How Often Should You Get a Haircut, by Length and Style

There is no single number

"How often should I come in?" is probably the question we hear most. The answer depends on three things: how short the cut is, how fast your hair grows and how sharp you want to look. Hair grows about a centimetre and a half a month, but on a short cut you can see the difference by day ten.

The rule is simple. The shorter and more precise the cut, the more often it needs renewing.

Rough timings by style

Fades and very short cuts

Two to three weeks. With a fade, the whole effect lives in the blend. Once the hair grows, the transition softens, the line-up fades and the cut loses its shape. With a skin fade the realistic window is shorter still, around ten to fourteen days.

A classic short clipper cut

Three to four weeks. There is less fine gradation here, so the cut holds longer before it starts to look neglected.

Medium length, side part, textured crop

Four to six weeks. Length is forgiving. The problem usually starts at the sides and the neck, which get bulky before the top does.

Longer hair

Eight to twelve weeks. Here a cut is not about shape but about the health of the hair. We take off split ends and remove weight so the hair does not collapse.

Thinning hair with a short crop

Three to four weeks. Short hair reads as dense, but only while it is even.

Signs it is time

Not counting days? Your hair will tell you.

• It no longer parts the same way in the morning.
• The hair over your ears starts sticking out sideways.
• The neck is overgrown and the line has gone soft.
• The top has become heavy and drops instead of standing up.
• You need more product than before for the same result.

If two of those apply, you are already about a week late.

The mid-cycle tidy-up

Plenty of clients come in halfway through the cycle for a line-up and a neck clean. It is a short appointment: we sharpen the edges at the front and the back without touching the length. The cut buys another two weeks for very little time in the chair.

One warning. If the neckline is shaved higher every single time, it creeps up until you can see it from the front. That is why it belongs to a barber rather than to the trimmer in your bathroom.

Build a rhythm

Our most consistent clients come in on the same day each month. They know that every third Thursday evening they are in the chair, and they stop thinking about it. Their hair is never in an awkward phase, and they never wait around.

If you are not sure what your interval should be, ask at your next appointment. An experienced barber only needs to see how your hair grows once or twice to give you a straight answer.

Book a time with us at 34 Banska Street in Haskovo. We will work out the rhythm that suits your hair and then simply stick to it.