The iconic “short on the sides, long on top” men’s hairstyle is a classic look that’s not going anywhere, at least not anytime soon.

The contemporary version of this hairstyle – the undercut – has been all the rage for the past few years. If you’ve been rocking a short undercut for a while and are thinking about growing your hair out, this post is for you.

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Here’s the thing: I love the undercut. The disconnect between the top and back and the extra length on top make it a really cool haircut that flatters most men.

It’s also a very easy haircut to achieve since most barbers can do an undercut in their sleep.

But the undercut does have its downsides…

It requires regular haircuts (at least once a month), and it looks really bad if you don’t style it with product. Plus, it gets a little wild when you run, swim or workout.

So you might be thinking about growing out your hair a little bit or looking for a lower maintenance hairstyle. Or maybe you just want to try something new.

And why not? Many men look great with longer hair. It can even be easier to manage than the disconnected undercut (less haircuts, less shampoo, fewer showers and less product).

But growing out your hair from an undercut – or any super short haircut – is a long, awkward process. The sides and back will be way shorter than the top – especially the front – so you’ll need to go at least a couple of months without a haircut before you get it cleaned up and evened out.

Once you grow it out a little and get it cleaned up, you’ll have a versatile, medium length hairstyle that’s connected at the sides and back and has plenty of room to grow.