One of the most popular trends that has made its way from celebs to everyday people is bangs. From Selena Gomez’s wispy strands to Emma Roberts’s retro micro bangs, you can do whatever style fits you and your hair. And while bangs look great on the red carpet, I wondered for myself how they would look on me as well as if I could deal with the extra effort that they take to style.
Over Christmas break, I scheduled a haircut at my favorite salon back in Louisville. I had contemplated bangs before but had completely dropped the idea since I have super curly hair. I knew that they would not look good. But recently, I had been straightening my hair and then leaving it for about a week. The night before my haircut at 11:00 p.m., I called my friend who had gotten bangs last year to get her tips of the pros and cons. She highly encouraged me to do it. I eventually decided to bite the bullet and try out bangs. Given my few months of having them, here’s my list of the pros and cons.
Let’s start with the bad and end with the good!
Cons
First off, it has literally rained for a week straight where I go to college and wet bangs are not cute at all. Having wet hair stuck to your forehead is not fun. So for the past week, I have just had them pinned up which has been so boring. After all, what’s the fun of getting bangs if you can’t even show them off?
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The next con is that, for curly hair girls like myself, you’ll have to straighten it every day. Fortunately for me, my hair is not super oily, so I just give it a spritz of dry shampoo in the morning, and it’s fine. I do, however, always wash my bangs.
Another con of bangs is that they get oily very easily. Here’s how I style mine to avoid this:
Style tip: Each morning I pull my hair in a ponytail and have just my bangs out. I wash my bangs and immediately dry them. While blow drying, I take my brush and swipe it from side to side. Then I straighten my bangs. I have learned that the less I straighten them, the better. The blow dryer does most of the work for you, so you shouldn’t have to keep going over them with a straightener. That tends to make mine stick out a lot.
My last con is that sometimes you just have bad bang days. Sometimes they will stick out on the sides or just not look great for some reason but have no fear. Now that we’ve listed all of the cons to getting bangs, let’s jump into the pros!
Photo courtesy of Charisse Kenion
The first pro is that it’s a major change. If you’re looking for a change but not wanting to cut a foot off your hair, bangs are the answer to your prayers! This was a great way for me to start off the year fresh, fun, and confident. Plus people will notice your new style rather than when you just get a trim. (Fun fact, I saw my grandma at the grocery after getting bangs, and she didn’t know who I was!) But they really do make you look different.
Another pro is that you feel super trendy and edgy. I feel like bangs have a way of elevating your outfits. They take whatever you’re wearing and make it next level.
One of the most important pros for me has been not wearing as much makeup. When I wear my bangs down, I don’t put foundation on my forehead. First, because no one will see it. Second, because my bangs will get less oily. I also don’t do my eyebrows, eyeshadow, or eyeliner when I leave my bangs down. This saves me so much time in my makeup routine. Like most girls, my eyebrows used to take a long time, and now my makeup takes me less than 10 minutes.
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I have found for me that the pros most definitely outweigh the cons. Though I haven’t been able to wear my bangs a bit, thanks to the rain, I can’t wait to break them out again for a fresh new look! Moral of the story: if you’re thinking about getting bangs, consider this your 11:00 p.m. phone call from a friend that you should most definitely do it!