20 Ways to Style Your Hair While Growing It Out

According to experts.

Reviewed by Sky Kim

We love a dramatic hair transformation. Anytime someone with long locks surprises us with a blunt bob it inspires a sort of jaw-dropping moment as we think if we'd have the courage to make such a drastic change. This rings especially true if someone decides to cut their hair into a pixie. While we love bearing witness to a big chop, we also sympathize with the annoying phase as people try to decipher how to style their hair while growing it out.

We get it. It doesn't seem like a lot is possible if you're growing out your buzz cut and have an inch and a half of hair to play with. Or even if you're transitioning from a French bob to a longer lob. Thankfully though, there are a lot of styling tips that pros swear by to get their clients through the grow-out phase.

From headbands and head wraps to extensions and protective styles, there's more than a handful of tricks you can do to easily get yourself through this in-between period. Below, four professional hairstylists share the 20 best tips they swear by.

Meet the Experts

• Adam Reed is a celebrity stylist and founder of Arkive Headcare.

• Jennifer Matos is a stylist at Rita Hazan in New York City.

• George Northwood is a celebrity hairdresser and founder of his eponymous salon in London.

• Luke Hersheson is a celebrity hairstylist and John Frieda UK creative director

Change Up Your Hair Part

Something as simple as changing your part can make all the difference. “This can hide or make a feature of any shorter layers. Ear tucks also work well to hide the width of your hair when it's in its mid-stages ‘growing out’—you can try the TRESemmé Between Washes Smooth Renew Anti-Frizz Cream ($6) to control frizz and for a sleek look.

Throw On a 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.

Use Hair Pins

Headbands aside, creative hair pins work well to dress up hair in a transitional phase. More than anything it's about placement and how many you stack through your strands, just look to Sarah Paulson for inspo. The sky is truly the limit when it comes to styling your hair with pins.

Throw On a Headband

“Accessories really are the best way to hide a cut that's growing out," says Adam Reed, celebrity stylist and co-founder of Percy & Reed. "Tucking hair out of the way, using a strong hold hairspray, or hiding it under a hairband will disguise 'in-between' layers or difficult to hide pieces of hair."

Up the Volume

Adding some volume to your strands can also help make the transition process easier. You can also turn to hair styling products for your volume boost. Jennifer Matos, a stylist at Rita Hazan, recommends using Rita Hazan's Lifting Spray ($26), 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.

Byrdie Tip

Alternatively, you can also use a clip-in hairpiece made from real hair to add the volume you're looking for.

Experiment With a Protective Style

The time it usually takes to grow out a fringe depends on the individual, but think anything up to four months, so Luke Hersheson, John Frieda UK's creative director, says to have some fun during the growth period and experiment with different styles. If you have natural hair, you can also experiment with a protective hairstyle to protect your natural strands from environmental factors that could affect growth.

Make It Sleek

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. Try using a small amount of Kenra Professional's Styling Gel 17 ($18).

Condition, Condition, Condition

“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 and George Northwood salon founder, George Northwood. "Hair that’s longer is going to stay with you longer, so you need to protect it.' Try Redken's Extreme Mega Mask ($31) from the brand's Extreme protection line.

Change Your Hair Color

“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, like Moraccanoil's Color Depositing Mask ($30). "A bit of color can stave off the boredom."

Wear 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. Luxy Hair's Halo Hair Extensions ($221) are perfect for this, since you only need to master applying a simple piece.

Style Your Edges

Tap into your creative side and experiment with edge designs. Doing so is not only fun, but it really elevates any look. To make sure your baby hairs lay flat and stay put all day, use a trusty styling product such as Pattern's Edge Control ($14).

Schedule Regular Haircuts

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.

Hydrate and Heat-Protect

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, such as Christophe Robin's Regenerating Mask ($69).

Extend Your 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 on blow-drys. 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 blowdry your hair as often, which is healthier for the hair."

Add Some Bows

Bows are having a major moment right now, and for good reason. The feminine accessory dresses up any look with minimal effort, and it can be adapted to any hair length and person style.

Have Fun With Barrettes

Those growing out a fringe or face-framing layers are often stuck wondering what to do during that awkward in-between stage. The answer: barrettes. "Grips and barrettes are great for tucking away uncontrollable hair," says Reed. This '90s hair accessory has made a major comeback, making it a trendy and practical way to keep short strands out of your face.

Embrace Your Texture

With heat damage as a prime suspect for shorter strands that won't grow due to breakage, embracing your natural hair texture whenever possible is one of our top tips for growing out short hair. If you have curly hair, we recommend Ouidad's Advanced Climate Control Featherlight Styling Cream ($26) which defines curls without weighing them down and eliminating unwanted frizz.

Spike It Up

Lean into your rock n' roll side with this punky 'do. We recommend using a heavy duty gel or pomade, such as Bed Head's Manipulator Texturizing Putty ($23.50) to keep spikes standing straight all day.

Reach for a Hat

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.

Try an Edgy Cut

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. To add a sleek touch to the look, he suggests using John Frieda's Secret Weapon Touch-up Crème ($9).

Up Next: The 11 Types of Bob Haircuts and How to Style Them

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