Slow Down Hair Growth

Back view of a perfectly-cut short women's hairstyle
Photo: LightField Studios/Shutterstock
Q: Every time I get a haircut, about two weeks later it no longer looks perfect. It grows too fast. Is there any way I can slow down the growth of my hair?
 
A: In a word, no. Most people have the opposite desire. They want to find ways to speed up their hair growth instead of slowing it down.
 
The hair grows at a rate determined by your genetics, hormones, age, diet, and individual follicle biology. There is no way to deliberately slow down normal, healthy scalp hair growth just to make a haircut last longer.
 
Major changes in hair growth rate typically only happen because of serious medical conditions, hormonal shifts, nutritional deficiencies, or side effects from medications. I'm afraid you'll simply have to let your hair grow at its natural speed, and you'll need to get it trimmed more often if you want to maintain that precise look.
 
You don't specify the exact hairstyle you have, but keep in mind that shorter hair always seems to grow faster. The hair isn't growing at a higher speed; it is just a matter of visual proportions. A tiny bit of growth represents a much larger percentage of the total hair length when the style is short.
 
On average, human scalp hair grows about 1.25 cm (about 0.5 inches) per month, though this varies from person to person. It can even vary slightly by season, as hair often grows a bit faster in warmer summer months. So, if you wear a very short style - say, cut to 2.5 cm (1 inch) long or less - even half a centimeter of new growth makes a dramatic, noticeable difference in shape and volume. That same half-centimeter on shoulder-length hair is practically invisible.
 
On top of that, hair grows in different cycles across individual follicles (growth, transition, resting and shedding phases). This means that sharp edges (like clean necklines or sharp fade transitions) start to look fuzzy after a week or two as individual hair strands grow out at different times.
 
You need to be aware that with a shorter or highly detailed haircut, frequent maintenance cuts are unavoidable. Depending on how fast your hair grows and how sharp you want the style to remain, trips to the hair salon or barber every two to three weeks are common for very short cuts.
 
You may want to discuss the situation with your stylist. He or she can often advise you on subtle texturizing techniques that allow the cut to grow out more naturally, or show you how to do quick touch-ups yourself to help extend the life of your hairstyle.
 
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See also:
 
Does short hair grow faster than long hair?
 
Does different people's hair grow at different speeds?
 
Does a man's hair grow faster than women's hair?