Cillian Murphy wears a black suit and stands in front of a 'Peaky Blinders' sign.

‘Peaky Blinders’: Beauty Expert Shares How to Get the Thomas Shelby Haircut

Thomas Shelby's haircut in 'Peaky Blinders' has been popular with fans for years. Here's how to get the look.

by Emma McKee

Published on March 28, 2026

2 min read

A beauty expert shared how to get a ‘Peaky Blinders’ inspired haircut

After Peaky Blinders premiered, the haircut worn by Murphy’s Thomas Shelby became popular with fans. A beauty expert said this shouldn’t be a surprise.

“As Tommy Shelby, Cillian Murphy popularised a haircut that’s both timeless and subversive,” Annabella Taurua, a Beauty Expert at Fresha, tells Showbiz Cheat Sheet. “The high, tight sides paired with a longer, textured crop create a silhouette that feels sharp, masculine, and ruggedly effortless.”

She shared how to achieve a similar look to Murphy’s and a more modern one.

“It’s a style defined by precision and texture, with sharp angles and weight on top giving it structure, while the movement in the fringe keeps it from feeling rigid,” she said. “The sides and back are clipped short, with the top left long enough to allow for natural movement, making it versatile and easy to style. Worn forward with a defined fringe, as seen in the TV series, or looser for the more modern finish we see in the film, the cut balances classic structure with contemporary wearability, as new cast members like Barry Keoghan bring the look to a new generation.”

The ‘Peaky Blinders’ haircut remains popular years after the show premiered

The Peaky Blinders haircut has been popular for over a decade. Taurua doesn’t think this should surprise anyone.

“What’s particularly interesting is how the Peaky Blinders haircut keeps resurfacing,” she said. “Defined, structured cuts like this combine boldness with everyday practicality, which explains why it’s trending again so quickly. The version we see in the film is softer and more wearable than the original, with less extreme contrast on the sides and added texture on top, keeping it current, while staying true to its roots.”

She believes that in the wake of the film adaptation, people will get the haircut. They may adapt it for this year, though.

“Not everyone will go for the full Tommy Shelby look, but I’d expect to see people adapt elements of it: shorter sides, a heavier fringe, or more structure through the crown,” she said. “It’s less about copying the style exactly and more about translating it into a modern, wearable style that’s versatile enough to fit modern lives and trends.”

Cillian Murphy talked about returning to the role

Murphy has spent years playing Thomas Shelby. He said he understands why people have felt so drawn to the character that they mirror his haircut.

“He’s an incredibly complex, contradictory, frustrating, relentless character,” Murphy told Tudum, “and I think that people are very attracted to that.”

The actor has played many characters over the years, and Shelby stands out as a favorite.

“It’s a long time to be playing a character,” Murphy said. “And it’s a massive gift to be given a character who’s that rich and that complex, that challenging to play, and is so wildly different to me as a person and requires great lengths to travel to get to.”