Best days to cut hair

Waxing Moon for growth, waning Moon to slow it

The first half of the rule is the phase. The waxing Moon runs from the day after the new moon until the full moon. Tradition treats it as the time to cut when you want hair to grow back strong. The waning Moon runs from the day of the full moon until the new moon, and it is the time to cut when you want regrowth to slow, so a short style lasts longer.

The traditional reasoning is sympathy with the Moon: what is cut while the Moon grows grows back strongly, and what is cut while it shrinks comes back slowly. The day of the new moon gets no verdict in the table, because the almanacs do not list it for haircuts. The full moon day counts as waning here. The Old Farmer's Almanac mentions the popular belief that a full-moon haircut brings faster, thicker growth and calls it unproven.

Which Moon signs are best for a haircut

Phase alone is not enough. Sign decides, using the same groups as planting by the Moon. Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces are the fruitful signs. Taurus, Capricorn and Libra are semi-fruitful. Aries, Gemini, Leo, Virgo, Sagittarius and Aquarius are barren.

Put the two together and you get three verdicts. A waxing Moon in a fruitful sign is marked "Cut to encourage growth," the traditional day for a cut or trim when you want hair to grow back strong. A waning Moon in a barren sign is marked "Cut to slow growth," the day to keep a short style longer, or to shave or wax. Every other day, semi-fruitful signs included, has no traditional preference and is fine for a routine trim.

How to use the 60-day table

Start with what you want from the cut. For a trim meant to help hair grow back strong, look for a growth day. For a short style you want to hold its shape, or for shaving and waxing, look for a slow-growth day. In about 27 days the Moon moves through all twelve signs, staying about two and a half days in each. Growth days therefore arrive in short runs in the first half of the lunar month, slow-growth days in the second, and most days carry no preference.

Phase and sign are read at noon Eastern time. On a day when the Moon changes sign, the table shows the time it does. If you live in another US time zone, a sign change can land on the neighboring day for you, so check those days twice. This table is most useful for choosing among days that already fit your schedule, such as a salon booking in the next few weeks.

Does cutting hair by the Moon work?

This tradition is old and well documented in print. Published since 1818, the Farmers' Almanac lists separate days to cut hair for more growth and for slower growth. Published since 1792, the Old Farmer's Almanac prints similar lists, though they differ on many days because it also uses planetary positions it does not publish. It says plainly that its dates rest on tradition, not scientific evidence. A haircut does not change how fast hair grows from the follicle. Regular trims do remove split ends and reduce breakage, so hair looks fuller and keeps its length. Hair type, length goals and the condition of your ends decide how often to cut. Treat the Moon days as a traditional guide for fun.