inside Schorem's barbershop, tested on real clients, and engineered to solve the exact trade-off between grip and washability.
If you're going to wear the slicked-back look the right way — the way it comes off a runway, or out of a Schorem chair — you need the right product. Not a gel that flakes and hardens by noon. Not a wax that looks oily and sits heavy. You need a professional-grade pomade that delivers genuine high shine, real control, and — critically — washes out clean.
That's exactly what Reuzel Blue and Red pomades are built to do.
Reuzel Blue Pomade: Strong Hold, Maximum Shine
Reuzel Blue is the flagship. A water-soluble, high-shine pomade with a 9/10 hold rating and a 9/10 shine rating, it was developed specifically to solve the problem that plagued earlier-generation products: how do you get the gloss and grip of an oil-based grease without the buildup and the difficult wash-out?
Reuzel Blue answers that with a formula built around Castor Oil — which nourishes and strengthens the hair strand — and Caprylyl Glycol, which softens and smooths for that mirror-like finish. The result holds like a heavy wax but rinses out with warm water alone. It stays pliable throughout the day, so you can restyle without losing structure.
For thick, textured hair that needs serious control and serious shine, Blue is the move. Apply one to two knuckles' worth, emulsify in your palms, work through damp or dry hair from the crown forward, and finish with a comb. That's it. No secret technique required — just a product that was engineered by barbers, for barbers.
Reuzel Red Pomade: Medium Hold, Same High Shine
For finer hair, or for the man who prefers a slick that moves a little — a looser, swept-back style that carries polish without feeling architectural — Reuzel Red is the answer. Same high-shine finish (9/10), same water-soluble formula, same Castor Oil and Caprylyl Glycol base — but dialed back to a medium hold (5/10).
Red is the "starter" high-shine pomade in the best possible sense. It works on all hair types, sits lighter on fine strands, and produces that effortlessly polished look associated with vintage Americana and modern editorial grooming alike. It's what you reach for when you want to look like you belong in a Mad Men scene, without the rigidity
Both products were created at Schorem, tested daily on real clients, and refined over thousands of real-world applications before they ever hit a shelf.
How Do You Style a High-Shine Slicked-Back Hairstyle?
Achieving a clean, high-shine slick-back takes under five minutes: start with damp hair, choose the right Reuzel formula for your hair type, emulsify the product between your palms, and finish with a fine-tooth comb swept straight back.
Getting the slick right isn't complicated, but it rewards attention to detail.
1. Start with clean, damp hair. High-shine pomades perform best when applied to towel-dried hair — not soaking wet, not bone dry.
2. Choose your Reuzel. Blue for thicker, coarser hair that needs strong hold and full-gloss control. Red for finer hair, or any time you want a softer, more flexible slick
3. Emulsify properly. Scoop one to two knuckles' worth, rub between your palms until fully warmed and distributed, then apply starting at the crown and working toward the front
4. Comb it back. Use a fine-tooth comb to sweep hair straight back, eliminating gaps and creating clean, defined lines. For a side-part variation, establish the part first, then comb each section firmly into position
5. Finish with intention. No additional product is typically needed — Reuzel Blue and Red are concentrated formulas that hold throughout the day without re-application
The whole process takes under five minutes. The result lasts all day
What Hair Types Work Best With the Slicked-Back Style?
The slicked-back style works across most hair types, but the right Reuzel formula makes all the difference — Blue for thick or coarse hair, Red for fine to medium hair, with both delivering the same 9/10 high-shine finish.
Straight hair is the easiest to work with — it combs back cleanly and holds its shape with minimal effort. Wavy hair adds natural body that can make the slick look fuller and more dimensional; a little extra product keeps it controlled. Even coarse or textured hair responds well when the right formula is used. Reuzel Blue's strong hold was designed specifically for thicker, more stubborn hair that needs real grip to stay in place all day.
What doesn't work is using the wrong product for your hair type. A medium-hold formula on thick hair leads to re-styling halfway through the day. A heavy-hold formula on fine hair can flatten the strand and kill the natural volume that makes the look work. Matching product to hair type is the foundation of a slick-back that actually holds
Why Is the Slicked-Back Hairstyle Popular Again Right Now?
The slick-back is surging because men's style in 2025 has made a decisive turn away from the effortless, undone aesthetic — and toward something more intentional, polished, and confident. It's the visual expression of a cultural shift.
Men's fashion in 2025 has pivoted hard toward what might be called "intentional grooming" — a rejection of the deliberately casual, I-just-rolled-out-of-bed aesthetic that dominated the last decade. Classic cuts are making a measurable comeback across barbershops globally, driven by men who want their appearance to communicate something deliberate and polished.
The slicked-back hairstyle is, at its core, a commitment. It says: I thought about this. I showed up on purpose. In a world of effortful effortlessness, that kind of confidence reads as genuinely bold.
Pop culture keeps reinforcing it. The Peaky Blinders cinematic universe continues. The Gordon Gekko aesthetic has never fully left Wall Street or the men who admire it. And from Schiaparelli's Paris couture stage to the barbershop floors of Rotterdam, the message keeps arriving from every direction:
High shine is back. And it's not asking permission.
What Makes Reuzel Different From Other High-Shine Pomades?
Reuzel Blue and Red stand apart because they were developed inside a working barbershop — tested on real clients, every day — not in a lab or by a marketing team. That origin is the product's competitive advantage.
Most high-shine pomades are either oil-based (excellent hold, difficult washout, heavy buildup over time) or water-based with compromised grip that flakes or hardens. Reuzel solved that tension by building from the inside out — starting at Schorem, where the products had to perform under real barbershop conditions, on real clients, day after day. The Blue and Red formulas were developed in 2014The result is a pomade that doesn't dry out, doesn't flake, doesn't turn to cement. It holds. It shines. And it washes out clean. That's the Schorem standard — and it's why Reuzel is now sold in over 80 countries, carried in professional barbershops on every continent, and trusted by barbers who don't have patience for products that don't perform.
The Bottom Line: Should You Try the Slicked-Back Look?
If you want to wear the defining men's hairstyle of this moment, the answer is yes — and the formula is simple: start with the right pomade, comb it back, and own it.
The slick-back has always been there, waiting. Every era needs a moment to remind itself that deliberate style never goes out of fashion — it just waits for the culture to catch up. Right now, from the couture stages of Paris to the neighborhood barbershop, the culture has caught up.
All you need is the right tin.
Reuzel Blue for the full-grip, full-gloss statement. Reuzel Red
The slick is back. Make it yours.