Don’t Grow Your Hair Out Until You Change These 3 Things First!

This is part 2 of 4 in a series dedicated to prepping for hair growth. Be sure to check out the other parts as well:

Part 1: It’s not too late to grow our hair out in 2024

Part 3: Treat your hair growth like an RPG

Part 4: Best haircuts to get before growing out your hair

Last week, I wrote about how it’s not too late to grow your hair out in 2024 based on where the trend is going. If that was enough to convince you to give hair growth a shot this year, then that’s great!

We’re on this journey together.

But before you can begin letting your hair down and hoping to acquire the long, luscious locks of your dreams, we need to understand a few things that may become barriers down the line.

If you haven’t done this before, you may think that you just have to avoid getting a haircut for a couple of months, and in no time, you’ll be where you need to be.

In theory, that is exactly what you need to do, but it isn’t that simple when it comes to practical, everyday living. Especially the mental battle that comes with dealing with our hair.

That’s why I’ve pinpointed 3 things that need to change for you to get in the right mindset for growing your hair out. By adjusting your expectations, you’ll deal with fewer surprises and be able to ride out the rough, awkward stages along the way.

1- Change the Time Frame of Your Haircuts

I’ve already written about the one big mistake you could make for growing out your hair here.

When growing out your hair, you have to let it grow, and sticking to your regular schedule for haircuts isn’t going to do much for you except set you back.

There isn’t a magic number for how long to go between appointments. Instead, I usually suggest skipping your regular haircut and trying to go as long as you can before needing a trim.

This is the first mental battle, as you are disrupting your routine and entering an unfamiliar world.

By going as long as you can past your regular timeframe, you’ll discover how quickly your hair can grow. At times, it may feel like it is overgrown, and at other points, it may feel like it hasn’t grown out enough!

Once you’ve gone as long as you can without getting a haircut, I’d suggest booking something 1 or 2 weeks into the future.

By doing this, you’ll have the assurance that your hair will soon be trimmed down to something more manageable, and at the same time, you’re giving yourself a bit of time to let it grow some more (potentially growing through an awkward phase). If you find that the extra week or two was long enough for your hair to get a nicer shape, you can cancel/ reschedule your appointment (just don’t do it last minute).

For me, I was able to let things grow for 8 weeks before needing to get a trim. The timing of it was right before the holidays, so I wanted to get tidied up around the ears. If it wasn’t for that, I may have been able to go even further before touching my hair!

This brings me to the next thing you need to change for success in hair growth.

2- Expand Your Definition of What Tidy Means

Another barrier is that we all live busy lives. We’re knee-deep in our professional pursuits, or we’re putting ourselves out there trying to find a partner we can settle down with.

Either way, we can’t afford to look untidy! It’s not a good look when we want to be taken seriously.

So how can we balance being put together with our desire to grow out our hair?

You have to be a little more lenient with yourself in regards to what tidy means.

When you are growing out your hair, you will not be able to look sharp at all times. It is the reality of wanting to grow your hair. It has to get wild at some point and it needs to be embraced if you want to get anywhere.

If you’re used to getting fades and clipper cuts, the first thing to go will be the crisp lines at the edges.

Next will be the silhouette of the sides, with things puffing out more and more.

The top of your hair will begin to feel long and heavy, and you may struggle with it falling into your face throughout the day.

These are things that you will have to accept as part of the process.

When you imagine longer hair, you don’t see the sharpest lines. Super long hair naturally cannot stay super flat to the head (unless you put it in a bun), and the hair has nowhere to go but down. These are the elements of longer hair that you will have to get used to.

Instead of focusing on what makes a short haircut untidy, start looking at medium and long hair inspiration and notice how those can still look tidy in their own way.

Personally, I struggle with my hair puffing out at the sides. I am always tempted to trim it down a bit to make the shape look nicer, but that is just a temporary fix and will set me back further than if I were to let it just grow out.

So how do I deal with that? Well by following the next point, of course.

3- Be Open to Experimenting with Different Looks

You have decided to change things up by growing your hair, so why then should you stick to the same hairstyle as usual?

Many different hairstyles work at different lengths. You can find some inspiration by checking out my portfolio.

Try changing your parting, or going with no part altogether. Try getting your hair neat, or try messing it up a bit. Have fun and find out the various ways your hair can be styled. You may find something you like within a couple of weeks of growing your hair out that you would never have thought to try before.

There are tons of advice out there for managing grown-out hair. Some suggest making sure the sides of your hair are flattened down, others will suggest the opposite and tell you to get your hair wild and voluminous to help balance out the puffiness. There is no one-size-fits-all approach for this, and you can certainly find something for you.

Even if you land on a style that you’re not 100% thrilled about, remember that it is temporary, and soon your hair will grow past it just like how it grew past your original style.

Now I’ve mentioned 3 key things that need to change when you’re on your hair growth journey, but there is one thing you need to make sure you keep consistent over the coming months.

Bonus Tip- Find a Barber/Stylist and Stick With Them.

You want to go to the same person throughout your hair growth journey because they understand your hair and your goals.

Going to a new barber for a trim can leave you losing months of progress if they cut it wrong or take too much off.

By sticking with the same barber, you have someone you can check in with and consult. Someone who can see your progress and help you through your struggles and frustrations.

If I know my client has been growing their hair out for months, and has certain problem areas based on previous haircuts, then I can tailor the trim to work with all those factors.

On the flip side, I have had clients coming to me well into their growth journey, wanting to tidy things up. But because I am meeting them for the first time, I have no reference point for where they started or where they want to go.

Even with the most thorough consultations, it can still be difficult to know how to tailor that haircut perfectly, especially when I know in the back of my mind that they’re still trying to grow things out.

That’s why you need to find a good barber and build that relationship with them, see their portfolio to make sure they can do medium-length/ long hair, and start booking your appointments with them as soon as you can so they can get to know you and your hair better.

Don’t risk it by going to a random walk-in shop on a whim!

Need inspiration for different hairstyles? Check out my portfolio and find your next favourite haircut!

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Thank you for reading!

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!