Slicked-Back Bun

Healthy, nourished strands are the key to supercharged growth. Lucky for us, hair-mask buns not only exist but have quickly taken over our lazy-day style playlist. Sofia Richie Grainge’s signature sleek bun locks in moisture and tames flyaways with a trifecta of lotion, mask, and oils.

Styled Pixie

The beginning of the grow-out process can be a pain, especially if you’re starting off with a super short cut like a pixie hairstyle. To kick off the journey, keep your choppy ‘do styled with your preferred hair products and avoid using heat as much as possible to prevent damage.

Baby Braids

Over your decision to get curtain bangs? The secret: weave all those graduated lengths into a matching set of baby braids, and no one needs to know.

Feathered Ends

Don’t know what to do with the ends of your bob? Wear them flipped out, as seen on Carey Mulligan. Use a flat iron and seal with strong-hold hairspray to lock it in.

Spiky Updo

Battling with longer face-framing layers? Perhaps there’s a reason spiky updos made a comeback alongside generously layered butterfly cuts. Apply a smidge of smoothing serum or pomade to the ends for a look that appears intentionally undone.

Retro Bob

Soft waves are always a good call, especially if you have chin or shoulder-length hair. Embrace the retro look by using a wide barrel curling iron or rollers to achieve the look.

A Novel Hair Part

Something as simple as changing your part can make all the difference. Ear tucks also work well to hide the width of your hair when it’s in its mid-stages ‘growing out’—you can try a curl cream to control frizz for a sleek look.

Space Buns

Shaggy bobs and lobs are notoriously difficult to disguise as you wait for longer lengths to appear. Enter: Space buns. The quirky duo of tiny topknots sits ultra high on the crown, providing an ideal updo option for those in-between times.

Head Wrap

Bring on the drama with a head wrap that dresses up your outfit. Not only will it help step up your style game, but it’ll also help disguise any awkward transitional length as you grow out your hair.

Hair Pins

Headbands aside, creative hair pins work well to elevate hair that’s in a transitional phase. More than anything, it’s about placement.

Finger Waves

Finger waves are oh-so glamorous—and they’re a lot easier to achieve than they seem. Use your favorite mousse and/or gel and mold it into your desired look.

Headband

“Accessories are the best way to hide a cut that’s growing out,” says hair stylist, Adam Reed. “Tucking hair out of the way, using a strong-hold hairspray, or hiding it under a headband will disguise ‘in-between’ layers or difficult to hide pieces of hair.”

Volume Boost

Adding some volume to your strands can also help make the transition process easier. Hairstylist Jennifer Matos recommends using a lifting or volumizing hairspray, which will help you achieve a great level of volume at the root.

“Since it’s so lightweight, it’s less harsh on the scalp and root of the hair. This is especially helpful to grow out the hair for clients who often color or put a lot of heat on their hair,” she explains. Alternatively, you can also use a clip-in hairpiece made from real hair to add the volume you’re looking for.

Protective Styles

The time it usually takes to grow out a fringe depends on the individual, but think anything up to four months, so celebrity hairstylist, Luke Hersheson, suggests having some fun during the growth period and experimenting with different styles. If you have natural hair, you can also experiment with a protective hairstyle—like Bantu knots, as seen above—to protect your natural strands from environmental factors that could affect growth.

Wet Look

If your hair is at varying lengths and seems as though it simply can’t be tamed, a bit of hair gel will be your best friend. A slicked-back hairstyle will instantly smooth down short layers, a growing fringe, and flyaways while giving you a trendy “wet hair” look.

Long Bob

No need to keep up with your frequent appointments to maintain your chin-length bob. A long bob hairstyle is an equally stylish and versatile alternative that will help you ease into the grow-out process. Wear it wavy or keep it sleek and straight, as seen on Hailey Bieber.

Brushed Back

Here’s further proof that wet-look styles have no length prerequisites. This slicked-back pixie is oh-so sophisticated.

Conditioned Strands

“You don’t need to get your hair cut more than every 12 weeks if you’re growing it out. But if you’re worried about the condition, then make sure you use intense conditioners, and, if you’re straightening your hair, then use thermal heat protectors,” says celebrity hairdresser George Northwood. “Hair that’s longer is going to stay with you longer, so you need to protect it.”

Hydrated Heights

Growing out and treating Afro hair can be a whole different ballgame. Regular maintenance trims every eight weeks are a must, along with treatments to encourage the strength, health, and curl within the hair. Integrate deep conditioning masks into your rotation to keep hair hydrated.

New Hue

“The boredom factor is why it’s so hard and takes so long for people to grow out their hair. To avoid this, change your color,” suggests Northwood. You can try something fun with a minimal commitment by using a temporary, wash-out hair dye. “A bit of color can stave off the boredom,” he assures us.

Extensions

Can’t wait for your hair to reach your desired length? You don’t have to. Hair extensions can not only give you instantly long strands, but they can also help blend awkward layers as they grow out.

Defined Edges

Tap into your creative side and experiment with edge designs. Doing so is not only fun, but it also elevates any look. To make sure your baby hairs lie flat and stay put all day, use a styling product purposefully designed for edge control.

Braids

When it comes to protective hairstyles, there are tons of braided looks to choose from. Here, Doechii wears Fulani braids with ultra-long ends, a stylish way to style your hair, especially during the grow-out process.

Regular Trims

We all know that frequent trims are crucial to growing out a super-short style, but it’s worth mentioning again. Getting regular cuts helps maintain a stylish shape and prevents hair from looking too messy or undone. So, even though the goal may be to achieve lengthier strands, that doesn’t mean you should stop cutting your hair altogether.

Bouncy Blowout

There’s no denying a blowout looks stunning on just about any hair type, and it’s also a great way to tidy out the appearance of short hair that’s being grown out. That said, you want to keep heat-styling to a minimum to avoid excess damage and breakage.

“Using a blow-dry cream on damp hair before blow-drying to cut down time.. You will achieve a longer, smoother blowout, especially in humid and hot weather,” says Matos. “The blowout will last longer, so you don’t have to blow-dry your hair as often, which is healthier for the hair.”

Demure Bows

Let’s hear it for the bow. The feminine accessory dresses up any look with minimal effort, and it can be adapted to any hair length and personal style.

Butterfly Clips

Let’s get back to ’90s hair accessory comebacks. Unlike barrettes and pins, these miniature clips are ideal for gripping even the thinnest strands, making them ideal for growing out fringe.

Spiked Styles

Lean into your rock n’ roll side with this punky ‘do. We recommend using a heavy duty gel or pomade to keep spikes standing straight all day.

Stacked Buns

While topknots, space buns, and baby ponytails are great grow-out accomplices, they don’t work particularly well with top-heavy layers. If you’re transitioning from an undercut or graduated pixie or bob, play with vertical styles like these stacked buns instead.

Curly Shag

The key to rocking a shaggy hairstyle during the grow-out stage is to add volume, especially if you have curly hair. Use a diffuser and add lightweight hair products to achieve this Zendaya-approved ‘do.

Natural Texture

With heat damage as a prime suspect for shorter strands that won’t grow– thanks a lot, breakage– embracing your natural hair texture whenever possible is one of our top tips for growing out short hair.

Hats

As we already mentioned, accessories will be your best friend while disguising varying lengths of hair as it grows out, and hats are no exception. No matter what time of year, you can pop one on as a stylish way to grow out short hair.

Edgy Cuts

A pixie crop is perhaps one of the hardest cuts to grow out, but there is a great bit of advice to follow here. “Go for something a little more controversial in the grow-out stage—for example, a ‘Bad Bob,’ which creates an edgy look out of hair when it’s going through a transitional stage,” says Hersheson.