According to a Top Stylist, This Is the Best Routine to Grow Out Any Fringe

I don’t know many people who haven’t considered a fringe at some point in their lives. Fringe has an uncanny way of drastically changing your vibe with a snip of a scissor, and I have fallen prey to the urge a few times now. The first time, I got a very harsh, full fringe that I thought looked chic, but in hindsight, my relaxed hair was too wispy to pull it off. I then moved into the side-fringe era thanks to the MTV show that led me astray. I usually capped that hairdo off with a padded hairband à la Blair Waldorf, feeling like an Upper East Sider.

Most recently, I got a bang on-trend curtain fringe, which I adored. I love a fringe, but I hate growing it out. It’s the thing that prevents me from trying out new styles. It inevitably gets to an awkward stage where I can’t style it as a fringe anymore, but it’s too short to blend easily with the rest of my hair.

If you’re like me, the tips below from top stylist Andrew Barton will be a lifeline for your fringe maintenance.

Constantly having a longer fringe fall in your face is beyond annoying. So Barton has a trick for keeping it pulled back. “Add a little styling spray to damp hair, and style the fringe over to one side,” he advises. “This will give the hair hold and add a little shine, too.” Then you need to set it in place. “Either blow-dry over to one side with a round brush for a little lift or blow-dry using fingers to create a flatter effect.”

“Hair accessories, especially for summer, like jewelled clips are a great ‘cheat’ as the fringe gets longer, hiding what was once an old fringe and adding instant glamour to the overall style,” says Barton. It might be called a “cheat,” but surely, this is one of the most stylish ways to disguise a long fringe? As Barton notes, hair grows about 1.5 centimeters on average per month, so if you’re planning on getting a fringe trim, this is a good in-between option.