Back when the pandemic started heating up in the United States several months ago and local shelter-in-place orders were instituted which closed down barbershops, I decided I’d let my hair grow out for the indefinite future. Instead of seeing the shutdown as an inconvenience, I reframed it as an opportunity to achieve some sweet, sweet, 1980s Sam Elliott hair. I had tried to achieve this worthy goal before, gotten close, but abandoned the idea when it didn’t seem to be coming together. I wanted to give the idea another go round; maybe it would somehow work out better this time. 

I was optimistic about the project, but by the middle of July, I’d reached my head-mop breaking point. Just as I had concluded on my first attempt, my hair is just too thick, wavy, and vertically-oriented in its growth to pull off the 80s flow. Instead of looking like Sam Elliott in Mask, I looked like Edna Turnblad in Hairspray. What’s more, all that hair on top of my head was making me overheat during the hot and humid Oklahoma summer.

So I had my mother-in-law buzz it off (she buzzes my father-in-law’s head each week, so she’s a seasoned pro). I officially joined the pandemic buzz cut club. 

The clippings lumped together on the floor looked like the pelt of a dead varmint. My head felt a few pounds lighter and a lot cooler. I’m enjoying my buzz cut. It’s a breeze to maintain. Washing my hair takes significantly less time and there’s no need to style or even comb it.

But I plan on returning to my typical side-part hairstyle for the fall, which presents a minor issue: a buzz cut can look a little awkward — fuzzy and round — while it grows out. The last time I grew out a summer buzz cut a few years ago, I remember I looked vaguely like a Chia-Head. 

To avoid looking like a potted indoor novelty plant, I reached out to Thad Forrester, barber and co-owner of Hudson / Hawk Barber & Shop for his advice on growing out a buzz cut.

If you can visit a barber . . . keep the back and sides short, and let the hair grow out on top.

“I like the strategy of keeping the sides and back short until the top starts to get longer,” Thad told me. It helps push more visual strength into the top of your head and “prevents the Chia Pet look from happening.”

Ask your barber for a taper at the temple and neck. If you don’t mind showing some skin as the hair gets closer to the hairline on the sides and neck, you can also ask for a medium fade along the sides and back. This will give your hair some dimension, making it look more like an actual haircut and less like a uniformly round tennis ball. Continue to let the hair on top grow out, until it too is in need of a trim. 

If you’re wanting to eventually grow the sides and back of your hair out rather than keeping them trimmed close to the head with a taper or fade, start this process once the hair on top of your head is long enough to comb. 

You’ll need to visit your barber a little more often — perhaps every two weeks — to keep your style looking sharp during this grow-out period. 

If you can’t/don’t want to visit a barber . . . let your buzz grow while keeping your hairline trimmed.

If you don’t think you’ll be visiting a barbershop anytime soon, you can of course keep buzzing your head. If you don’t have a mother-in-law handy, here’s a guide on how to do it yourself.

What if you can’t visit a barbershop now, but think you will in a couple months or so, and want to start growing out your hair now? Giving yourself a taper isn’t impossible, but it’s pretty tricky. Even having someone else do it for you is iffy.

You’ll thus probably need to content yourself with letting your buzzed fuzz get puffy, but you can still keep it from looking too unruly by doing a DIY clean-up along your hairline. This means trimming your sideburns along with the two trails of hair that run down your neck. We’ve got a guide on how to take care of this job here.

How long will it take my buzz cut to grow out?

Genetics will influence how quickly your hair grows, but on average, humans grow about ½ inch of hair a month. Depending on how long your hair was pre-buzz cut, expect it to take 3 to 4 months to grow out to its original length.

There you go. How to grow out your buzz cut, and banish Mr. Chi-Chi-Chi-Chia Head to 1990s commercial breaks.

These grow out tips are from Art of Manliness

Posted Date: Thursday, September 10, 2020
San Francisco, CA — Mayor London N. Breed, Dr. Grant Colfax, Director of Health, and Assessor-Recorder Carmen Chu, co-Chair of the City’s Economic Recovery Task Force, today announced San Francisco is moving forward with additional reopening on Monday, September 14. In addition to previously announced businesses and activities planned for mid-September, indoor personal services with limited capacity and indoor gyms with limited capacity will also be opening this coming Monday.

Read her full announcement here:
sfmayor.org/article/san-francisco-announces-next-phase-reopening-begin-monday

People lose their hair for any number of reasons – hormones, genetics and aging, among others – but in the middle of a pandemic-fueled recession, one factor is taking center stage: Stress.

“Stress certainly can contribute to hair loss because it can affect hormone levels,” says Dr. Patrick Angelos (drpatrickangelos.com), author of The Science and Art of Hair Restoration: A Patient’s Guide.  “Any number of stressful events can lead to a sudden loss of hair, although in those cases the hair typically will grow back over time.”

For more permanent hair-loss concerns, Angelos, a plastic surgeon who specializes in hair restoration, uses robotic treatment to help patients regain their beloved locks. That process involves an advanced, minimally invasive hair transplant system that uses technology driven by artificial intelligence.

“Among the reasons patients consider hair restoration is that they want to get back some of their youthful look and feel better about themselves,” Angelos says. “Helping them accomplish that is one of the great satisfactions I get from being a plastic surgeon.”

But for those who want to keep their hair healthy and full now and who hope to avoid ever reaching the point where they need hair-loss intervention, Angelos offers a few tips:

• Maintain good hair care and hygiene habits. The way you wash your hair could undermine your efforts to prevent hair loss, Angelos says. As you wash, avoid pulling back on your hair because that can put traction on the follicles. “The same goes for combing,” he says. “It’s less stressful on the follicles to wash and comb your hair forward, toward your face, instead of toward the back of your scalp and neck. Also, long hair weighs more, so on its own, it can put more traction on the follicles.” Brushing your hair regularly, however, is good because it massages the scalp and helps improve blood flow and circulation. The condition of your hair should also be in balance – not too oily, not too dry. “Finally, don’t overuse a hair dryer because that can make hair weak and brittle, which can lead to more hair loss,” Angelos says.
• Treat health issues. Hormonal imbalances and other medical conditions such as low thyroid and iron or iodine deficiency can contribute to hair loss, Angelos says. “Avoid overuse of supplements and medications,” he says. “Since supplements such as testosterone, human growth hormone, whey, and DHEA can cause thinning and hair loss, especially avoid excessive use of these.”
• Be aware of your nutritional needs. Some fad diets may have a nutritional impact on hair loss. “It’s really important to eat a healthy balance of carbohydrates, proteins, and fat,” Angelos says. He also recommends taking a multivitamin that includes vitamins A, B complex, C, D and E, along with the minerals zinc, iodine and iron, all of which help with hair health.
• Avoid unhealthy environments. The negative health effects of smoking are well known, especially related to lung cancer. But one more reason to avoid smoking, Angelos says, is that it can affect hair loss. In addition to smoking, other environmental factors that can contribute to hair loss include environmental exposures like radiation and air pollution.

When efforts to prevent hair loss fall short, those who prefer to avoid baldness can explore the possibilities that modern science provides.

“Not every patient needs hair transplantation, though,” Angelos says. “Especially when it comes to younger patients, it may be best to start with other options. Since the reasons for hair loss vary from person to person and are unique to their circumstances, a good place to start is by determining the cause of hair loss in the first place, and then go from there.”

What Are Scalp Massagers?
Available in a variety of different colors, styles and shapes, scalp massagers are, essentially, tools designed to be used across the whole scalp to take the effort out of massaging with your fingers.

And, while you definitely can just use your hands to manually massage your scalp, massagers definitely cut down the time (and muscle ache) involved, and are often able to cover your whole scalp in a more consistent way.

Benefits of Scalp Massagers for Hair Growth
Scalp massagers actually offer a ton of different benefits, including loosening oil, dirt and dandruff for a generally cleaner and healthier scalp. But, they’re especially famed for their potential to help hair growth.

This is because the act of massage helps in two ways: First, it stimulates the blood vessels under the skin, which in turn allows more blood containing oxygen and nutrients to travel to the hair follicle. And, second, it is thought that scalp massage helps to stretch the hair follicle, which can potentially increase the thickness of hair that passes through that follicle. In fact, two studies, one from 2016 and one from 2019, found evidence that scalp massage can result in thicker hair.

How Do You Use a Scalp Massager?
How you use your massager will vary from type to type, since some are electric and others require a little more muscle. For more information on how to use each individual type, take a look at the product recommendations below.

Whether you use one that is electric, manual, for wet hair or dry hair, the same principles stand, however: Go gently on your scalp (especially if you have any scalp conditions, such as psoriasis), choose one that doesn’t catch on or irritate skin or hair, and don’t overdo it.

How Often Should You Massage Your Scalp?
For most scalp types, one or two times a week will help to stimulate blood vessels and loosen dirt and debris without irritating skin and hair. For more sensitive types, try to keep this to just once a week, instead.

The Best Scalp Massagers for Hair Growth
Given the encouraging scientific research surrounding scalp massagers, plus the thousands of rave reviews, it seems these little tools are quickly becoming something of a beauty staple. Following are some of the most popular products on the market.

At the more luxurious end of the scale is Breo’s electric, waterproof head massager. Featuring six different massage settings (longitudinal gliding, kneading, trigger point therapy, oscillating pressure, rhythmic compression, cross-fiber muscle-stretching and deep friction massage), silicone tips for a soft touch, and an ergonomic design to cup the scalp, this can also be used elsewhere on the body for a relaxing back and shoulder massage after a long day.
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With a unique design that promises not to tangle long hair, it is also rechargeable via USB cable, making it ideal for travel. To use, simply move across the scalp while the electric massage tips get to work promoting blood circulation.

For a more pocket-sized alternative, try this round, silicone brush-tipped scalp massager, such as this one from Nearbyme.
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With a non-slip cover and ergonomic design, this manual brush is used on wet hair while shampooing or conditioning. Simply massage shampoo through hair as normal before working this little brush over the scalp in small circles. To use with conditioner, first, wash out any leftover shampoo before massaging across the scalp while your conditioning product takes the time to work.

Now, here is an electric scalp massager that promotes hair growth and uses up to 8,500 vibrations per minute to stimulate blood flow. Check out Tezam’s affordable head massager.
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With a long comb-like design, this massager has rubber beads on each tooth, helping to relieve muscle tension and loosen any scalp debris. The vibrations are thought to stimulate blood vessels more than traditional massage, plus they help with hair growth. Designed to be used pre-shampoo to help soften oil and dirt, this tool can also be used on towel-dried hair for a second, stress-reducing massage.

With thousands of five-star Amazon reviews and a budget-friendly price point, this manual scalp massager for hair growth looks a bit like a half-opened umbrella and uses flexible wires topped with soft beads to be moved up and down over the scalp. Its 360-degree design means you can get to your whole scalp in one go, too, meaning it takes less time.
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Weighing less than an ounce, it is also highly user-friendly, taking the muscle ache out of massage. Better still? The pack includes two massagers, so you always have one as a spare. Or, if you are feeling generous, you can always give one to a friend in need of a scalp massage. For a deep, relaxing massage with additional scalp benefits, use this after lightly applying hair oil to the scalp. The oils will help moisturize the scalp at the same time as turning the routine into a mini spa session.

And here is another shampoo brush designed to be used in-shower or bath, while washing your hair. With more than 15,000 positive reviews, Heeta’s shampoo brush has an ergonomic and lightweight design, making it simple to use even with wet hands.
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Featuring soft silicone bristles, this tool is also suitable for dry hair and can be used in conjunction with any scalp oils or treatments for a relaxing massage with added hair-growth benefits.