Long locks are back.

While bobs and lobs and mobs (that’s mid-bob, to the uninitiated) have all had their moment in the spotlight this year, winter’s hottest trend is a long, healthy mane.

The fastest way to achieve the look is with extensions of course, but if you fancy doing it the old school way and growing out your current style, there are plenty of tricks you can employ to speed up the process.

1. Massage your scalp

Improving the circulation to your scalp help bring nutrient-packed blood to the area, so add a daily scalp massage to your routine.Try massaging in your conditioner in the shower or relaxing in the evening with a hair oil massage that can be rinsed out in the morning.

2. Turbo-boost your breakfast

Hair is built on the inside so the more nutrients you can add to your diet at every meal, the better. Protein, omega-3 and vitamin B12 are all non-negotiable for good hair growth so eat up; try boiled eggs with avocado and smoked salmon for breakfast and snack on sunflower seeds throughout the day.

3. Edit your products

The latest lengthening and strengthening products offer an opportunity to treat your hair ever morning. Résistance Extentioniste is a new range from Kérastase, designed as a daily boot camp for hair. Using a combination of Creatine R Complex, the amino acid taurine and maleic acid, Résistance Extentioniste helps to reinforce the structure and surface of the hair fibre, whilst also helping to maintain the hair’s elasticity and glow.

There’s a length-boosting daily shampoo, conditioner, serum and mask in the range (from €21.60 in salons) – use them all together to stop breakage in its tracks, meaning you won’t need to get those split ends chopped off as often.

4. Swap your straighteners for a natural finish

Listen, we know you’re not going to be dumping the GHD any time soon, but if you’re reliant on your straighteners, it might be worth giving your locks a break during the week. Experiment with a salt spray (just apply to wet hair and scrunch for waves) or try a styling cream and a gently blow dry to smooth out and style those ends.

Braids are an excellent choice for midweek too – perfect a fun braid and you can cut out heat treatments for most of the week, while rocking a neat, trendy ‘do.

5. Zap stress

Whether you have a stressful job or you’re looking after small kids (or both) stress can have a negative affect on hair growth.

Book an extra yoga class and make a point of getting two or three early nights in a row to give your body a chance to relax and repair itself and you’ll eventually see a difference in your hair.

MORE: This genius website solves all the hair problems you’ll ever have…