Haircut to hair growth: tips for growing out short hair, by you

Lauren, 28

“When I was younger but still old enough to know better (okay, I was 22), I cut my own fringe. Mistake number one: cutting curly hair when wet. Mistake number two: pulling it tight and straight without a thought for the bounce back all curly hair is prone to. Mistake number three: my misplaced confidence with the scissors. No trimming a little and stopping to judge before going back in – I just cut the whole thing off. The result was a VERY short fringe that reached about 1/3 down my forehead and curled here, there and everywhere.”

Lauren’s hair growth story: Styling can help – as long as you’re protecting, too

“I was straightening my fringe a lot to make it seem longer – but I wasn’t protecting my hair enough,” Lauren explains. “I realized the heat damage was causing a lot of breakage, and stopping me from getting any real growth.” Curls can make hair appear shorter, so straightening might seem like the answer. But without proper protection, styling tools can damage hair, causing split ends, breakage and a lot of lost length. Use protecting hair products before you style: Dove Intensive Repair Shampoo and Conditioner helps to seal and smooth heat-damaged hair, strengthening to help prevent breakage.

Steph, 29

“My last break-up was pretty bad and I did the full cliché: I went and chopped my almost waist-length hair off down to my collarbone on a whim. Everyone told me not to do it – my hair’s long and red and has always been a bit of a focal point – but I loved it. But six months later I started missing my old self (probably as I got over the guy) and I started growing it back. It taught me that taking a risk is always worth it. Just like broken hearts, a haircut never lasts that long!”

Steph’s hair growth story: Don’t let knots break you
“My hair gets really knotty but I realized brushing them out was breaking my hair,” reveals Steph. “So I started using a detangler.” A few spritzes of Dove Care Between Washes Re-hydrating Mist in damp hair will help leave dry, coarse and rough hair silkier and more manageable – your brush will glide through effortlessly.

Gabby, 30

“I’d just moved over from Brazil to Brighton and I went to the hairdresser for a trim. My stylist had pink, shaved hair. I thought she looked really cool so I asked for the same. I had long hair, down to my belly button, and she was like, ‘Are you sure?’ ‘Yep!’, I said – and she took it all off. When she was done, I turned to the side and regret kicked in for a little bit – I found out I have a really flat head! But I felt really unique. Eventually I decided to grow my hair back – and it was completely different. It was a darker brown and really healthy, with super-tight curls and ringlets. After two years or so, it was already past my shoulders.”

Gabby’s hair growth story: Figure out exactly what your hair needs
How to get long hair? Gabby’s a fan of finding exactly the right hair treatments. “As my hair grew, I started using specific curly hair products – and now that I’ve got long curly hair, I’m using more oils to nourish it which helps.” Figuring out just what your hair needs can really make a difference, whether that’s realizing you need to take extra care of curls or nourish split ends ­– which is where a deep conditioning treatment can work wonders. Dove Nutritive Solutions Intensive Repair Hair Mask leaves hair more resilient against everyday damage, giving your growing hair all the strength it needs.

Eleanor, 28

“When I was 14, my best friend Rachel and I saw a coupon in the paper for a free hair cut at a hair dressing school. As soon as we sat down, things didn’t feel quite right as phrases like ‘shaved sections’ and 'graduating layers’ were thrown back and forth between the student hairdresser and teacher. Two hours later we sat staring at ourselves in silence in the mirror, our worst fears confirmed – we both had mullets. Apparently the signature hairstyle of the 1980’s male pop star was making a comeback but at 14 we didn’t have the confidence to pioneer its resurgence. School the next day was difficult.”

Eleanor’s hair growth story: Be gentle with wet hair
Wet hair is extremely delicate – so if you’re trying to increase that hair length, be gentle. “Towels are pretty rough and rubbing your hair with them can cause breakage,” explains Eleanor. “A hairdresser told me to use a cotton t-shirt instead, and my hair is so much smoother.” Your conditioner can help create a barrier between your hair and your towel too, protecting it from friction. Try something like Dove Intensive Repair Conditioner: it progressively nourishes your hair so it looks and feels healthier with every wash.