Growing out your hair is a painstaking process. Take it from someone who has had short pixie cut hair all throughout her teenage life (it was called boy-cut back then, I am a 90s kid!), it is annoying I get it. I have had long hair for a while now, but it grew from a really short haircut. There are a few tricks that I learnt while this gruelling process was on and I thought I should share it with you guys. Before I talk about this though, you need to be remember one thing. BE PATIENT! This process is a super slow and to reach your desired length it is going to take a few months or even a little over a year. And I know through all of this there will be more bad hair days than good and you will feel a little conscious. But trust me, you can figure your way around it. So here are some tips and hacks to ease the process of you growing your hair out.
1. Embrace the sleek look.
One thing that you will need to get comfortable with when you’re growing out your hair is rocking the sleek hair look on and off. One of the easiest looks to master, this will be ideal if you have an event or a formal do to go to. Just brush all of your hair back, take some hair gel/mousse and run it through your hair with your fingers from root to tip and then comb through to tame flyaways. That’s it. Your awkward hair growth stage is now your secret.
2. Get some bangs.
This happened to me when I managed to grow my pixie out into an unruly bob. Once it reached that stage my hair started looking very flat and I was torn between wanting my hair to get a new look but also wanting to grow them out. That is when bangs came to my rescue. I got some straight bangs in the front maintaining whatever length I had in the back. That way I had a new look, layers framing my face and my length wasn’t technically affected. My straight bangs then grew out into side bangs and by then my unruly bob was a nice pretty lobb.
3. Scour Pinterest and Instagram.
They are bibles! From hair growth tips to hairstyles, literally everything you need is on there. Start pinning transition hairstyles, hair growth tips and even looks that you could try for events and/or occasions.
4. Understand your hair texture and own it.
While growing out your hair is a crazy long process, it can become more difficult if you try to fiddle with your hair texture. If you have natural waves, curls or straight hair, just own the natural texture and play it up during your awkward stages.
5. Still get regular trims
I know I am sounding counter-intuitive, but trims are definitely needed while growing out your hair. It definitely won’t make your hair grow faster but it makes it manageable. Also, all of your hair doesn’t grow in a uniform way so a regular trim will bring it all together.
6. Hair accessories are your best friends.
Headbands, clips, bandana, hats, caps, beanies – the options are ENDLESS! Hair accessories will make sure you look chic while your mane is growing out. Switch it up every once in a while, especially when you’re losing patience.
7. Try a fun new colour job
You don’t want to cut your hair but that doesn’t mean you can’t colour it! Try out a new hair colour trend, go blorange or rose gold, or just get some cool highlights to camouflage the grow out. Changes your look.
8. Hair products are now a must.
When you have short hair you kind of forget that hair products exist. You shampoo and condition, rustle it up and you’re out of the door. But when you’re growing it out, you need to get reacquainted with hair gels and mousse to keep your hair in place.
9. Spend a little more time on your hair during the awkward stage.
As I mentioned earlier, I know you’re used to not spending more than 2-3 mins on your hair everyday. But now when it’s growing out, you will have to put in some effort. Blow dry it, use some product, try a new hairstyle, maybe even try out a couple hair accessories. You will have to spend some more time on your hair.
10. Don’t skimp out on vitamins.
For healthy hair growth you also need to keep a tab on your nutrition. Zinc, B-Complex Vitamin (Biotin & B5), Vitamin C, Iron and Vitamin D are the vitamins you’re looking for. OR you can just get supplements that have a healthy combination of these.
11. Hot tools help you change it up
Flat iron and a curling iron need to become a part of your daily arsenal now. While this phase is going on there will be a LOT of times when you will want to give up because of the monotony. So switch up the texture once in a while, straighten your hair or curl it up. Just ensure you use a heat protection spray.
12. Do not say no to hair extensions
Have a big event coming up and you’re just not feeling your look? You could give hair extensions a whirl. Either temporary ones or you could try out cosmetic semi-permanent ones too.
Hope these tricks make the process a little easier for you. Do you know more tricks like this? Let me know!
