For many people, cutting bangs is a rite of passage. It’s usually followed by loving them for a week, then stressing over getting them to look right, hating them, and finally deciding- never again. For me, the grow-out phase never happened. I loved the look of bangs (and have a huge forehead), so 14-year-old me was determined to make them work. There were some rough patches; it took YEARS for me to get them to look right. Over the past 7 years, I’ve made every mistake you can, and in doing so, I’ve finally crafted the routine for perfect bangs (if I do say so myself). If you love bangs, but think you can’t make them work, pick those scissors back up. Here’s everything you need to know.
The anatomy of the Bang
There are a lot of things that can make your bangs look off. Contrary to what most people tell you, styling them is the easy part. Usually, when bangs are sitting awkwardly or not styling properly, it’s because of “bad bang anatomy”. Here are some examples:
The Mushroom
- If your bangs are poofing out on all sides like a mushroom, they’re too long and too wide. So, when you curl your the, you look like a mushroom.
- To fix this: Your bangs should end at the arch of your eyebrows. If you have bangs at your temples, leave them alone and let them grow out. Eventually, you can feather out the overcut sides and create natural layers. Separate the natural bang area from eyebrow arch to arch, and trim up to an inch off, combing out to see how it looks. Remember to look to the side to see if the curl of your bang is still too intense.
The helmet
- Similar to the mushroom, the helmet can occur when bangs are cut too far to the side and layered too heavily.
- Instead of keeping them short in the middle and longer at the ends, try to create a subtle U shape to lift some of the heaviness from your forehead.
The twigs
- When your bangs are growing from a condensed area from the center of your roots, they can look like a twing in the middle of your forehead.
- Remember the brow area rule. Part your hair and add some more bang from the side.
To salon or not salon
- Everyone always tells you: DON’T CUT YOUR OWN BANGS. For the first time, they’re right. Having a stylist separate the exact area of your hair to create a bang is beneficial. Just make sure they know exactly the kind of style you’re after. However, maintenance, trimming your bangs, is something you will have to learn how to do on your own. If you have a good base to work with, it should be easy. I find this step is easiest to do when they’re blown dry, so you can see what you’re working with. If your hair grows fast, you can experiment with slightly different lengths and styles. For instance, sometimes I trim mine in a heavy U shape, and some69mjes I just let them feather out. When deciding on a shape, think bout what you want to emphasize- above the brows will highlight your eyebrows, but below will highlight your eyes.
Styling
Once you’ve figured out your shape, styling bangs is easy. It might change depending on your bangs’ shape, but this basic routine has served me well for perfect bangs for the past 3 years.
On wash day:
- While trying to use an elastic to tie your bangs together in a little ponytail, this will train them not to separate
- Once u see some frizz, it’s time to dry them ( regardless of what ur doing with the rest of ur hair) start by using a foldable rectangle brush (i find this to be the holy grail bang brush, i have one in every purse ) comb them from one side to the other while applying a blowdryer, this will help them separate and “confuse” your hair part.
- Go in with your round brush and curl them with the blow dryer.
- Comb or blow down as needed
- Apply a tiny bit of hair gel, then lock them in with hairspray.
For the Curly girls:
My hair is curly but weighed down, so it stays straight at the top. Hence, straight bangs work best on me.
- When my hair was shorter and curly up to the root, straight bangs looked VERY OFF.
- Instead, I used a small amount of curl mousse (use whatever styling gel you use on the rest of your curls) in my bangs. It gave me cute curly bangs!
- Make sure to keep your bangs significantly longer due to shrinkage.
Touching up:
- I’ve tried rollers, pinning, everything, but found the best thing is to sleep naturally and touch your bangs up in the morning.
- You don’t have to use heat every morning; do so as you see fit
- Dry shampoo is your best friend for greasy bangs
- Use heat protectant to wet them a bit, then style like u did before with blowdryer, flat and round brushes. Always set with hairspray! This will really help on windy days.
- Carry dry shampoo and a brush with you for touch-ups, also a tiny towel for dabbing your forehead if you sweat.
Now you have everything you need to know for perfect bangs. Just don’t get caught in the rain!