How To Grow Your Hair Out Without Breakage

If your hair feels stuck at the same length, it’s usually not because it’s stopped growing from your scalp. More often, your hair is still growing at the roots, but gradually breaking off at the ends. In this post, I’m going to share how to grow your hair out by reducing breakage and keeping your hair healthy. So if it feels like no matter what you do, here’s what actually helps you retain length and grow your hair out.

I was in this boat for many years, even as a hairstylist. My hair seemed to only grow to shoulder length, and then it just stopped. I actually thought that that’s what I was stuck with forever, with the industry telling me that extensions were my only option for long hair. But then I figured it all out, not only for myself, but for my clients. So today I’m going to share those tips with you.

1. Grow out your layers for fuller ends

If you only take one tip away from this post, let it be this: grow out your layers.

As a stylist, this is one of the biggest reasons I see people struggle to retain length. When clients tell me that they want layers, I always ask why. And most of the time, they don’t know why; they just think they should have them.

And while layers can be great for increasing volume, adjusting the shape of the cut, and creating movement in the hair, not everyone will benefit from them, especially if you’re trying to grow your hair out.

This is because layers make the ends, or the bottom of your hair, thinner. And when the ends of your hair are thinner, there’s an increased chance of length-reducing breakage. The “strength in numbers” theory applies to your hair, too.

And this doesn’t mean that you need to have a one-length cut. Framing your face is a great way to keep some shape and style to your hair as it grows out. It just means that unless you prioritize volume and movement over length, you may want to consider growing your layers out.

For me personally, maintaining a layered haircut was the sole reason why my hair was not growing longer.

I talk more about who layers are ideal for in my post on layers, texturizing, and thinning.

2. Trim existing breakage to remove split ends

I know it may be hard to understand that if you want your hair to grow, you need to cut it. But one of the most important tips for growing your hair out is healthy haircuts and trims. And this doesn’t mean that it will grow quicker from your scalp, but cutting off the split ends or damaged pieces will stop the breakage from traveling up the hair strand.

The key is to cut off everything that’s broken so that it will grow evenly and not continue to split. If you don’t take enough off, then it’s still going to keep breaking at the bottom, and you’ll continue to lose length.

I recommend beginning with a good, healthy haircut, taking off whatever is needed/damaged. It’s probably more than you want to take off, but removing all of the damage will help you retain length faster.

After this initial cut, you can then, every 4-8 weeks, do what I like to call a “pretend haircut” to avoid having to do a hefty haircut again.

A “pretend haircut” or a “dusting” means taking off the tiniest amount necessary. Usually no more than 1/4″. This cut usually makes your hair look longer and fuller, rather than shorter (see image above)

Now you cannot do a “pretend” haircut if you have damaged hair and breakage on your ends. This would be pointless, so it’s only beneficial if it follows a healthy haircut.

See my tutorial for how I cut my hair in the image above for how to do this haircut yourself.

3. Prevent breakage in your daily routine

Now, for how you take care of your hair at home. Especially when growing out your hair, you should do everything in your power to keep it in the best condition possible.

I cover this more fully in my post on the top causes of hair breakage and how to stop them, but I’ll give a few of the most important below.

***Since I’m sharing the hair products that I love to use with you guys, my posts may include affiliate links to these products. If you take action and purchase a product through clicking one of my links, I’ll make some commission money from it at no extra cost to you. This enables me to be able to continue giving you awesome hair tips, so thanks! ***

Be mindful with heat tools

When growing out your hair, it’s best to avoid using excessive heat on it. If you blow-dry and iron every single day, I can guarantee that you have some breakage. Now this doesn’t mean that you have to avoid heat tools at all costs; it just means that you need to be mindful when using them.

Blow-drying is safer than ironing because it’s indirect heat in the form of hot air, instead of direct heat from a hot iron. So generally, I suggest blow-drying instead of ironing if you’re going to do one or the other. It’s also good to alternate: air-dry some days, blow-dry others.

And when you do plan to use heat tools, use a thermal protectant prior to. I suggest using a leave-in conditioner (best for adding moisture), serum (best for smoothing frizz), or blow-out spray (most lightweight) before drying, and a separate thermal protectant spray before ironing.

A common mistake I see is that most clients use their hair-dryer and irons way too hot. Your dryer should be on the low heat setting, and your irons should be on the lowest temp usable for your hair. In my guide on irons, I go over what temperature you should use based on your hair type.

I also offer multiple suggestions for heatless styling in this post here.

Brush gently to reduce breakage

Brushing improperly is a super common culprit of hair breakage. Using the right type of brush and technique is extremely important.

You’ll want to use a nylon detangling brush when your hair is wet, and a boar bristle brush when your hair is dry. There are also brushes designed for thin hair, and others designed for thick hair. If you use a thick hairbrush on thin hair, you may be causing unnecessary damage.

In another post, I share the best techniques for brushing your hair and scalp properly to safely remove tangles and exfoliate your scalp.

Protect your hair during the summer

The sun, tanning beds, pools, and the ocean are all damaging to our hair. It’s not uncommon for clients to need to cut a lot of length off by the time fall rolls around because they didn’t have the best habits over the summer.

Wet hair, in general, is much more fragile than dry hair. So we should be very gentle with our hair when it’s wet, keep it covered from the sun, and avoid getting it in the pool and ocean as much as possible.

If you do plan on getting it wet in the pool or ocean, wet your hair and soak it with conditioner beforehand, and don’t rinse the conditioner out. Since your hair will have absorbed the conditioner, it won’t absorb as much chlorine or salt water!

See my guide on healthy summer hair habits here to learn more.

4. The best products for growing your hair out

I mentioned some of my favorite products earlier as they came up, but here is a solid list of products to use to strengthen your hair and reduce breakage so it will grow long.

Olaplex is my go-to brand for strengthening hair to grow it long. And no, I’m not sponsored by them. I just truly love and trust their products. I go over each of these (and a few other brands) more in-depth in my post on the best products to repair damaged hair.

• Olaplex No. 4: Bond-building, strengthening shampoo
• Olaplex No. 5: Bond-building, strengthening conditioner
• Olaplex No. 3: Bond building, strengthening treatment
• Olaplex Rich Hydration: Moisture mask for med-coarse hair
• Olaplex Weightless Nourish: Moisture mask for fine-med hair
• Olaplex No. 5 Leave-In: Moisturizing leave-in conditioner
• Olaplex No. 4D:  Lightweight Dry Shampoo

Common questions about growing your hair out

Q: How often should you wash your hair to make it grow faster?

A: Washing your hair is not correlated to how fast your hair grows. You can wash it every day or every 2 weeks, and it will still grow out of your scalp at the same rate. However, you do want to wash it frequently enough to keep your scalp healthy, but not so often that you’re drying out your hair. I help you find your magic number in this post for how often to wash your hair based on your hair type.

Q: Can your hair stop growing at a certain length?

A: It is actually possible that your hair has reached its maximum length and won’t get any longer. Each strand of hair is on a timeline of when and how it grows. When it reaches the end of its cycle, the hair falls out and is replaced with another. Some people are able to grow hair to their knees, while others don’t have the lifespan to pass bra strap or even shoulder length.

Q: Do rosewater or rosemary oil make hair grow faster?

A: While rosewater and rosemary oil promote healthy hair and scalp, a common misconception is that they will actually speed up the rate at which your hair grows out of your scalp. The speed that your hair grows is determined by genetics, unless you have an underlying condition hindering your hair growth. But that generally correlates to hair loss and regrowth, not so much altering the actual speed that your hair grows.

Conclusion

To conclude, growing your hair out is usually less about making it grow faster from your scalp and more about keeping it from breaking off.

If your hair feels like it just will not grow past a certain point, the issue usually is not that it has stopped growing, but breaking off at the ends faster than you can retain length.

So if you want to grow your hair out, focus more on keeping it healthy enough to stay on your head. That means growing out heavy layers if needed, trimming off existing breakage, being gentler with your hair at home, and using products that actually support stronger hair.

And yes, this does take time. But if you stay consistent and stop doing the things that are causing the breakage in the first place, you absolutely can get your hair longer than it is now.

If you have any further questions for me on growing your hair out, leave them for me in the comments. And as always, Have A Good Hair Day!