Growing out a fade takes patience. Our Christchurch barbers share how to keep it sharp between cuts as it grows.
Growing out a fade is one of the more awkward haircut transitions — the whole point of a fade is the short, tight sides, and letting that grow means living through a stage where it's neither short nor long. Here's how to get through it without it just looking neglected.
The instinct is to stop getting haircuts entirely, but that's what makes a growing-out fade look messy. Instead, ask your barber for a "maintenance trim" — the sides get tidied up without taking them back down to fade length, and the top keeps growing on schedule. This keeps the proportions right while the overall length builds.
A fade doesn't have to stay razor-tight the whole time you're growing it out. Each visit, have your barber raise where the fade blends into the longer hair, and soften the contrast slightly. It's a gradual shift from a sharp fade to a more relaxed taper, which hides the awkward stage far better than doing nothing at all.
As the top gets longer, it needs help holding a shape it hasn't grown into naturally yet. A matte clay or paste gives you texture and control without the shine, and it's the difference between hair that looks styled and hair that just looks like it's in between cuts.
Most guys need somewhere between 6 and 10 weeks of maintenance trims before there's enough length on top to work with properly. It's worth telling your barber up front that you're growing it out — they'll shape the cut differently at every stage than they would for someone keeping the fade tight, and it makes the whole process look intentional instead of accidental. Book online or walk in and let us know what you're growing toward.