What to Consider Before You Get Bangs

This is how bangs happen

At some point in the past ten years, you were sitting on your couch with a mug of hot chocolate or a bag of popcorn in your hands, watching New Girl, thinking, “Zooey Deschanel rocks those bangs— maybe I could pull them off too?”

And before you know, you’ve got ‘em. And you either love them, hate them, or can’t figure out what it is you don’t like about them. Am I right?

Fringe Benefits

I’ve had bangs the past five years, and I’m a BIG advocate for them. And I’m someone who loves my hair with and without bangs. So… why Have I kept them around so long?

For me, they’re a major time saver. They make me look put together and chique, even when I’m not (today, for instance, I let my hair air dry, and because I have bangs, my hair looks like I spent time on it). They are probably the most low maintenance of all the hair cuts I’ve ever had, and for someone who really cares what her hair looks like, I love having a haircut that makes me look effortless whether I had time to do it or not.

When friends tell me they are considering getting bangs, I’m all FOR IT. TRY them you COURAGES HAIR SOUL.

You’ve heard it from your aunt, hair dresser, or barista, “If you hate them, they will always grow out”. Unless you’re Rapunzel from Tangled, then you might want to be careful with any haircut you get. When you get bangs, I really believe there’s a right and wrong way to do it.

I Didn't Love Them At First, Either.

When I first wanted bangs (because some Disney channel star had bangs, and I wanted her hair cut) I excitedly told my hair dresser what I wanted, and she flat out told me I had too small of a forehead for bangs. So I didn’t get them and thought I would never be able to pull them off. This is a good example of why you need to find a hair dresser who actually knows what they’re talking about. Because friends, I CAN pull them off and my forehead is just fine the way it is.

I hated my bangs the first time I had them, because they were too long and always getting in my eyes. The second time I had bangs, I cut them myself and gave myself a solid Spock fringe, unfortunately resembling one of my Dad’s favorite Star Trek characters. After 2-3 rounds of bad bangs, I can confidently tell you there are GOOD AND BAD ways to style and cut your bangs. And the best way to go about it, is to have a plan.

Have A Plan

1. Research styles of bangs you love. Make a board on Pinterest. I’ve already made one you can work from here!

2. Give your hair dresser a picture of someone’s bangs you love. Once they’re cut, have you hair dress show you how to style them. And finally, if you want to get a dramatic blunt bang like mine, I suggest you start with a more subtle cut, then make it more dramatic over time.

3. Also importantly, make sure you get a hair cut that compliments your bangs. I NEVER cut layers into my hair because then I have to style them. I keep my hair thick, heavy, and with a bit of a long bob, a cut that ensures I can be a bit more hands-off with both my bangs and my styling. If you are unsure what a low maintenance or high maintenance hair cut is, ask your hair dresser.

Why You Think You Should Try Bangs:

1. Big headbands make it easy to leave your bangs down or (if they’re dirty), to throw them up, giving the illusion you don’t even have bangs. Thank goodness these big crown-like headbands are in fashion! I wore this one with my bangs back yesterday because my bangs were dirty!

2. It’s easy to quickly wash your bangs in the sink and dry shampoo the rest of your hair, making you look refreshed and ready to go. ALL. THE. DRY. SHAMPOO.

3. Bangs work with up-do’s and down-dos (Ha, is down-do’s a thing?), so if you don’t have a bunch of time to do your hair and need to throw it up, you still look super chique.

4. They make you feel and look put together, even if you’re not.

The Grit You Need to Take the Bang Plunge:

1. You have to be willing to get used to them. At first, I’m not even sure you will like them. But give yourself some time to style them and some time to stare in the mirror a bit, and you might actually end up loving them. A few years ago, my friend Nicole got bangs. And I thought she looked amazing, but if I remember correctly, she strongly disliked them and immediately grew them out. So if anything, it’s alright if you don’t love them even though others do. You do you.

2. You have to get them trimmed every few weeks. Whether you trim them yourself or go to a hair dresser, maintenance is required. When I see someone with their own bangs jabbing them in their eyes, all I want to do is grab some scissors and help them out! Only very few people can actually pull off the “bangs in their eyes” look, and you should really ask those you trust if they think you’re one of those people. Crazy long eye jabbing bangs tend to look messy and disastrous, in my opinion. Also, who wants their eyes jabbed?

3. If you’re looking to trim your own bangs every few weeks (that’s what I’ve learned to do!), I suggest watching how your hair stylist does it and watching at least ten Youtube videos with varying methods on how to do so. You won’t regret researching how to give yourself the best trim. Or, if that sounds like a nightmare, most hair dressers trim bangs for free or for a five dollar charge.

4. When you’re done with bangs, you have to grow them out and that requires patience. I think growing out bangs actually really lends to super cute hair styles, but it also lends to lots of patience.

So, what do you think? Are you convinced to try bangs?! Have you tried them before? Did you love them? Hate them? Are you feeling the nudge to try them again?

Let me know what you think in the comments!

Stacie

P.S. This post is written from my own perspective! I’m a white woman with frizzy slightly wavy thick hair. It’s a dream of a texture, really. I can go straight or curly in a jiffy. Leaving it natural is mostly do-able if I’m in a pinch. But if you look around, curly haired loves and women of color, bangs are just as much for you right now as they are for the rest of us. I’ve made sure to pin ideas for hair types and ethnicities that are not mine on Pinterest! Check out those styles!