Cut & Style · Sub-chapter 07
Growing out is the least-understood phase of hair. It's not a pause between hairstyles — it's an active process with decisions at every stage. This guide maps the journey from any starting cut to the target length.
94 how-to's · Updated 1 May 2026 · Avg. 4 min per piece · Edited by Nelly · Beauty & Style Director
Editor's note
The grow-out is where most hair regrets happen. Not in the chair — after it. People cut short, then decide they want length back, then discover they didn't have a strategy for the awkward middle. The difference between a graceful grow-out and a year of bad hair is almost entirely about how you trim during the process, which styles you use at which stage, and what you're actually growing toward. Below: the map, by starting cut and by stage.
Grow-out strategies by starting cut
- Pixie grow-out — the longest and hardest: 12–18 months to a lob
- Bob grow-out — 6–12 months to shoulder; the mullet phase is real
- Lob grow-out — 4–8 months to mid-back; easier than most expect
- Undercut grow-out — the contrast line is the problem to manage
- Bangs grow-out — 6–9 months; side-sweep helps at every stage
All growing-out how-tos
- The pixie grow-out timeline — month by month
- Growing out a bob without an awkward phase
- Styles for every awkward length stage
- Should you trim during a grow-out?
- Growing out natural hair — what's different about the process
- How to grow out a fringe without looking unkempt