The pixie cut is the perfect summer haircut. But when it comes to the dreaded growing out process, it may seem like you will never have your long, flowing locks back to where they used to be before you took the pixie plunge. If you are committed to the idea of growing you hair out again, these tips from Pantene consulting stylist, Justin German, are guaranteed to make the process slightly less painful than you thought it could be.

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Timing is everything
Just like short hair is great for summer, growing out your hair is perfect for the colder fall and winter months. There is really no getting around a bad hair day or two while going through the growing process, and fall and winter fashion is all about layering, "so it won’t stand out if you add a trendy hat or bundle up in a scarf to help hide the growing out process," German says.

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Regular trims are essential
Any hairstyle benefits from regular trims in order to keep breakage in check. But if you are growing out a short haircut, regular salon visits are even more pertinent. German suggests going in for a touch up every nine weeks, and "start by keeping the back short, and growing out the top and front. If you do this, at least you’re going to look like you have a hairstyle while you’re growing it out, instead of looking like you’re just not cutting your hair." The biggest mistake most people make when growing out a short haircut is not keeping up with regular trims because "you are going to have awkward phases as it grows, so if you’re regularly going for trims, your stylist can balance that out with a great style for whatever length you’re at," advises German. Growing out your hair doesn’t mean you have to give up on new styles in favour of length. Change it up and try some different mid-length styles along the way, and the time it takes to grow won’t seem like such a chore.

Get some tips for styling awkward lengths on the next page…

pixie-cut-photoWEB.jpgExperiment with styling
In between trims, have fun with different hair accessories suggests German. "Clip your bangs out of your face, or use braids, which are totally on trend again this season – so incorporate those to help camouflage some of the awkward layers you may have." Another on-trend idea perfect for hiding those layers you don’t know what to do with is the slicked down, deep side part. "Use a gel or strong hold mousse, like Pantene Pro-V Stylers Maximum Hold Mousse to smooth the hair down and behind your ears," says German.

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Let your products help
Avoiding unnecessary damage to your growing hair is also essential to your goal of long, luscious locks. German suggests using products that are designed to prevent and repair damage, such as "the Pantene Pro-V Beautiful Lengths Collection, which offers shampoo and conditioner that work to strengthen hair against damage that leads to breakage." He adds that maintaining a healthy and clean scalp is also important, "so add a deep cleanse to your regimen like the Pantene Weekly Deep Cleanse Purifying Shampoo, which gently detoxifies and resets hair to remove damaging impurities at the surface and core of the hair."

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Don’t give up
When you begin the growing out process, you know there are bound to be a few infuriating bad hair days along the way. It may seem a lot easier to just cut it all off again, but if long hair is what you really want, persevere, and be patient. There is no magic solution that will make your hair grow faster, so try to enjoy the in-between stages, and everything will work out just fine. If Jennifer Lawrence can do it, then so can you.

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