You want to have bangs and you don’t have the time or the motivation to go to the hairdresser? You have two solutions: book a hairdresser at home, or cut your bangs yourself! If you are ready to take the risk, read the following carefully to avoid disaster.
Discover all our tips for cutting your own bangs yourself.
How to cut your own bangs – girl with bangs
01: Have the right equipment to cut your own bangs
First of all, you need to get the right equipment. A pair of hairdressing scissors is essential for cutting your own bangs. Forget about kitchen or sewing scissors, which can end up with a messed-up fringe! For the rest, you will need a comb as well as clips ( for short hair) or an elastic band to tie up the hair that will not be cut. As for the position to adopt, we advise you to stand in front of a large, well-lit mirror.
02: Make your bangs on clean, dry hair
In addition to preparing the equipment, you need to prepare your hair. To do this, it is advisable to cut your bangs on clean, dry hair. Why? Wet hair can be deceptive, especially if you tend to have waves or curls, and you may end up with bangs that are too short when they are dry.
Once your hair is clean and dry, you can comb it out to remove any knots. But be careful, there’s no need to pull it while exerting tension. It’s better to position your hair as naturally as possible so that you can cut it in its natural movement. Similarly, avoid straightening your bangs beforehand so as not to cut them too short.
03: Determine the thickness of the bangs according to your hair type
Now that you have the right equipment and your hair is ready, you will be able to delimit the work area.
In other words, you will have to choose the location of your future fringe. If you already have a fringe, simply take the lock of hair to be shortened between your fingers. If you do not yet have a fringe, you must choose the place where it will start and delimit its thickness.
To do this, you can rely on the nature of your hair. In the case where you have thick hair, we advise you to take hair about 3 or 4 cm from your forehead. Conversely, we recommend that you start your fringe a little further if you have fine hair to give it more substance. Count at least 5 cm from the forehead.
04: Position your hair well before cutting your bangs
Once you have chosen the thickness of your fringe, you will need to isolate the strand to be cut and attach the rest of the hair using clips or an elastic band. Take your comb and draw a straight line in the center of the strand that will be your future fringe.
Still using the comb and starting from the starting point of the first parting (at the top of the strand), draw two more diagonal parts to form a triangle. Depending on the thickness of the fringe you want, the triangle will be more or less large and far from your forehead.
Make sure that the two sides of the triangle are equal to the starting point (the base of your first parting). The triangle technique allows you to obtain a well-balanced fringe.
05: Determine the length and width of your bangs before cutting them.
After determining the thickness of your future fringe, you must define its length and width. Generally speaking, it is advisable to start gently so that you can correct if necessary and cut it shorter later.
You can take the hollow of the nose as a basic guide. As for the width of the fringe, you can base it on the end of the eyes. If you want your fringe to blend in with the rest of your hair, it is best to avoid cutting the hair at the hollow of the temples.
06: Cut your own bangs into the desired shape
Now the fateful moment has come: the cut! You need to choose your haircut carefully because the techniques for cutting your own bangs vary depending on the type of bangs you want. Here are the main ones:
Straight bangs:
To cut a straight fringe yourself, simply place the comb horizontally in the strand and cut straight at the reference points: up to the eyebrows for a short fringe or up to the hollow of the nose for a longer fringe. Remember that the hair always goes up when it is natural.
Straight, tapered bangs:
If you want to create a natural effect, you can thin out your bangs using the dotting technique. After cutting your bangs straight, keep the comb horizontally in your hair to form a straight line and position the scissors vertically to cut with small strokes along the ends of the bangs (do not cut more than 5 mm in length).
Biased fringe:
Do you want a slanted fringe that will allow you to get a side strand when it grows back? To cut a slanted fringe yourself, you must twist the strand and hold it with your opposite hand (right hand if you are left-handed and left hand if you are right-handed) on the side of the eye where it will be shorter. Cut in small strokes going from the top to the bottom of the strand. You can finish with the finishing touches by following the dotting technique to thin out your slanted fringe.
Curtain fringe:
If you want to adopt curtain bangs, you must separate your lock of hair into three equal parts. Cut the middle one below the nostrils. Cut the other two at the level of the mouth. Place the curtain bangs by separating the middle lock on each side of the face. Thin out using the dotting technique (vertical scissors) to obtain a blurred and natural effect.
The advantage of bangs is that they work well on long hair, mid-length hair, and short hair. All you have to do is take your courage in both hands and get started!