Inside Allure: Three Hairstyles with Bangs

The most frequent request I get these days is for bangs of all types—and I love them. Bangs are so sexy and provocative—when they're long and swoopy, they twitch off the tips of your eyelashes, and when your bangs are straight across, your eyes look more intense because they have a frame around them. They look different on everyone; depending on the length and thickness, you can change your look entirely.

Long and Blunt

I cut long, straight bangs—the most popular style right now—on Penélope Cruz and Camilla Belle. The trick is to make sure the bangs aren't too thick, or they'll overwhelm your face. Hair is denser in the middle of the hairline and thinner at the sides, so be sure your hairdresser doesn't cut the middle of the bangs too thick. These bangs work on all hair types, but if your hair is wavy, you'll have to blow-dry your bangs so they lie flat.

STYLING Spritz your bangs with water, comb them flat, and blow-dry them with a nozzle attachment pointing straight down. Use your fingers to pull the bangs straight. If you have very curly hair, use a small, round, natural-bristle brush to pull them taut.

MAINTENANCE Almost every stylist will give you a free bang trim every few weeks, but if you need to snip them, use sharp scissors and cut them when they're dry and straight. Brush them toward the middle of your face into a point and hold them together, but don't twist them. Then cut at the bridge of your nose, which will make them slightly longer at the temples and look balanced. Since you're pulling them taut, they'll bounce back up a half inch when you release them. If you want them shorter, go to your stylist.

Supershort and Tousled

Really short (two to three inches) bangs à la Amber Valletta in the '90s take some daring but look fantastic. They're as dramatic as a short haircut. Warning: If you have very curly hair or don't intend to blow-dry daily, don't get short bangs. If they air-dry, they'll puff up and look like you're wearing a stuffed animal on your head. And you never want your bangs to be shorter than the middle of your forehead—that's when you get to sticking-out territory.

STYLING When your bangs are too short to wrap around a brush, pull them straight down and blast them with a blow-dryer. Don't use a flatiron—they'll stick out like straw. Once they're dry, comb them down to lie flat or use a dab of pomade and tousle them—think of early Joan Jett.

MAINTENANCE I don't advise trimming short bangs yourself. Better to let them grow long than to cut them too short.

Side-Swept

This is the style for women who want to ease into bangs. The good thing is that they blend with the layers around the face. It's easy to brush these bangs to the side, and they almost disappear. Side-swept bangs work on any length hair—I recently cut them on Mariska Hargitay, who has a pixie cut, but they're just as flattering on really long hair.

STYLING If your hair is straight, spritz your bangs with water, and blow-dry while pulling them with your fingers. If it's wavy, use a small-barrel round brush. Brush your bangs in the opposite direction from the way they fall. Then, as your hair is cooling, smooth them to the correct side to keep them from falling flat.

MAINTENANCE These are difficult for a nonprofessional to cut. If you want to trim them, buy thinning shears and cut them a half inch to one inch. Be sure to hold the scissors at the same angle that your hair is cut so the trim is discreet. Thinning shears don't remove too much hair, and they leave a nice, imprecise line.


Source: Allure.com (http://www.allure.com/magazine/2008/12/chris_mcmillan_bangs)
Date: December 2008
Author: Chris McMillan