The thirst for everything ‘90s has reached our hairlines. The bangs we grew out in Grade 1 have now become one of the most coveted looks of 2016. We’ve seen it on the runways – our fall/winter 2016 favourite is the baby bangs Guido Palau gave Katherine Moore for the Alexander Wang show…

 

 

…And, some of our favourite celebs – from Rihanna to Bella Hadid are also sporting this trend. “It’s a great way to change a hairstyle to update your look,” says Mona Baltazar of Muze Salon in New York. “Some clients like to wear super short bangs for fashion statements, clients like them to cover their foreheads, some clients like them to look younger.”

 

Here are seven things you should know before you make the cut.

1. Bangs are marriage-level commitment

“A fringe is a lot of work. It doesn’t matter if your hair is curly, straight, if you have a fringe, every day you’re doing your hair,” says Dante Perrone, Canadian Creative Consultant for John Frieda and owner of Axe and Hatchet Grooming Club in Toronto.

2. If cut right, bangs will automatically make you look super edgy.

Think Brigitte Bardot. Edie Campbell. Uma Thurman in Pulp Fiction. So if your vibe is more girl-next-door, you may wanna skip this look.

3. Before the scissors are out, have a heart to heart with your stylist.

They are the experts and should give you an honest opinion about whether or not the look will work for you. “Sometimes, clients with a very strong hairline or cowlick in the front might have a harder time styling bangs,” says Baltazar. “It’s always best to work with the natural growth pattern of the hair.” Face shape is another factor. Bangs can emphasize a round face, for example. “The best faces for bangs are longer or narrower with larger foreheads so the bangs shorten the face,” says Perrone.

4. Never, ever cut your own fringe.

This is like giving yourself your own bikini wax – one in a million women can do it, but the rest of us should leave it to the experts. Most stylists will give complimentary bang cuts every six weeks. Perrone says bangs should be cut right to the eyebrow, so when hair dries it will shrink just a smidgen.

5. Don’t use a round brush to blow dry bangs.

You will probably look like Sandra Bullock in The Blind Side (Google it.) Instead, Perrone swears by these steps. Towel dry hair and blow dry roots in every direction until hair is about 90 percent dry. Take a fine-tooth comb and then dry bangs forward. Finish with hairspray.

6. Yes, you can have bangs if you have curly hair.

“With curly hair, the thicker you make bangs, the more volume and shape you can create,” says Baltazar. Unlike straight hair, curly bangs should be cut when dry (depending on your curl pattern, hair can shrink a lot.) To style, finger coil curls when wet and then diffuse or air dry.

7. If you want to try bangs without the commitment, try a clip-on fringe.

That’s what Bella and Gigi do. These can be found in most beauty supply sources, says Perrone. To keep this as natural looking as possible, he suggests teasing hair half an inch behind the hairline to cover up the clip.

 

 

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