How to grow out your hair like a man.

Have you ever grown your hair out? Have you ever wanted to?

We’re in one of those periods in history where a man can have long hair and it’s not a problem. If long hair sounds appealing to you, then now is a great time. We can show you how to do it.

What does it mean to grow hair like a man?

Out of context, it’s really hard to talk about growing hair like a man. In a biological sense, men and women grow their hair pretty much the same way. There’s nothing particularly masculine about it — unless you want to count the much higher rates of baldness among men.

When we talk about growing your hair like a man, this isn’t actually one of those machismo things (which can be fun from time to time). Instead, we’re really just talking about common masculine hair options and what you can do to pursue them while keeping your hair healthy.

Lots of styles are available to the modern man, and you can chase any of them when you have proper hair care. So, let’s cover it all. We’ll take you through styles and hair maintenance. That way, you can definitely grow your hair like a man, whatever that might mean to you.

Style considerations for hair growth

If you're attempting to learn how to grow your hair, you might want to know some styles first before you start trying to grow it out. There are countless men’s hairstyles that look great, but today, we’re focusing on long hair. These are the main considerations that will inform your hairstyle as you grow your locks past your chin.

Part

This is a really good example of how style concepts can change your look and give you more freedom in how you grow out your hair.

In general, you have three options for parting your hair. You can go down the middle or to either side. This might not seem like a life-altering decision, but the part of your hair actually matters more as you grow it out (although it still isn’t exactly life and death).

Your part position actually impacts how your long hair will flow and fall around your body — especially where it falls on your shoulders.

There’s not an objective correct choice with how you part your hair. The point is that you have some freedom here, and if you play with it, you’ll notice that the part can really change the whole aesthetic.

Curl

A lot of guys never learn about curling or straightening hair, but as yours grows longer, you’ll want to learn these tricks.

You have to choose between curls or straight hair, but the good news is that this isn’t a permanent decision. If you have naturally curly hair, you can straighten it when you feel like it. If you have naturally straight hair, you can curl it as you see fit.

Have fun with it. When you master curling and straightening, you open up entire worlds of hairstyle options.

Color

Have you ever dyed your hair? Some guys are really into it; others don’t really play with dye. You don’t have to commit to any colors just because your hair is getting longer.

Instead, this is an opportunity. With longer hair, you have more choices. You can play with streaks or colored tips that might not look good with a short haircut. You can certainly dye the whole thing if you like.

Ultimately, hair length is giving you more freedom in this aspect, so make the most of it.

Manipulation

This is a term we are coining to discuss all of the different ways you can position or style your hair without any grooming or product. As an example, you can put your long hair in a ponytail. You can also braid it. Or go for man buns.

Actually, there are a lot of options here, so consider this nice list:

• Ponytail
• Braids
• Man bun
• Dreads
• Half-up
• Quiff

You can probably think of things to add to the list. You have a ton of options for how you manage your hair, and once again, none of it is permanent. When you think about all of these techniques and styles, you’re really opening doors. Long hair can be a playground for new looks.

Mullets

Mullets are going to get some special attention. Somehow, they’ve come back in style. If you want to be in with the young and hip (even using that word tells you how old some of us are), a mullet might be the right answer.

But, it’s important to remember one thing. This is on the radical end of modern styles. It’s definitely a fad and not timeless. 

If you enjoy looking back at old styles and never feel shame over it, enjoy your mullet. If you’re the type of person who cringes at your own past decisions, then skip the mullet. Eventually, it will fade back out of fashion, and you should consider how you will feel in the presence of hindsight.

Taking care of your hair

So far, we’ve only really been talking about the many decisions available to you as you grow out your hair. There’s an entire additional dimension to this topic, and we really should be getting to it.

You always need to take care of your hair, but when you grow it out, any lapses in care will be amplified.

Hair care can be distilled down into four aspects. Wash your hair. Groom it properly. Maintain good nutrition, and get to know your hair. Follow those principles, and you will grow your hair out the right way—strong, vibrant, and healthy.

Proper washing

It should go without saying. In order to take care of your hair, you have to wash it. As your hair grows longer, washing it is going to get a little more complicated.

The conventional wisdom is that having more hair requires more washing, but this isn’t always the case. In fact, growing your hair out can give you a better feel of what your hair really likes, and for a lot of guys, washing it one to two times a week is ideal. Still, some guys need to wash their hair daily.

You’re going to have to figure this out through trial, error, and feel. Play with different washing schedules and see how your hair responds. If it looks and feels good, then you’ve found a good schedule.

When you do wash your hair, you want a quality shampoo and conditioner. We’re fond of Ultra Premium™ products and highly recommend them.

Washing your hair helps to cut grease and moisturize your scalp (which fights dandruff). 

Meanwhile, conditioning is all about softening the hair and infusing it with vitamins and other ingredients that are genuinely good for your hair's health. 

You can make this easier by using a two-in-one product (like ours) that ensures you get maximum benefit every time you wash your hair.

Grooming

Keeping your hair clean is great, but you also need to groom it. Typically, while you’re growing your hair out, you want to do a maintenance trim every few months. This helps to keep things even and control split ends and other signs of damaged hair.

You’re not trying to take off inches and undermine your growth. You’re just trying to clean up the ends a bit to keep your look sharp and your hair healthy.

You might be tempted to handle grooming yourself, but we’re going to softly recommend against it. You want healthy hair, so it’s not a bad idea to let a seasoned stylist see your hair every now and then. They have positive insights to offer.

Nutrition

Is it possible to talk about health without covering nutrition? Probably not.

These concepts get thrown at you a lot, and you might be tired of hearing them, so we’ll keep this brief and simple.

If you eat well, your hair will be healthier. That means you want plenty of fruits and vegetables for your vitamins and minerals. You can even take a daily multivitamin to promote healthy hair growth.

You also need to eat plenty of protein. Hair is made of protein, so you need the raw materials in your diet in order to grow hair. You don’t have to switch to a raw-steak-only diet, but maintaining a healthy protein intake will help your hair.

Knowledge

Knowledge is the final key ingredient to hair care. The simple fact is that everyone’s hair is different. If you want to have the best hairstyle possible, you need to get to know your own hair — especially as it grows.

Does it get brittle? Does your hair color change with length? How curly is your hair? What is your hair’s terminal length?

The answers to these questions will inform your hairstyle and hair care routines. As an example, if you know that your hair won’t really grow past your shoulders, then you can plan around it and pursue styles that suit such a length.

Get to know your hair, and you can style it freely, whether you grow it out like a man, cut it like a man, or just wear it like a man.