Weeks two to six are the hard part. The sides catch up faster than the top, so everything sits wide and flat, and no amount of product fixes it.

The trick is to keep cutting while you grow. Come in every three weeks and have the sides tidied without touching the top. It feels counterproductive. It is not — you are letting the top gain length while the shape stays under control.

After about ten weeks you have enough on top to take a real style. That is the point to book a proper scissor cut and decide where you are actually going.