Longer hairstyles for men, from chin to beyond shoulder length, are a popular and attractive look. It’s easy to decide to grow hair out but the process doesn’t happen overnight.
While many supplements and products will promise to make hair grow faster and thicker, don’t believe it. A healthy diet and lifestyle can contribute to better hair but it grows at a steady rate. While some guys have hair that grows faster than others, it is not something that can be changed.
The best thing to do is be patient, get help from your barber or stylist and try out some cool new looks along the way. Here’s how to look good while growing hair out with tips and pictures from Steve Vann’s growing hair cut by one of our favorite barbers, Andrew Does Hair.
How to Grow Out Hair for Men
1. Keep Visiting Your Barber
To look good while growing hair out, keep visiting your barber or stylist. If you only ever see short haircuts in your barbershop, it might be time to go somewhere that has more experience with longer styles. While many barbers and stylists can cut every length of hair, some specialize in shorter clipper cuts.
Let your barber or stylist know that you want to grow hair out and what your hair goals are. The will use that information plus your hair type and face shape to create a cut that looks good now and while getting longer.
While growing hair long, a trim every 2-3 months should be adequate or book an appointment whenever hair seems out of control. Regular trims also keep the tips of hair looking good. Over time, ends tend to split and frizz. Cutting off the damaged hair helps hair look better and grow out healthier.
Starting to Grow Hair Long
This gentleman decided to grow hair out starting with about 5″ of length on top. The original hair is undercut around the sides and back by Andrew Does Hair.
2. Start Long on Top
If you are growing hair out from short hair, start by keeping the sides and back short. It takes longer for hair growth at the top to be noticeable while the sides and back can start to mullet quickly. If that’s what you are going for, cool. If you want to achieve long hair all over, grow hair long at the top first.
When hair is about 4 inches long on top, it will be time to start growing out your sides. There are lots of excellent medium length haircuts and styles to get you through this phase of hair growth.
Six Months of Growing Hair Out
This is 6 months later, so about 3″ longer. Andrew Does Hair kept the sides trimmed short while hair on top is left long but trimmed to maintain shape and healthy tips.
3. Skip the Shampoo
On average, hair grows about half an inch a month for a total of 6″ per year. That means that starting from a buzz cut, it can take a full year to reach the ears, even longer for a chin length man bob and years to reach the shoulders. That’s why it is so important to take care of hair while growing out.
Short hair always looks healthy because it is the newest growth and undamaged by the sun and styling. The tips of long hair have been hanging around for a couple of years. To keep them looking great, it’s all about conditioning and regular trims to keep the ends look great and maintaining shape.
Many hair professionals recommend skipping shampoo altogether. While that’s not always possible for guys who get visibly greasy after a day or two, you can cut back on the hair washing. First, go to every other day. Then see if hair tolerates shampooing only once or twice a week.
If roots get greasy, a dry shampoo can be used to soak up oil and add some texture and volume to roots at the same time. This is an excellent hair product for medium and longer men’s to freshen up in a hurry.
4. Add Conditioner
Conditioner is a must for longer hair. There is no need to stick to men’s brands. Find one marketed for your hair type and give it a go.
The general rule for washing hair is keep shampoo at the scalp and conditioner at the tips. This is a challenge at the first phases of hair growth so start conditioning when hair is long enough. You want shampoo to remove scalp oils but not dry out the rest of hair while conditioner can weigh hair down at the roots.
Finally, rinse with cooler water because it won’t strip away as many of the conditioning agents as hot water.
9 Months of Growing Hair Out
After another 3 months, the sides and back have grown in to create this cool side part hairstyle with lots of length at the top. Longer hairstyles can be as messy as groomed as you like.
5. Awkward Phases Will Happen
The teenage years may be behind you but awkward phases aren’t entirely a thing of the past. Anyone who has ever grown out a buzz cut know there are phases that hair sticks out straight. While you can minimize this with longer on top cuts, there will be times hair doesn’t fully cooperate.
The only way out is through so just keep growing and it will sort itself out. Check in with your barber or stylist if you’re having trouble styling hair. A trim, new product or style can do the trick.
6. Switch Up Your Products
Most pomades, waxes, pastes are designed for styling short hair. They have plenty of hold and often need to washed out daily.
Medium length and longer hair require lighter products that hold and shape hair without weighting it down. Once you’re past the high volume styles, look for grooming creams, a serums, or leave-in conditioner to manage longer hair.
15 Months of Growing Hair Out
Thanks to expert maintenance by Andrew Does Hair, awkward phases have been minimized. It’s all about new haircuts and styling as hair grows longer.
7. Embrace the Hair Band
At some point, all men with long hair will want to tie it back. From the teeny man bun to full ones, use a hair elastic to pull medium to long hair out of the way. There are so many cool looks to try from the half bun to half ponytail to braids and ponytails.
Don’t use a real rubber band to tie hair back. The pull on hair which causes breakage and pulls hair out, painfully. Get a real hair band. There are clear ones available as various natural shades that blend with hair.
8. Be Patient
Growing hair out takes time and nothing can speed it up. Enjoy the many phases of hair growth and the cuts and styles that go with them. All the conditioning, brushing and styling is good practice for when hair is long.
It’s worth the wait. Long hair can actually be lower maintenance than shorter locks.
20 Months of Growing Hair Out
This gentleman started out with medium length hair and has achieved chin length locks in less than two years. Thanks to regular visits to Andrew Does Hair, the growing out process has looked good every step of the way. This cut is very similar to the last one but is a few inches longer.
Hairstyles for Growing Out Hair
During the initial phases of growing hair out, any longer on top haircut will work. As hair approaches medium length and longer, some new styles may be required to control hair. While some guys like the messy look, hair can also be clean cut and long at the same time.
Here are some growing out hair hairstyles for those in-between lengths.
9. Sweep Back
10. Comb Over
Taper haircuts with longer hair around the sides and back are a popular style and excellent choice while growing hair out. On top hair can be styled into a side part or this modern comb over as seen on San Jose Shark Roy Good.
12. Quiff
Longer hair has to go somewhere and one option is up. This quiff with a side part is a stylish way to wear medium length and longer locks. A few minutes with a blow dryer will help hair stay up with less styling product.
If you blow dry hair regularly, use a heat protectant spray before blow drying to protect hair from styling damage as it grow long.
Messy Sweep Back
These wind-blown swept back styles are the new slicked back hair. It’s an easy look to style and very stylish.
Pompadour for Long Hair
MENSPIRE Male Image & Grooming
When hair gets even longer, this pompadour is a cool way to wear hair back. Slick or tousled, it’s up to you.
12. Slick It Back
Hockey hair has never looked so good. San Jose Shark Sorensen Marcus has gone for the next level of flow.
Slicked back styles look great at every length and can be easier to style with long hair because there is more surface area for product to work with.
