Fact: lobs, bobs, and the shorn haircut variety are here to stay. But should your short 'do ever start to feel stale, there's no way to bypass the awkward growth stage. The same holds true for when you feel it's time to bid your bangs adieu. What's a girl to do? To find out how to deal when you're growing out a lob and/or fringe, we went straight to Alex Brown, celebrity hairstylist and founder of Chicago's Alex Brown Studio slash Jen Atkin's former hair assistant of three years. Ahead, Alex shares her tips for how to style a lob or bangs during the awkward growth stage including how long you'll have to wait until your mane returns to normal.
LobsGradually add in long layers as your length continues to grow. Lobs tend to be more one length/blunt, so adding layers will give longer hair movement and transform the lob into a long-haired haircut.
If you don’t want to cut your hair or sacrifice length, the best way to deal with the awkward lob growth stage is patience. Wait 3-4 months in between haircuts if your hair can handle it. Get small trims when you do cut your hair.
Curling hair to create loose waves will keep your awkward stage stylish/trendy! I recommend running a flat iron loosely over your waves to elongate your strands. My personal favs are the GHD Curve 1.25” Soft Curl Iron and the Kardashian Beauty 1” Flat Iron.
BangsWhile growing out your bangs, gradually sweep your bangs to the side as the length grows. Turn your shorter bang into a “Bardot Bang” similar to that of Brigitte Bardot. The outer corners should remain longer while the center can be trimmed slightly to keep a shape.
A small Spornette round brush works best to fan the bangs out to the side, into the rest of the haircut, while allowing them to cave into the face. This creates a really pretty, curtain-like longer bang.
Depending on your hair, they say on average hair grows 1/2” a month, so it could be 4-6 months for the bangs to grow past the awkward stage.
