History Main / RapidHairGrowth

Subtrope of ArtisticLicenseBiology. Inversion of HairTodayGoneTomorrow. Expect StatusQuoIsGod if this doesn't stick. See HairReboot when the hair returns to its original form instantly, or StubbornHair for when regrowth occurs immediately after attempting to cut off an offending hairstyle. PowerMakesYourHairGrow is a type 2 subtrope (see below). SpontaneousMustache is the subtrope for facial hair specifically. A possible property of MagicHair. If the hair growth is greater than you want, that's one reason to NeverTrustAHairTonic. Often occurs in GenderBender situations because LongHairIsFeminine.

* ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad'': In the episode "A Little Mystery", Francine decides to compete for the world record for world's longest fingernails, so she starts eating a ton of prenatal multivitamins, knowing they speed up hair and nail growth. By the next time she's seen onscreen, her hair has doubled in overall size. By the time of the Guinness qualifiers a week after that, her hair has become hip-length with enough volume to hide a record-breakingly large cutaneous horn growing out of her forehead as a result of all the excessive vitamins in her system.

* ''Literature/CharlieAndTheChocolateFactory'' features Hair Toffee. It makes hair grow on your head (plus a mustache and a beard), which is perfect for bald people... but at the moment it's too powerful. The Oompa-Loompa who tested it wound up with hair that grows over ''a foot'' per day, '''constantly'''.

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[[folder: Advertising ]]

* These products are advertised like this. However, they don't actually work like this. It takes a little longer, if it does work.

[[folder: Anime and Manga ]]

[[folder: Comic Books ]]

* In the Franchise/{{Tintin}} comic book ''Land of Black Gold'', Thomson and Thompson find tablets and swallow them, thinking them to be aspirin, causing them to belch soap-like bubbles continuously, and grow long hair and beards that change colour. The beards grow so fast that they have to be cut multiple times each day.
* In the first ''{{ComicBook/Asterix}}'' comic, Getafix creates a potion to restore lost hair, selling it to the Romans who have captured him as the Magic Potion for strength. An entire roman camp - and a small dog licking up the dregs - becomes excessively unmilitary, thus presenting a slovenly appearance to Caesar when he pulls a surprise inspection.

* The main plot of ComicBook/TheGiganticBeardThatWasEvil is about a beard that won't stop growing and won't stay trimmed.

[[folder: Films -- Animated]]

[[folder: Films -- Live-Action]]

* ''Film/ThePeanutButterSolution'': when the main character loses all of his hair by seeing ghosts, the ghosts teach him to make a magical paste that causes his hair to grow back at a supernatural rate. He eventually discovers that his new hair can be used to make magical paintbrushes. It's the same old story.
* ''Film/BodyBags'': The "Hair" segment features a balding middle-aged guy who receives a mystery treatment from a strange health care society. He grows a giant mane of hair overnight, but the hair just keeps growing all over his body, ''including on his teeth''. It turns out that [[spoiler:the "hairs" are actually parasitic wormlike aliens who need human brains for food and it's already too late for him.]]

[[folder: Literature ]]

* In Creator/KevinJAnderson's ''Dan Shamble'' novel ''Hair Raising'', a mad scientist attempts to develop a cosmetic formula that would cause instantaneous hair growth. He eventually succeeds, [[spoiler: but only by using the stolen scalps of werewolves to create it. [[GoneHorriblyRight Then it works ''too'' well,]] and fills his house with hair when some of his invention drips into a clogged-up shower drain.]]
* ''Literature/CharlieAndTheChocolateFactory'' features Hair Toffee. It makes hair grow on your head (plus a mustache and a beard), which is perfect for bald people...but at the moment it's too powerful. The Oompa-Loompa who tested it wound up with hair that grows over ''a foot'' per day, '''constantly'''.

[[folder: Tabletop Games ]]

* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' module [=EX1=] ''Dungeonland''. A fountain's water turns into randomly determined potions. One of them is Hairiness: if drunk, the drinker's hair immediately grows longer and thicker.
** ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'', 1st Edition supplement ''Unearthed Arcana''. The Hairy cantrip caused a creature's hair to immediately grow 2-12 inches.

[[folder: Video Games ]]

* One of the hilarious potion recipes in ''VideoGame/PajamaSam: No Need to Hide When It's Dark Outside'' promised that it would grow out hair. When Same tries it, he first grows out locks that reach the floor, quickly grow longer than he is, and then escalates until he is completely wrapped in hair, gets angry and chases the resulting giant hairball.

[[folder: Visual Novels]]

* When Max first transforms into a woman in ''VisualNovel/MaxsBigBustACaptainNekoraiTale'', her hair instantly grows from the short cut she'd had as a man to an ankle-length mane. Thanks to her magically resetting body, it regrows every time she tries to cut it to a shorter length, causing her to give up. [[spoiler: It's eventually revealed that her hair acts as storage for her magic elemental powers]]. When [[spoiler: Amber and Holly]] touch transformation beads, their hair also instantly grows to ankle length.

[[folder: Web Animation ]]

[[folder: Web Comics ]]

* Art was shaved bald as an Easter prank in Phillip Jackson's ''Webcomic/SequentialArt''. He pours a bottle of hair restorer on his dome in strip #132 and waits. No further hair appears on his head, but he does almost instantly push out a Russian czar beard. Next, in strip #133, Scarlet the squirrel-girl lost all her head fur to bubblegum. She ''drinks'' Art's bottle of hair restorer. The result is she gets her head fur back, plus ''triples'' her body fur.
* ''{{Webcomic/City Of Dream}}''. Acknowledges this trope in many strips as an off-screen cure for all the fire spells misfiring. The one who prepares and sells these is owner of a {{The Little Shop That Wasnt There Yesterday}}.
* In a ''Webcomic/SchlockMercenary'' arc where Elf goes on a makeover reality show (so the company can blow it up) they use some nanites to make her "crew-mullet" grow into something a lot longer. She keeps some of the extra length.

[[folder: Web Original ]]
* In the Grimm webisode, Bad Hair Day, a balding man comes into the spice shop asking for a hair remedy for a friend. Mistaking him for the customer, Monroe mixes up a double dose of the stuff. The mixture makes his hair grow to his shoulders and it apparently immediately grows back thicker when he cuts it. His friend took a bigger amount and had it going down his back.

[[folder: Western Animation ]]

* An old episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' has Homer uses a miracle hair growth product and gets a full head of hair overnight. But at the end, [[StatusQuoIsGod he loses it]] [[HairTodayGoneTomorrow just as fast]], leaving a hairy trail form his bed to the bathroom.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack}}''. Brings an episode with a {{snake oil salesman}} (it is eel in universe) that sells one of these.
* ''WesternAnimation/FantasticFourTheAnimatedSeries'' had Dr. Doom mention some of his failed inventions while recounting his backstory in the three-part episode "The Mask of Doom". One of these failed creations is a hair restorer, which a bald man is shown having applied to his head and smiling at his hair growing back before he quickly becomes excessively hairy.

[[folder: Advertising ]]

* During a Capital One commercial, Alec Baldwin and the Vikings compete in a beard growing contest. The Viking's beard appears instantly.

[[folder: Anime and Manga ]]

[[folder: Comic Books ]]

* In ''Comicbook/DP7'' David Landers' hair grows very fast as part of his White Event-inspired mutation. Every once in a while he gains about 50 pounds of muscle practically overnight, and that's when his hair grows out.
* In ''Recap/AsterixAndCleopatra'', the henchman of the villain Artifis vows never to shave his head again until the pesky Gauls are killed. The rate at which his shaven skull becomes extremely hirsute then becomes a running gag.

* In ''Comicbook/{{PS238}},'' [[FragileSpeedster Franklin/The Whiz]] once comes into battle with unusually long hair--apparently, it (and his nails) grow ''really'' fast due to his power, and with the [[AlienInvasion current situation]] he hasn't had time to see the school nurse about his daily (or more) trim.

[[folder:Fanfic]]

[[folder: Films -- Animation]]
* ''WesternAnimation/YellowSubmarine''. While the Beatles are in the Sea of Time they undergo RapidAging and their head hair (including beards and mustaches) start growing out quickly. Ironically, the song that accompanies the scene, "When I'm Sixty Four", starts with the line "When I get older losing my hair...".

[[folder: Films -- Live-Action]]

* ''Film/IndianaJonesAndTheLastCrusade''. The BigBad drinks from a false Holy Grail and suffers from RapidAging, including having the hair on his head grow very quickly.

* Film/EvanAlmighty" Evans hair and beard both grows long way to fast because God is turning him into Noah. When he shaves, it grows back instantly.

[[folder: Literature ]]

* ''Literature/HarryPotter''
** ''Literature/HarryPotterAndThePhilosophersStone'' mentions several incidents from Harry's childhood when he [[PowerIncontinence unknowingly used magic]]. In one, Aunt Petunia cut his hair ridiculously short, leaving the fringe long to hide his scar. It looked ridiculous, and Harry was so stressed about going to school the next day that he willed it back to normal overnight.
** In ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheGobletOfFire,'' [[TricksterTwins Fred and George]] use an Aging Potion to try fooling a magical barrier that only adults can cross. The barrier flings them backwards and causes them to suddenly grow long, white WizardBeard. [[ActuallyPrettyFunny They think this is hilarious]].
* In the comedic fairy tale ''Literature/{{Melisande}}'', a princess's attempt to wish for long, beautiful hair results in hair that grows rapidly and increases its rate of growth whenever it's cut.
* In the ''Literature/{{Goosebumps}}'' book ''Literature/MyHairiestAdventure'', the protagonist begins growing hair on his hands and face that keeps coming back no matter how often he shaves it off. He thinks at first that it's being caused by a strange sunscreen solution that he and his friends tried out, but it turns out that [[spoiler:it's a sign that he and his friends are reverting back to their original dog forms]].

* In ''Literature/TheSagaOfDarrenShan'', when Darren's been a half-vampire for long enough that his vampire cells start to convert his human cells, he wakes up one night with tons of hair all over his body. His hair had been burnt off earlier during an ordeal and it hadn't grown back properly, but this gives him his old ShonenHair back.
* The royal line of Idris in ''Literature/{{Warbreaker}}'' can grow their hair out effectively instantly, as well as being able to change its color. This does make them very hungry, though.

* In ''Literature/TheSilmarillion,'' [[NonHumanHumanoidHybrid Luthien Tinuviel]] did this to her own hair, deliberately, by magic. She needed them to craft a magical cloak and rope.

* ''Literature/HarrowTheNinth'': Harrowhark's hair starts to grow unusually fast despite her preference to keep it short, leading her to fear that it's a manifestation of her malfunctioning HealingFactor as a [[spoiler:newly ascended [[NextTierPowerUp Lyctor]]]]. Finally revealed that [[spoiler:[[TeethClenchedTeamwork Ianthe]] activated the rapid growth with {{Biomanipulation}} as a mean joke.]]

[[folder: Live Action TV ]]

* Subverted in an episode of ''Series/{{Cheers}}''. The guys have a beard growing contest over the course of a month or so; Cliff's beard doesn't grow in much during the contest, then on measuring day he comes in with a full, lush beard and wins. Then he calls Diane over for some help: he cheated by supergluing hair to his face and now he needs her to take him to the hospital to get it removed.

** One episode has Hilda mixing up some 'Hair Soup' to give her long hair. It also gives her some mutton chops and eventually a full beard. [[spoiler: Sabrina unknowingly eats some at the end and gets a mustache]].

--> '''Harvey:''' You know, you look good with long hair.
--> '''Sabrina:''' Yeah, but the upkeep is a nightmare.
* In ''Series/The10thKingdom'' Virginia pisses off some gypsies who curse her hair to grow at a rapid rate. Even worse is that the hair can't be cut. She wakes up the next morning to find it growing up the stairs.
--> "I'm gonna die of long hair!"

[[folder: Toys ]]

[[folder: Video Games ]]

* This is the case of Millia Rage's hair in ''VideoGame/GuiltyGear'', being alive and prehensile as well. Some of her attacks make her hair grow by necessity.
** Another case in the later Guilty Gear titles is Ky Kiske, whom notes that his hair needs cut every couple of days. [[spoiler: It's one of several hints that Ky is slowing transforming into a Gear.]]

[[folder: Web Comics ]]

* This occurs a few times in the ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'' storyline aptly titled "Hair," which concerns Tedd's attempts to understand why Nanase's hair is growing abnormally fast while she is [[BroughtDownToNormal "burnt out."]] A magical device designed to make hair temporarily shorter instead causes Nanase's hair to [[http://www.egscomics.com/index.php?id=1458 grow.]] [[http://www.egscomics.com/index.php?id=1459 A lot.]] To prevent the excess of hair from injuring her neck, Nanase [[http://www.egscomics.com/index.php?id=1460 asks Sarah to shave her head.]] Predictably, as soon as Nanase's head is shaved, [[http://www.egscomics.com/index.php?id=1461 the hair stops growing.]] However, the rapid hair growth wasn't done yet, as the pile of hair on the ground [[http://www.egscomics.com/index.php?id=1462 proceeded to]] [[StuffBlowingUp explode,]] and give both Nanase and Sarah a bit of [[http://www.egscomics.com/index.php?id=1463 additional magic hair growth.]]

* In ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'', Agatha has hair growth troubles over [[http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20131023 this and the following page]].
* In ''Webcomic/DraculaRulerOfTheNight'', after Lucy is bitten, her hair grows out as a result and gets less groomed. After she turns, it stays perpetually long. When Mina likewise is bitten, her hair likewise grows out as she grows closer to turning with even trying to cut it causing it to grow back instantly. By the time they confront Dracula, her hair is growing out enough for bangs and even moving ethereally signalling she near undeath.

[[folder:Web Video]]

[[folder: Western Animation ]]

** When Homer went bald, Marge got [[StatusQuoIsGod God to make Homer's normal hair reappear.]]
** [[Recap/TheSimpsonsS1E13SomeEnchantedEvening Some Enchanted Evening]] invokes this along with HairReboot. After Homer spends a minute shaving his beard, we can see it almost immediately growing back as soon as he turns away from the mirror.
* ''WesternAnimation/JosieAndThePussycats'': One of the first style hops is to the Seventies disco era. This causes Valerie's sensible hairstyle to bloom into a large Afro almost instantly. Even Valerie is surprised at this development.
* ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'':
** Patrick can instantly grow hair in specific hairstyles. In one episode, he meets another seastar with the same talent.
** ''WesternAnimation/TheSpongeBobSquarePantsMovie'': Mindy tries to convince [=SpongeBob=] and Patrick that they are men by giving them fake mustaches. Later, they run into tough guy Dennis, who laughs at their pathetic mustaches and show them what a real mustache looks like, by instantly growing one.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheAmazingWorldOfGumball'': Richard is able to grow a mustache to look tough. The minute he drops the act, it recedes right back into his face.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'': In one episode, Zoidberg is so traumatized he grows hair [[PrematurelyGreyHaired just so that it can turn white]].
* ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'': Mr. Barkin's beard apparently grows so fast that he has to shave it fifteen times a day.

* ''WesternAnimation/StarVsTheForcesOfEvil'': [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin "Marco Grows a Beard"]], caused by Star's magic. It's so rapid it fills up their entire ''house''!