hi aasem, welcome to the forum
you have a great head of hear! i can def feel where you're coming from, in that i too shaved off all my hair in frustration, and almost immediately set out to grow it back lol.
you've actually gotten many good answers to your questions in some of the posts above.
as far as styles, it really depends on how you like to wear your hair & what kind of styles appeal to you? are you adventurous or more conservative?
do you want it to have some kind of shape as it grows? which might entail getting the services of a stylist. supercuts is an option. they're cheap & have gotten pretty good reviews on this site.
just make sure any stylist you go to understands you intend to grow long hair, & can detail for you how they can help you accomplish that.
... or are you comfortable with letting it do it's own thing as it grows. this was my approach, as i'd had some bad run ins with stylists & really wanted to learn to take care of my own hair.
... or you could do an approach that combines the two. learn to care for it yourself, & go to a stylist for occassional trims (once or twice a year).
styling for men is a different game, because although we can appreciate/love a lot of the styles women can wear, because of the way we're raised/socialized you either don't want to or don't feel comfortable wearing those styles -- especially in public. so you have to find styles that you feel comfortable wearing & represent who you are.
i mainly wear twists & braids, although i do straighten my hair a few times a year to check the length/do trims. but i've also come to accept that i like doing some styles that are outside the "norm for men", (waist length yarn braids
) because that's me. you have to find what works for you.
also, it may be helpful for you to come to love the hair that grows out of your scalp. embrace it and learn to deal with it first. you may find it's not as hard to manage as you thought, especially with the right regime for your hair. (you can always come back to chemical options once you learn to care for your hair if you want.)
i follow wms: wet, moisturize, seal ... and i guess i can add another "s" for style
-- wmss
i wash once a week with conditioner only, or 2-in-1 (shampoo + conditioner) depending on how my hair feels. (i may co-wash/water rinse more in the week, if it's feeling dry.) i follow that up with a moisturizing spray (i make my own, but you can use wave nouveau finishing mist or a product like that) then i seal with a creamy leave-in (usually a botanical/moisturising/smoothing conditioner), or oil (castor/coconut/olive) depending on how my hair feels. then i style in twists or braids.
but again, this is what works for my hair. some of it, none of it, or all of it may work for you. with short hair, your regime may be as simple as: wash, condition, add some leave-in & go. you won't know until you try. you'll go through some trial & error to find what works, but once you do, it'll be easy sailing ... then it's just about retention & patience
.
how long did it take you to grow out your hair? because you can use that as a guide for how long it'll take to reach that length again. either way enjoy the journey, you'll learn a lot about your hair & yourself in the process.
