Growing your hair out doesn’t mean skipping haircuts. It means booking the right ones: shaping appointments that cut different parts at different times, so it always looks intentional.
Most people who try to grow their hair out give up somewhere around month two or three. The sides puff out, the back gets shaggy, the top falls in your eyes and nothing sits right.
That’s the awkward stage, and it’s almost always made worse by not getting your hair cut at all.
Short answer
Book a shaping appointment every 6–8 weeks while you grow your hair out. Your barber keeps the neckline, around the ears and the bulk at the sides under control while the top grows, so your hair looks like a style at every stage. Tell your barber what length you’re aiming for.
01
What a shaping appointment is
A shaping appointment isn’t a regular haircut. The goal isn’t to take length off. It’s to control the shape while you gain length.
Your barber leaves the top and the parts you’re growing alone, and works on the areas that make growing hair look messy: the neckline, around the ears, the weight at the sides and the back.
You’re not cutting it shorter. You’re cutting it into shape.
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How it helps at each stage
Every stage of growing your hair out has its own problem. A shaping appointment fixes the one you’re in.
- Months 1–2The sides grow faster than the top. Tidy the sides and neckline so it still looks like a haircut.
- Months 2–3The awkward stage. Sides puff out and the top hits your eyes. Thin the bulk and shape the back so it sits closer.
- Months 3–5Enough length to style. Add texture and movement, and start shaping toward the final cut.
- Months 5 and onRefine it into the finished style and keep it there.
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Longer styles to grow into
Knowing where you’re headed makes the in-between easier. A few longer styles we cut a lot:
- The flowPushed back, past the ears, with natural movement. Needs even length all the way around.
- Warrior cutLonger on top and through the back, with the sides kept tighter. A good in-between on the way to longer hair.
- Modern mulletShorter or textured on top and sides, with length left through the back.
- Textured shagLayered and loose, with movement all over. Works well on wavy hair.
- CurtainsA center part with length falling to either side of the face.
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Tell your barber the goal
Say what length you want to end up at and roughly how long you’re willing to wait. Bring a photo if you have one. Your barber will plan which parts to leave alone and which to keep shaped.
What to tell your barber →05
Which service to book
We recommend the Signature Haircut for shaping appointments. It gives your barber the extra time to plan the grow-out and do the detail work, and because you’re coming in less often, it usually costs about the same over a year.
Why longer cuts need more time →06
Styling along the way
A little matte clay or cream gives the in-between length some direction. Pushing it back or to the side usually looks more intentional than letting it hang.
How much clay to use →07
Curly or wavy hair
Curls need length to form, so the awkward stage can look bigger. Keep the shape even and don’t let the sides get heavier than the top. Elise does a lot of curly and longer cuts.
Elise’s page →Questions
Should I stop getting haircuts while I grow my hair out?
No. Keep booking shaping appointments. Skipping cuts is what makes the awkward stage worse.
How often should I come in?
About every 6–8 weeks.
How long does it take to grow my hair out?
Going from short to medium usually takes 4–6 months. Longer styles take longer.
Who should I book?
Connor and Elise both do a lot of medium and longer cuts, and Bryton specializes in scissor haircuts.