Growing your hair out is mostly patience. Hair grows roughly half an inch a month, so getting from short to shoulder-length can take a year or more. But it is not only patience. The difference between a grow-out that looks deliberate and one that looks neglected is a few well-timed trips to the barber.
Here is the roadmap, month by month, assuming you are starting from a short cut.
Before you start: set a goal
Decide roughly where you are heading. A longer textured top? A quiff? Ear-length? Shoulder-length? The goal decides how your barber shapes the hair along the way. It also helps you keep going when it gets awkward.
Tell your barber at your first visit: “I am growing it out to about here.” Everything after that is steering.
Month 1: Nothing much happens
What you will see: a slightly longer version of your short cut.
What to do: keep the neckline and around the ears tidy. An Edge Up (from $12) does exactly that without touching the length on top.
Month 2: The sides start to bother you
What you will see: the sides start to stick out and the hair covers the tops of the ears.
What to do: this is the first important trim. Your barber cleans up the sides and back while leaving the top alone, so the top can catch up. You lose almost no progress and gain a lot of shape.
Month 3: The awkward stage
What you will see: too long to look short, too short to look long. The sides puff, the back flips, the top falls into your eyes.
What to do: this is where most grow-outs fail. Keep going.
- Book a shaping cut: sides and back tidied, weight taken out, top left long.
- Push the top back or to the side with a little product.
- A cap or beanie is a legitimate tool.
- Remember: it is temporary.
Months 4–5: Shape appears
What you will see: the top is long enough to sweep back or tuck. Medium-length styles start to work.
What to do: a trim every six to eight weeks to keep the ends neat and the shape balanced. Some people stop here because they like the medium length — a longer swept-back cut or a quiff is a great place to land.
Months 6–9: Ear-length to chin-length
What you will see: hair that covers the ears and reaches the jaw. It starts to move and fall naturally.
What to do: trims every eight to ten weeks. Layers help the hair fall well rather than sitting as a heavy block. A scissor cut is the main tool now. Our post on scissor cuts vs. clipper cuts explains why.
Months 10–12 and beyond: Long
What you will see: chin-to-shoulder length. You can tie it back.
What to do: trims every ten to twelve weeks to remove split ends and keep the shape. Gentler care at home matters more now (see below).
Choosing your destination
- Longer textured top (3–4 months): sides short, top long enough to push back or mess up.
- Quiff or pompadour (3–5 months): sides short, front long. See our quiff guide.
- Medium, swept-back (5–7 months): sides grown to cover the ears, top swept back.
- Ear-length layered (6–9 months): everything long enough to move.
- Chin to shoulder (10 months+): long enough to tie back.
Some people discover along the way that they love an earlier stage and stop there. That is a perfectly good outcome.
Why you still need trims
It feels backward to cut your hair while growing it, but regular small trims are what make a grow-out work:
- They control the sides and back, which grow out faster visually than the top.
- They keep the ends healthy. Split ends travel up the hair if they are left.
- They keep the shape balanced, so the hair looks deliberate at every stage.
The key is telling your barber you are growing it. A trim for a grow-out takes off very little.
Care at home
- Condition every time you wash. Longer hair is older hair, and the ends get dry.
- Wash less often. Every two or three days is plenty for most hair types.
- Detangle gently with a wide-tooth comb, from the ends up.
- Easy on the heat. Air-dry when you can.
- Use soft hair ties if you tie it back, and do not pull it tight in the same spot every day.
Products for the in-between months
- Months 2–4: matte paste or clay to push the top back and control the sides.
- Months 4–8: a light cream to control frizz and give the hair weight.
- Long hair: leave-in conditioner and a little oil on the ends.
If you react to products easily, patch-test first; the FDA’s page on allergens in cosmetics is a useful read.
By hair type
- Straight hair: the awkward stage is about the sides sticking out. Layers and weight removal help.
- Wavy hair: often looks best at medium length. Embrace the waves.
- Curly hair: grows out as well as down, so the triangle shape is the risk. Regular shaping keeps it round. See our curly hair guide.
- Thick hair: weight removal is essential, or it will feel like a helmet. See our thick hair guide.
- Thinning hair: longer hair can separate and show scalp. Be honest with yourself about whether a grow-out suits you.
Surviving the awkward stage: a checklist
- Book a shaping cut — sides and back tidied, weight out, top untouched.
- Change your part. Sometimes moving it half an inch fixes a stubborn flip.
- Use product to push it back rather than letting it fall forward.
- Tuck it behind your ears once it reaches them.
- Lean on hats. No shame.
- Take a photo every month. Progress is easier to see than to feel.
When to give up (and that is fine)
Not every head of hair wants to be long. If your hair is thinning, very fine, or simply does not suit length, a grow-out may never look the way you imagined. There is no shame in deciding a medium length is the sweet spot, or in going back to short. A good barber will tell you honestly what they see.
What to tell your barber
- “I am growing it out to about here — just shape it.”
- “Leave the top, clean up the sides and back.”
- “Take out some weight so it does not puff.”
- “Do not take more than a quarter inch off the length.”
Common grow-out mistakes
- Skipping every trim. The sides and back take over and the shape collapses.
- Getting a regular haircut by accident. Always say you are growing it, every visit.
- Switching barbers mid-grow-out. A new barber does not know the plan. Stick with one.
- Giving up at month three. It is the hardest month. It is also the shortest-lived.
- Heavy products. They make in-between lengths look greasy and flat.
Growing out a fade
If you are starting from a skin fade, the sides need to grow from nothing, which takes longest. Many barbers suggest letting the fade grow into a taper first, then a scissor cut on the sides. Expect the first two months to be mostly about the sides catching up.
Growing out with a beard
Many men grow their hair and beard out together. Keep the beard shaped while the hair is in its awkward stage, so at least one thing looks deliberate. Our beard trim styles guide helps with shape.
The cheat sheet
- Month 1: Edge Up only.
- Month 2: first shaping trim — sides and back.
- Month 3: the awkward stage — shaping cut, product, patience.
- Months 4–5: medium styles work; trim every six to eight weeks.
- Months 6–9: ear-to-chin length; layers and scissor work.
- Month 10+: long; trims every ten to twelve weeks.
- Every visit: say “I am growing it out.”
At the Williamsville shop
Grow-out shaping is part of a Classic at our shops — clippers, scissors, edger and straight razor, about thirty minutes, from $25. Tell your barber you are growing it, and they will take off only what is needed. We are at 6100 Main St., Williamsville, NY 14221, open Tuesday through Friday 9AM to 6PM and Saturday 8AM to noon, closed Sunday and Monday. Walk-ins are welcome when there is an open chair — appointments are encouraged, so call 716-389-0192 to confirm someone is free.
Book online. Jon Palmeri, Dave Scolla, Michael Falzone and Bryan Castronova all do grow-out shaping. Stick with the same barber the whole way: they will know exactly where you are heading.
