Recently, I’ve been seeing an influx of people expressing their regret over getting bangs. It seems like bangs are trapped in an endless limbo of coming into style and receding right after. I’ve had bangs for the last four years now, and I’ve been able to experiment with various styles along the way. Countless times, I’ve promised myself that I’m going to grow out the bangs and never get them again, but I always find myself back to the hairdresser within a few months. I’ve accepted that bangs are going to stick around in my life, and I encourage everyone to try them out at least once!
The first thing to determine is what type of bangs you want, as there are a lot of styles that can look different depending on your facial shape, hair type, and personal style. Do not just walk into a salon and say “I want bangs,” because there’s a strong chance you’ll walk out looking like Dora the Explorer (totally not speaking from experience…).
For your first time, I’d recommend something a little longer like curtain bangs or face framing chunks– if you’re really unsure, have them cut at nose length or below. Specifically ask for thinner bangs as well. A longer cut will help them grow out more easily if you change your mind, and thinner bangs look less jarring against the rest of your hair. Eventually you might feel more comfortable experimenting with blunter and shorter cuts. Keep trimming them on your own if needed and go crazy!
The biggest complaint I hear about bangs is that they take too much effort to style. This is hard to find a one-size-fits-all solution to, because it really just depends on your hair type. If you have wavy hair like I do, your natural bangs will likely stick out in random directions sometimes. In the past I just lived with it and embraced the slightly frazzled look. Now I prefer to keep them neater by straightening them, which is extremely easy– it only takes a couple minutes and I’m set for the next 2-3 days. If you’d rather not use heat on your hair, Velcro rollers can give a similar blowout appearance. Longer face framing pieces can also look adorable when you pin curl them!
So, you got the bangs, you learned how to take care of them, and you still hate them. Or you’re just having a terrible hair day. Or you’re nostalgic and want to experience a day of bang-less freedom just to remember what it felt like. What then?
Luckily, there’s lots of solutions to this. It’s easiest to pin your bangs under the rest of your hair using bobby pins, but that’s boring! Get some cute barrettes to do the job instead (bonus points if you color-coordinate them to your outfits). You can also hide your bangs inside any hairstyle that begins from the roots of your hair, such as french braids, dutch braids, rope twists, etc. My favorite hairstyle is the braided headband, which can easily hide bangs while leaving most of your hair still down.I hope I’ve been able to make you feel a little bit influenced, at least.
Even if you don’t get bangs, think about giving in to that bob you’ve always wanted, try out layers, or even dye your hair! I think experimenting with hair is one of the best things to keep doing– it can always grow back, and you never know what your new favorite style might be until you try it!
