STYLE

Stop! Put those scissors down before you make the fateful chop. We've all been there at least once (prob during lockdown): feeling stressed as you haphazardly cut your hair into bangs in front of your bathroom mirror. But don't fret—this classic DIY-bangs-gone-wrong horror story is totes avoidable. Take a deep breath, relax and read our tips for cutting your bangs at home. You're going to come out of this with an adorbs haircut, bb.

Inspo, inspo, inspo

@hjevelyn

Pull up your Pinterest, TikTok, Insta...it's time to look for inspo pics. Are you going for wispy bangs that can easily be sweeped away? Chunky microbangs or curtain bangs? Or are you trying to look like Jess from New Girl? No matter what style you're going for, just make sure that you have *something* in mind. It's usually better to start trimming with a specific look as a goal instead of figuring it out as you go. Also note if your desired style will require a lot of maintenance/styling and if you're OK with that.

@_tracydias

Start with smaller sections

@audreyvictoria_ Cutting my bangs ✨ follow for more hairtok videos 🤍 #hairtok #bangstutorial ♬ bound 2 - FILMSTELLAR

If you've ever watched a YouTube tutorial on how to cut your own bangs, you've probably seen someone separate the front of their hair in a triangle-shaped section and start trimming that to form the bang. Resist the urge to grab a large section of your hair! You can always cut more later, so start small at first. Obviously, everyone's hair and face shapes are different, but a general rule of thumb is that the top of the triangle-shaped section should be the same distance away from your hairline as three fingers.

Snip carefully

If you have straight or wavy hair, try snipping *up* with your scissors rather than completely straight across. This can help blend any harsh straight lines from cutting, make any mistakes less noticeable (thank you very much) and make your bangs more even. Even if you're going for the choppy look or microbangs, snipping up will help slightly thin out your bangs so that they sit less heavy on your forehead.

For all the curly hair girlies, cutting straight across curls is actually better. Snipping up into a curl could disrupt your coils—and we def don't want that. Check out this helpful video tutorial on how to cut curtain-style bangs on curly hair:

*Overestimate* how much to cut

Again: you can always cut more later, so don't do too much at the very beginning. When making the initial trim, cut at least two inches more than you think you need (you'll thank us later). As a result of the angle you're looking at yourself from, how you're holding your hair or how your hair springs up, the length of your bangs could deceive you. Cut a little at a time until you reach your desired length. And if you do end up cutting more than you intially wanted? It's totally A-OK. Hair grows back, and you can rock *any* hairstyle you want!

In need of a hair change? We got you:
💇 *This* is your sign to cut your hair short
💇 8 photos to recreate after your next hair appointment
💇 The trendiest colors to dye your hair this fall

Show us your cute new 'do on Instagram @girlslifemag!

All GIFs via GIPHY | Slider image: @hjevelyn

by Jinny Kim | 1/15/2023