You did it. You got the French girl fringe or the blunt 70s look, and for about three weeks, you felt like a total icon. But then the maintenance hit. The trims every fourteen days. The forehead breakouts. Now, you’re staring in the mirror at a pair of scissors, wondering if you should just chop them again because growing out bangs haircut feels like a lifelong sentence in hair purgatory. It's honestly a test of patience that most people fail around month three.
Growing out a fringe isn't just about waiting. It's a strategic game of chess with your own face.
Why Your Bangs Feel Stuck at Your Eyelashes
There is a specific, agonizing moment in the growth cycle where your hair is too long to be a fringe but too short to tuck behind your ears. Hair grows, on average, about half an inch per month. If you're starting from a classic eyebrow-grazing length, you are looking at a solid four to six months before those strands even think about hitting your chin.
The "eye-stabbing phase" is real. It’s the primary reason people give up.
You’ve probably heard people say "just take hair vitamins." Biotin and collagen are fine, but they aren't magic. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, hair growth is largely determined by genetics and scalp health, not just a gummy vitamin. If your scalp is clogged with dry shampoo—which, let's be real, we all use to keep bangs from looking greasy—your hair isn't going to grow at its peak rate.
The Strategy: Trimming to Get Longer
It sounds like a total lie. Why would you cut hair you want to be long?
✨ Don't miss: Exactly What Month is Ramadan 2025 and Why the Dates Shift
Basically, you need to "bridge" the gap. If you just let a blunt fringe grow straight down, it eventually looks like a heavy curtain that eats your eyes. Stylists like Jen Atkin or Chris Appleton often suggest transitioning to "curtain bangs" first. By thinning out the center and slightly angling the sides, you shift the weight of the hair. This allows the hair to frame your cheekbones rather than blocking your vision.
Don't do this at home. Seriously.
When you're growing out bangs haircut, a professional "dusting" every eight weeks keeps the ends from splitting. When hair splits, the tear travels up the shaft. If you don't trim the split, the hair breaks off, and you're essentially losing length while trying to gain it. It’s a vicious cycle.
Accessories are Your Best Friend (And Your Worst Enemy)
You're going to buy a lot of clips. You’ll see those cute butterfly clips or sleek gold barrettes on Pinterest and think, yeah, I can do that. And you can! But be careful with tension. Constant, tight pinning back of short hairs can lead to traction alopecia or at least some localized breakage. Switch up your parting. If you always pin them to the right, you're stressing the same follicles every day.
Try these instead:
🔗 Read more: Dutch Bros Menu Food: What Most People Get Wrong About the Snacks
- Silk headbands. They don't snag the delicate baby hairs around your hairline.
- The "twist and pin." Take two sections, twist them away from your face, and use a bobby pin (flat side up for better grip) to secure them.
- The middle part. As soon as they hit the bridge of your nose, part them down the middle. Use a round brush to blow-dry them away from your face. This creates that "shag" look that’s actually trendy right now.
Honestly, the "shag" or "wolf cut" was basically invented for people who were tired of their bangs. It blends the short layers into the rest of the hair so the transition looks intentional rather than accidental.
The Product Graveyard
Your product routine has to change. When you had a fringe, you wanted volume and matte texture. Now that you're growing them out, you need weight and control.
Heavy pomades are usually a mistake. They make your hair look like it hasn't been washed in a week. Instead, look for a "finishing cream" or a light-hold hairspray. If you're struggling with those tiny hairs that stick straight up like antennae, spray a clean mascara wand or a toothbrush with hairspray and gently comb them down. It’s an old backstage fashion week trick that works better than any "smoothing" serum I've ever tried.
And let's talk about the grease. Short hair sits directly against your skin. It picks up forehead oils and moisturizer. You'll be tempted to wash your whole head every day. Don't. Just "sink wash" the fringe. Tie the rest of your hair back, wash just the front section in the sink, blow-dry it in three minutes, and you're good to go. It saves the rest of your hair from heat damage.
Common Misconceptions About Growth Speed
People love to tell you that "massage increases blood flow and doubles growth." While scalp massage feels great and can help with thickness by stimulating the follicles, it’s not going to make your hair grow two inches in a month. There's no "hack" for time.
💡 You might also like: Draft House Las Vegas: Why Locals Still Flock to This Old School Sports Bar
Another big mistake is over-styling. Because the awkward phase looks... well, awkward... people tend to use flat irons and curling wands daily to force the hair into submission. This heat fries the hair. Fried hair breaks. Broken hair stays short. If you're growing out bangs haircut, you have to embrace a bit of the mess. Use heat protectant every single time. No exceptions.
Real-World Timeline: What to Expect
- Month 1-2: The Eyelash Struggle. You will use a lot of headbands. You will consider cutting them again at least five times.
- Month 3-4: The Curtain Phase. They finally reach your cheekbones. This is where you start to feel like a human again. You can finally part them in the middle.
- Month 5-6: The Ear-Tuck Milestone. This is the holy grail. Once you can tuck those strands behind your ears and they stay there, you’ve basically won.
- Month 7+: Integration. The bangs are now just "face-framing layers."
Actionable Next Steps
Stop looking at the mirror every hour to see if they've moved. They haven't.
First, go to your stylist and ask specifically for a "growth transition cut." Tell them you want to keep the length but remove the bulk from the center. This turns your fringe into a "bottleneck" bang, which grows out much more gracefully.
Second, invest in a high-quality silk or satin scrunchie and some no-crease clips. These allow you to pull your hair back while you're at home without creating those weird dents that make the hair stand up at odd angles when you let it down.
Third, change your blow-drying technique. Instead of drying them straight down, dry them side-to-side. Brush them all the way to the left while drying, then all the way to the right. This "breaks" the cowlicks and makes the hair lay flatter against your head, making the length look more uniform as it grows.
Lastly, take a "before" photo today. In three weeks, when you're convinced your hair is stagnant, take another. You’ll see the progress that your brain is currently ignoring.
The awkward phase is temporary. Your hair is growing, even if it feels like it’s standing still. Just put the scissors down and step away from the bathroom mirror.