How to get chiller long hairstyles for men in 2025
The go-to guide for some added length, as told by some of the UK’s top barbers
By Ollie Cox
If you’re sick of your short back and sides, then maybe it’s time to consider long hairstyles for men. Giving your precious lid some length can soften up your facial features, open up new styling possibilities, and go a long way in changing up your entire vibe.
It seems easy right - just don’t get a haircut? Kind of. But it’s going to require some patience, maintenance, and a close eye on the products you’re using.
Look into Hollywood for some best in practice. Bradley Cooper often switches up his hair from long to short. But during a recent appearance at the Louis Vuitton autumn/winter 2025 menswear show in Paris, he was rocking a mean medium-long trim, the kind you can slick back to look really clean and smart, but a cut that also looks great when it’s messy, if that’s your thing.
Lewis Hamilton is another guy whose hair has fluctuated between long and short styles, but for a while he’s been rocking longer braids tied back into a bun - a good solve for that weird in-between stage between short and long.
Clive Rose/Getty Images
So for guidance on nailing longer hair, we reached out to HD Cutz founder Sheldon Edwards, Richard Wynne-Ellis a stylist at Woolf Kings X, TJ Hunt from Time Shoreditch, Miles Wood Smith, master barber and creative director of Murdock London, and Colin McKean, co-owner of Nomad barbers in Hackney for the lowdown on growing long hairstyles for men.
What to know before you grow out your hair
It’s important to know which hairstyle you want, as this will alter the general plan. “Firstly, I’d recommend being realistic and having a clear goal in mind before you get started. If you know what your end game is then you can work out roughly how long the grow out process will take,” says Hunt.
It’s easy to overestimate how long it can take to achieve longer hairstyles for men. One thing to keep in mind is that “hair tends to grow at a rate of between half an inch and an inch per month, which is a lot slower than some people perceive it to be,” says Hunt. “Growing out you hair is an exercise in patience and endurance, more of a marathon than a sprint, so make sure you’re prepared for the challenge before you get going.”
What can I do to make my hair grow faster?
There’s no magic formula for growing you hair. But, given your hair follicles are a part of your body, looking after your mental and physical health help. “Exercise, particularly cardio, increases blood circulation and oxygen levels, which improves hair health and reduces stress (a factor often contributed to hair loss and lack of growth). Experts also claim that a pattern of solid, consistent sleep aids hair growth too",” says Hunt. Keep an eye on your diet, too.
Make sure you’re getting in enough “protein, healthy fats, vitamins (biotin) and minerals,” says McKean. Biotin is a B-Vitamin that can help your body pack in nutrients. But if you're going to start taking any kind of vitamin supplements, it’s always better to consult a doctor first. But one thing you can really hone in on, is your diet. Growing your hair is kind of like trying to build muscle: nail your nutrition and you’re going to see results faster. “Since hair is made of Keratin it’s important to consume enough protein-rich food,” says Wynne-Ellis.
Another thing to keep in mind is to keep your hair clean says Wynne-Ellis. “It allows the scalp to breathe,” says Wynne-Ellis. If your follicles are clogged with excess follicles, dirt and shampoo, then you’re going to see results slower.
You should be looking to wash your hair between two and three times per week. “If your hair is dry and brittle then washing it too much can strip the hair and cause breakage which won’t benefit you at all, but you still need to keep the condition of your hair and locks in check to aid growth. Maybe wash with a gentle shampoo and conditioner twice a week,” says Hunt.
What to avoid when growing your hair
A few maintenance trims along the way are going to keep things in check. Just be careful how much you’re taking off. “Common mistakes are cutting the sides too short each time and ending up back at the same stage as your previous haircut. You need to be patient when growing your hair out and remember that product will help during the awkward stage,” says McKean. “Use the product to push the hair behind your ears flowing to the back of the head using a hair dryer and vent brush. The airflow and brush combined will help the hair sit flatter to the head and give the haircut a better shape.”
How to grow you hair like Bradley Cooper
Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images
Bradley Cooper’s swept back hair is actually a pretty easy style to achieve from a short back and sides. This is because by pushing it back from the front, it requires the top to be longer than the sides.
“The most annoying part of growing out a short haircut into this style is allowing the sides to get long enough to tuck neatly behind the ears without pinging out. Prior to this there is a point where it looks like your head has small wings, but you’ve just got to ride the wave and get through it,” says Hunt. “Unfortunately, this means little in the way of ongoing tidy-ups until you reach this point aside from clearing up the fuzz around the top of the sideburns and the neckline.” For the back of the head, it’s best to leave it to do its thing.
When it comes to styling, it’s pretty low maintenance, too. Just apply some pomade or hair cream to your fingers and run them through your towel dried hair, and leave the rest to dry naturally. As with any longer hair style, the hardest part is being patient during the growing-out stage.
If you’re wondering what to ask for, just take a few visual references with you. “Any barber or hairstylist would tell you that it’s best to come armed with a picture on your phone. However, if you’re the type of person who feels that handing over a picture of a handsome celeb is too cringe, then ask for a mid to long length swept back style with loose layers, no part and that’s long enough to sit behind the ear,” says Hunt. “Alternatively, just name drop Mr. Cooper himself.”
What if I want braids like Lewis Hamilton?
Clive Mason/Getty Images
Remember those godly photos of Lewis Hamilton posing next to a Ferrari F40 for his first day on the team? A key part of his look was his sharp long-length, tied-up braids. And if you want to try the style for yourself, then you’ll need to amp up your scalp care routine, picking the right methods of cleaning and cleansing, coupled up with the correct products to nurture and grow your curls, before tightly styling them into braids.
Starting off with the basics, wash your hair two to three times per week, using proper shampoo and conditioner. But “there’s lots of products that enhance your hair growth at the moment like castor oils,” says HD Cutz founder Sheldon Edwards. Cater oil, which is obtained by the crushing and pressing of caster oil seeds, is rich in Omega-6 and Omega-9 fatty acids, and when you apply it to your hair it can improve its condition, and some believe it can help with hair growth.
When it comes to getting the length, its important to remember that “it’s a process that takes time. It’s time consuming, it’s not an easy process to maintain. You might start to have itchy hair, or not have the comfort of sleeping flat on your pillow,” says Edwards. “A lot of people expect it to grow without giving it proper care and attention. They don’t do the basic steps that it takes to make the hair grow as it should, and they get a bit down after realising it’s not growing as fast as they would have loved it to.” So take your time, double down on your scalp care and trust the process.
What about Timothée Chalamet’s heartthrob curls?
Steve Granitz
In 2025, Timothée Chalamet has been rocking a shorter, closer trim. But for his role in Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown in mid 2024 he was rocking some pretty lengthy, lavish curls. With this type of haircut, you’re going to need least a couple of months’ growth (to around five or six inches) if you’re starting from a shorter style.
But before you commit, you need to ask yourself if it’s going to work with your hair. “Chalamet has very curly and textured hair. It will definitely depend on what kind of hair the client has,” says Smith. “I would suggest growing out a shorter haircut for a couple of months and then visiting the barber with a picture of where you want your hair to end up. That way we have something to work with in terms of creating the correct shape.”
The key with Timmy’s curls is its fuller style, the kind of thing you get by keeping it longer in the back. Once you’ve got the length, you can experiment with holding creams and products, for that ultra-chill voluminous vibe that Timmy had down at the start of last year. “Sea salt spray adds volume and texture no matter the length,” says Smith.
For even longer hair?
RB/Bauer-Griffin
Guys like Jason Momoa and Evan Jogia have both rocked some exemplary longer looks in the early ‘00s, and Momoa is still doing it today. It’s the kind of lengthy hair your annoyingly care-free cousin who’s weirdly good at surfing would have, but actually takes a lot of time and maintenance to achieve. “The main hindrance to clients growing their hair out to that kind of length is too many haircuts. I would normally suggest a trim every few months to keep the hair growing out in the right shape,” says Smith.
There’s no shortcuts when it comes to this style. “Depending where you’re starting from, it can take 6-18 months. It’s not something that happens overnight,” says Wynne-Ellis. It’s best to keep your hair clean using a goof quality shampoo and conditioner, to help it grow as quickly as possible. According to Wynne-Ellis, there’s two main checkpoints when approaching this kind of length. The first is “being able to tuck the sides of your hair behind your ears,” and the second is “Being able to tie all the hair up,” like Jason Momoa and Evan Jogia.
But don’t beat yourself up if it’s taking time to reach that stage. The growing process is a great time to try out new looks. “Once you reach the mushroom phase, why not go for a modern mullet? As it gets longer you go wolf cut before eventually ending up with a 70s shag. Speak to your barber or stylist and they should be able to find a suitable style for the stage of your grow out without leading you too far off the path to your holy grail of hair,” says Hunt.