Best Haircuts to Get Before Growing Out Your Hair
This is part 4 of 4 in a series dedicated to prepping for hair growth. Be sure to check out the previous parts as well:
Part 1: It’s not too late to grow our hair out in 2024
Part 2: Don’t grow your hair out until you do these 3 things
Part 3: Treat your hair growth like an RPG
Last week, I shared the idea that hair growth should be treated like an RPG (read that first before continuing) as a way to make the journey more fun while taking out some of the guesswork that is involved. By having an idea of what “track” you want to follow, you’ll be able to plan out medium-length haircuts that can ultimately lead you to your final outcome.
Today we’re going to focus a bit more on what I would recommend are great haircuts to choose as your starters before you decide to grow out your hair. Each has its own set of advantages and disadvantages and can make certain parts of the journey easier or harder than the other choices.
This is similar to how you choose from 3 different starter Pokemon at the beginning of any Pokemon game. Your decision impacts what you can do later on in subtle ways and may change how difficult certain parts of the game are.
Choosing the right starter doesn’t have to be stressful, instead, it can be a great way to tell yourself that you’re going to follow through on your journey!
So what are the best haircuts to get before growing out your hair?
First- The Haircut You Already Have
Click on the image to learn more about this specific look.
Pros
Probably already have length on top
Already know how to style
Cons
You will be very tempted to get a haircut at your regular interval, or even a couple of weeks past it.
May not be primed for growing if you have different lengths or disconnections within the haircut.
This would be the easiest one in terms of transitioning as you already have this haircut. If you’re someone who goes for a classic short back and sides with a little on top, then you’re set up for growing it in a more classic flow direction, which I described in my last post.
With length already on top, you’ll quickly hit stages where you can play around with the hair and try different things as it grows.
This is also the easiest to have on a day-to-day basis as you can continue to style as you usually do for the most part.
The downside of going with this starter is that psychologically, you’ll notice how unkempt it is very quickly. You habitually know when to cut your hair and once you get to that point, it might be hard for you to stay the course of growing.
Additionally, the haircut you already have can be cut specifically for a certain look. So as it grows out of shape, it may be super noticeable. Especially if the haircut has different lengths at different points or disconnections where the lengths intentionally do not blend together.
Though it can be easy to start growing by skipping your regular haircut and just going for it, you may find quickly that you’re struggling with your hair.
Second- The (Baby) Taper Mullet.
Within a couple of months, the back can develop a flow while you still maintain clean sides.
Pros
Great option because you can give the back of your head a jumpstart while maintaining cleaner sides (which are usually the bigger issue for most guys).
You can enjoy the feel of longer hair while still looking relatively tidy.
The back of the head doesn’t require too much effort in styling when cut properly, making it easy to style.
Perfect for getting started on both the classic flow track or the messy texture track.
Cons
The mullet is a very strong look, even the taper variation.
Must be balanced properly to fit into professional workplaces, and for it to grow out nicely.
The mullet has gained a lot of popularity in recent years, and this variation that is more of a taper than a fully shaved disconnection is an ideal haircut to have if you want to start growing.
I think most guys struggle with seeing how puffy the sides of their heads can get as hair grows, and it can be a hassle to try to keep things tight with regular styling.
By removing the sides from the equation, guys can start dabbling with longer hair while still maintaining a clean look.
With the taper variation, the sides should still be blended with the back. This means that if you decide to stop cutting the sides, then you’ll already have the flow going and it’s more about letting it grow into a longer version of what you have.
I’ve written about this before, in my article about taper mullets, but you will still want to keep the back in check, as it should not grow too long or else you lose that balance. Too drastic of a contrast between the back and sides can make it harder on you when you decide to grow it out. There may not be as much of a visual flow, and styling can be hard to do.
You may also become very used to tidying up the sides, but if your goal is to let it grow, then at some point you will have to stop visiting the barbershop for those clean-ups and embrace the more lived-in look.
The mullet can be done with a classic style or with a more textured one, like this.
Third- The Buzzcut/Crewcut
Oh hey, it’s me!
Pros
This is the full reset.
The reset allows you to disrupt your usual haircut routine.
Your hair will be very uniform as it grows, and remains well-balanced.
The hair is so short, you’ll want it to grow as much as possible.
Will help set you up for the messy texture track of hair growth.
Cons
This is a very extreme starting point.
Will set you back a couple of months compared to starting with your regular haircut.
Not a lot of options for styling until a few months down the line.
The full reset buzzcut is a popular way for guys to start their growth journey as it helps give yourself a clean slate. It’s the way I went for my hair growth journey this time around, so I have quite a bit of experience with it.
The advantages come in two ways.
On a practical level, the buzzcut helps disrupt your regular pattern compared to keeping your regular haircut. Instead of going in every 3-4 weeks, you lose that reference point of when things get untidy and you can just allow it to grow and see what happens.
You also won’t have to style your hair for a bit as it is too short to do anything with. By not fussing about your hair, you get a nice little break from having to think about it so much.
On a mental level, the hair is cut so short that you’ll just want it to grow as much as possible before ever doing anything to it. I’ve been growing my hair out for about 3-4 months now, and I have done very minimal trims. Even at the current length, I find I could go another few months before getting a full haircut. It’s too soon right now, and I feel like I’d just be losing too much progress if I got it cut too soon.
I’ve tried growing my hair out in the past from a haircut that I already had, where the top was long, but I found it all too easy to revert back to something short because I knew I had the length to work with to make it happen and make it look good.
But with the buzz this time around, I know that even if I got a haircut, the top isn’t anywhere near as long as it would normally be for my regular hairstyles, so I might as well just let the top, back, and sides grow together until they reach that optimal length for reshaping.
Summary
Whichever haircut you decide to get as your starter will have different impacts on how your hair growth journey starts and how it can be maintained moving forward.
It all depends on what track you prefer to take, as well as what you find is your biggest struggle with hair growth.
If you don’t want to make a big change and feel like you could work with your hair as it grows, then stick with your regular haircut and just skip your next few haircuts.
If you want an easy transition that allows you to stay tidy while playing around with length, then beginning with a taper mullet can be the best of both worlds.
However, if you feel you need to physically and mentally start fresh, then a buzzcut will be the best choice as it simplifies things in the beginning at the cost of taking more time to grow out.
Now that you’re armed with a starter, and a plan on how to grow out the hair, it’s time to commit to that journey.
Good luck!
Hope you found this helpful!
My name is Wesley, I am a Barber located in the city of Calgary helping my clients become more confident with all things related to their hair by providing customized haircuts that suit them best while demystifying all the complicated hair information out there!
Connect with me through my Instagram account @wesleysnipshair!
