Yet another question wasted on the pursuit of perfect bangs.

September 12, 2017 12:28 PM

Should I get bangs? Or not? If yes, how do I style them? Pictures inside.

I look like this. I want bangs like this. Will these even work for my face shape? What do I ask for to get the right bangs?

My hair is thin, but I have a TON of it. It's fairly damaged from a misadventure in gray but it's getting better. I don't spend a lot of time washing/styling/doing anything to my hair. I wash with Living Proof/Davines depending on my hairs current condition and typically only once or maybe twice a week. I style with Davines OI Beauty Milk and Herbivore beach spray, or Oribe texturizer/dry shampoo.

My biggest concerns are that I will look bad with bangs or that, even if they look good, I wont know how to style them as I've never had them before. Those of you with bangs, please please please teach me your ways or stop me from making a huge mistake.

*I'm not super worried, it's just a hair cut and it'll grow out, but I'd like some pre-cut confidence/real talk.

posted by Marinara to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (21 answers total)

Best answer: If you know yourself and know that you would not be bugged constantly, like every second of the day, by hair in your eyes/eyelashes, then go ahead and do it. Otherwise, I would caution you not to. Because, well, those bangs will be in the way ALL THE TIME. And that's fine if you wouldn't mind! It would drive me BONKERS.
posted by cooker girl at 12:35 PM on September 12, 2017 [1 favorite]

I think those bangs will be perfect on you! They suit the rest of your haircut and also your overall style, from what I can tell from your picture. They'll be great to emphasize your big eyes! Just bring that picture of the bangs when you get your hair cut and show the stylist.
posted by primate moon at 12:35 PM on September 12, 2017 [7 favorites]

Do it! If it bugs you, you can always wear a headband or clip when you want them away from your face. I do this a few times a week. And they grow out fairly quick... which reminds me, I should get mine trimmed.
posted by Valancy Rachel at 12:53 PM on September 12, 2017 [1 favorite]

I have bangs. I'd been wanting to get them done for a while, and to convince myself, I would draw bangs onto photos of myself. I tried to draw some on your photo real quick.
Hopefully this link works.
bangs!
I think that piecey style of bangs looks really good on you.
posted by blixapuff at 12:53 PM on September 12, 2017 [7 favorites]

Agreed that those bangs will be rad on you. Go for it. I have wavy hair and my bangs tend to get greasy against my forehead so when I shower I usually only shampoo the bangs themselves and condition everything else, and then straighten them and let everything else air dry (with product, bc frizz).
posted by greta simone at 12:54 PM on September 12, 2017

I'll go the other way here: I would say no. Your face is so beautifully proportioned, with a gorgeous high forehead, and I don't think bangs would enhance that at all. I think it would just make your forehead look short and there's no reason you should want that. I will admit to being biased, because I've had bangs and I HATED them. They were always doing weird stuff and making my head look like a pyramid.

FWIW, I don't think the bangs look good at all on the first model in the link. The second and third models, yes, but the first model, they make her face look badly proportioned.
posted by holborne at 12:55 PM on September 12, 2017 [8 favorites]

I literally scrolled down all of those photos of you to cut your face off at bang-height in order to visualise how you would look with a chunk of face hidden by hair. You look incredible; I think it might make your eyes look bigger too. Do the bangs.
posted by DSime at 1:03 PM on September 12, 2017

I think you would look freaking great in those bangs and I would literally bring in that exact pic. That model and you have similar hair texture.
posted by Countess Sandwich at 1:05 PM on September 12, 2017

Best answer: I think you will look great with them and if you tire of them pinning them back is no big deal.

I have fairly straight hair that I air dry and I find the only thing to worry about is if you tend to sleep with wet hair that can result in bad bangs, when I have bangs I need to style them as they dry or they do weird things. If your forehead gets greasy the bangs get greasy so blotting papers and more frequent hair washing can be necessary. Finally you need to pick a stylist you like visiting because of how quickly they'll grow out, but again, pinning is no big deal.
posted by lafemma at 2:01 PM on September 12, 2017

Best answer: YES YOU SHOULD GET BANGS

I pin mine to the side while they're drying, then straighten them. That may not be necessary for you, but it helps control them.

Then, DRY SHAMPOO and a COMB are your friends. I get 2 - 4 days without washing them (I have otherwise pretty long hair).

Also, after the first haircut, I just trimmed my own.

PS: Here are my bangs both curly & straight.
posted by Isingthebodyelectric at 2:16 PM on September 12, 2017

I think these bangs will look absolutely great on you, so there's that. But as someone who also got bangs in a "hmm, let me just try it out" scenario I cannot wait to grow them out and pin them back all the time. So just another reminder that yes, you can definitely wind up finding them too annoying. The constant maintenance vs. being able to brush and go kills me.

bewaaaaaaare
posted by erratic meatsack at 3:53 PM on September 12, 2017

I think they'll look great on you. I have them and I also only wash my hair twice a week, but I learned pretty quickly that the bangs need washing more often (and drying with heat). Every day is best. You can do it over the sink when you wash your face, and they only take a minute to blow dry.
posted by lollusc at 5:32 PM on September 12, 2017

Also I'm bad at getting frequent haircuts but my bangs need trimming at least once a month. So I do it myself. If you aren't willing to, you'll need to plan for monthly bangs trimming appointments
posted by lollusc at 5:33 PM on September 12, 2017

Best answer: I'd advise you to try them. As general advice for all hair experiments: go for it. You won't know until you try. Of all the little ways to change your life, doing something with your hair is as low-risk as it gets.
posted by tangerine at 5:35 PM on September 12, 2017 [1 favorite]

I think those bangs would look really great on you! But I've had bangs at that eyeball-scraping length before and will never do it again. That said, you should still go for it, because bangs are a right of passage.
posted by scrubjay at 5:51 PM on September 12, 2017

Nthing I think you'll look great, though I'm also seconding that your face is beautifully proportioned and I love the striking contrast between your eyes and high forehead. As a woman, I say go for it, as a gay woman, I say: "but that's my tyyyyype don't hide it." Obviously, go with what you want, not what a random gay girl on the internet wants, but, you know, data point. :)

Also adding, as others have, that those bangs have a potential to be hella annoying. Yes, people have said "you can pin it back/use a headband." I will add I did a similar thing, with much less annoying bangs (just to the side, they only occasionally fall in front of my eyes) and gooooodddd I hate it. I told myself I could just pin it back, and quickly found out I'm super sensitive and can only wear bobby pins for a little while before my COMPLETE BABY OF A SCALP starts to hurt. So, if you don't usually wear bobby pins and/or headbands, don't count on it being your savior. If you do, and don't have a sensitive scalp, then you're probably totally fine.
posted by brook horse at 7:17 PM on September 12, 2017

Best answer: With bangs -- part in center, style straight down; part on side, sweep to other side; brush from temple to back and other side; part in center, feather back and to sides; brush from front to back and let sides drape down naturally.

Growing out or longer bangs -- braid a small amount along hairline, either with center part or side part; same, but by twisting a small amount; same, but use small covered elastic bands at intervals; hold hair back with bandana or Buff head wear.

For that moment when you are standing in front of the mirror, scissors in hand, saying, "I can't stand this any longer...!" YouTube to your rescue with growing out tutorials. I enjoy Milabu for taming the wild frizzles.

I like to swim, walk on windy days, ride with the car windows down. With "no bangs" that means a few strands always irritate me by getting in my face. So I have a fringe between nose-bridge level and lip level.
And make a pact with yourself to let the stylist trim your bangs. Voice of experience here.
posted by TrishaU at 10:25 PM on September 12, 2017

Get them! I have the same hair wave and texture and last year I got bangs for the first time in my adult life. I freaking love them. I also discovered I like the way shorter bangs look, too, so imgomamlittle short with the trims and I don't need to go back for a good six weeks at least.

BTW, I don't do anything with my hair, I just let it air dry.
posted by Room 641-A at 5:36 AM on September 13, 2017

Best answer: I love having bangs. I almost always have them. I wear them long a lot so they flop in my eye, which bugs my hairdresser so she always wants to trim more! Or talk me into growing them out, which I do for a while, and then I have her cut them back because I really like having bangs.

One of the things you'll want to discuss with your hairdresser is the overall shape and depth of your bangs. There can be a lot of variation in how far the extend side-to-side, if they are symmetrical, and how far back on your scalp they start.

My bangs were bugging me for a while, and I finally figured out they were too wispy and had the start further back so they are thicker which makes me happier.

My hair is curly, wavy, frizzy, and I sometimes air dry the bangs, sometimes blow dry, sometimes use a little barrette to pin them back while the rest air drys.
posted by Squeak Attack at 12:59 PM on September 13, 2017

Response by poster: You guy are incredible, as always. I can't thank you enough for your input and support. I went to my hair stylist and before I could finish asking for bangs she said "CURTAIN BANGS???" and got really excited to cut them. I LOVE them and I can't believe I've never gotten bangs before. If you're curious how they turned out: the after.

For those of you that style your bangs, how exactly do you pin them back? I tried parting in the middle and bobby pinning them to the side but I wasn't sure that was right.
posted by Marinara at 1:52 PM on September 13, 2017

Your bangs looks great!

As for pinning, I can see that your hair has a very different texture and thickness than mine, so caveats apply.

I do not have a face suited for a center part so I wear a fairly deep part, usually over my left eye, although I do flip it to the other side occasionally. I use my fingers to part my hair, tousle up my curls, and then use a small pin or barrette for my side-swept bangs on my right temple. This gets them to lie a little flatter while air-drying and not curl straight up into the air.

If I have more time/patience, I can get the same effect with a blow dryer and a vented brush or round brush. I blow out my bangs, encourage them to be a little straighter, but don't get them bone dry.
posted by Squeak Attack at 2:09 PM on September 13, 2017