Growing Out Gracefully

With super long Cher hair headlining this season relies on your stylist to help get you through the dreaded grow-out phase!

"If hair is growing out from a very short style, the first challenge is getting it over the ears," says Geoffrey Williams, a stylist and trainer at Toronto's Elizabeth Arden Red Door Salon. "The next hurdle is getting the back and the sides the same length. The last is growing out the top of the hair, especially if there are a lot of short layers."

According to Williams, a successful grows out requires patience and regular salon visits: in fact, the biggest mistake people make when they're growing their hair is not cutting it. This can lead to split ends, which can travel up the hair shaft and seriously damage hair. Also hair looks shaggy and unkempt.

"The only way to fix severe splits is to cut them off, so you actually put yourself right back where you started," Williams says. "Pre-book for appointments every six to eight weeks, to keep hair healthy looking."

If you can't stand, dress up the hair with color or a texture service, to create lift, volume and manageability. A less permanent option is setting hair on Velcro rollers. Hair accessorizes are also a fashionable option.

"If hair is sticking up all over the place, mist on some shine spray then stick in some clips to control stray ends," Williams says. "The messier the hair, the better."