9 Bangs Trends To Help Frame Your Face Because You’re a Work of Art
They say that bangs are like a frame for the face. And any good art curator knows that you need to consider the masterpiece when choosing the frame. You wouldn't put the Mona Lisa in an industrial-steel black frame, would you? Or surround an Ansel Adams photograph in ornate gold filigree?
From bold and blunt to soft and sexy, there’s a fringe for every aesthetic.
Getty images
They say that bangs are like a frame for the face. And any good art curator knows that you need to consider the masterpiece when choosing the frame. You wouldn't put the Mona Lisa in an industrial-steel black frame, would you? Or surround an Ansel Adams photograph in ornate gold filigree?
In 2023, bang trends are all about matching your personality and mood. If you're looking for romance this year (à la Degas and Monet), consider soft and feathery face-framing pieces. Or are you hoping to shake things up and buck tradition (like Picasso or Pollock)? Try a grungy, piece-y fringe or spiky baby bangs. Maybe you want to stand out (similar to a Rothko or Lichtenstein) with blunt, bold bangs or big, bouncy ‘70s fringe. Or perhaps you simply have an appreciation for the classics (you’re vibing with Vermeer and Rembrandt) and timeless curtain bangs.
Whatever your particular genre, start with your face shape and go from there. "Many bone structures can be complemented by bangs," says hairstylist and founder of IGK Hair Care, Aaron Grenia. "You’ll want to determine what types of fringe look best with your face shape and avoid those that won’t. For example, if you have a wider forehead, you may want to avoid full, blunt bangs." Bangs that fall below the temples on each side can make cheekbones look more chiseled, and longer, angled bangs bring focus to the eyes.
Here, we've rounded up the best bangs trends of 2023 to help frame your face and your mood.
Meet the Experts:
Nunzio Saviano is a New York City-based hairstylist and owner of Nunzio Saviano Salon.
Aaron Grenia is a hairstylist in New York City and Miami and cofounder of IGK Hair.
Frédéric Fekkai is a New York City-based hairstylist and founder of Fekkai.
Jonathan Colombini is a celebrity hairstylist and creative director of style and color at L'Oréal Paris.
René Fris is a celebrity hairstylist at Salon SCK in New York City.
Fabian Lliguin is a New York City-based hairstylist and cofounder of Rahua.
Rodger Azadganian is a Seattle-based hairstylist and founder of äz Craft Luxury Haircare.
Travis Speck is a New York City-based hairstylist at Suite Caroline Salon.
Jason Hallman is the lead stylist and educator at Ouidad Salon in New York City.
Curtain bangs
Getty images
Are you an ingénue or a femme fatale? A winter or a summer? A Carrie or a Samantha? Curtain bangs like Camila Cabello's let you have a little bit of everything. They're bangs, but they're also not quite bangs. They're layers, but they're not just layers. "This type of fringe is versatile, flattering on many face shapes, and can be styled in various lengths," says hairstylist Frédéric Fekkai. "Ask your stylist to create your fringe in an inverted ‘V’ shape to frame the face on both sides." Depending on what features you want to highlight, you can either have them cut longer to highlight the cheekbones or shorter to really frame the brow line, he adds.
Straight bangs
Getty images
"Soft, straight bangs bring instant attention to your eyes," says New York City-based hairstylist René Fris. (Admit it: You've been lost in Megan Fox's eyes this whole time, haven't you?) "Tell your hairstylist that [the bangs] should rest just beneath your eyebrows." When styling at home, keep things simple: Quickly hitting it with a round brush and a hairdryer should do the trick.
Bottleneck bangs
Getty images
No need to grade Halle Berry's bangs on a curve. (Uh, anyone?) These tried-and-true bottleneck bangs have all the expert bend and shape they need to make it to the head of the bangs class. "The top is narrow and then moves into a longer, wider ending, like a bottle, hence the name," says hairstylist Rodger Azadganian. “This type of bangs gives a ton of versatility because the outer fringe is longer and the middle can easily be swept to the sides for more of a curtain bang look.”
Blunt and Bold
Getty images
“You could go into the salon, ask for just these bangs, and your look just made a complete 180” ”
This style works especially well on thicker hair as the straight, blunt cut is made bolder by its full coverage (thinner hair types will wind up with a piecier version). Colombini recommends adding some longer, wispier pieces near the lip line to give the cut even more edge as Natasha Lyonne has here.
Baby Bangs
Kevin Mazur / Getty images
"Baby" bangs is kind of a misnomer, given how badass this cut actually is. "Punk rock don't-mess-with-me bangs" just doesn't roll off the tongue as well. Fris expects to see more of these spiky, uber-short bangs in 2023, especially paired with shags and wolf cuts like Doja Cat did here. "Ask your hairstylist for straight, textured bangs that fall about an inch-and-a-half down from your hairline," says Fris. Wear them straight or use a texturizing paste to give them a messier, tousled look.
70s Buxom Bangs
Instagram/@nunzio_nyc1
This ‘70s-inspired style on model Julia Zou is kind of like a sexy bowl cut for your bangs. The rounded, bouncy, voluptuous fringe is very Charlie's Angels and works especially well with longer hairstyles. "Seventies bangs look great on every face shape and any hair texture, regardless of the length," says New York City-based hairstylist Nunzio Saviano. “They're soft with a lot of movement.” To get that extra va-va-voom bounce, dry damp bangs using a large-barrel round brush and a volumizing product like JVN Embody Volumizing Hair Foam.
Feathery French Bangs
Instagram/@jennaortega
This feathery fringe is the bangs equivalent of wearing a silk robe. It's soft, romantic, comfortable, and, paired with a glass of champagne (you know, the real kind from the real region), it's oh-so-French. "These bangs are usually longer than regular fringes and have lots of texture," says Fabian Lliguin, hairstylist and cofounder of Rahua, adding that these bangs can easily be air-dried for an undone look.
New York City-based hairstylist Travis Speck recommends pulling the rest of the hair into a messy chignon or ponytail as Jenna Ortega has here. And when they get too long? Go with it. That's the beauty of this looser, bedhead-y fringe. "Letting bangs grow into something different is actually what makes them special," he says.
80s Grunge Bangs
Michael Bezjian/Getty Images
Speck expects to see these grungy, punk rock bangs make a comeback in 2023. It's very “I don't care about my hair, I just cut it with my kitchen shears,” and there’s something extremely, well, chic about that. Or did we just make it not chic by saying it was chic?
Speck recommends asking for your bangs to be cut with a razor in order to give them that DIY vibe. “The imperfections are what make it perfect,” he says. To get the messy separation that Rowan Blanchard has here, style them with a dab of texturizing cream like Bumble and bumble Bb Texture Hair (Un) Dressing Creme.
Curly Fringe
Instagram/@alannaarrington
Loose, sexy curls make for bombshell bangs, but they can also be a little tricky to wrangle. The advice here, says Ouidad lead stylist Jason Hallman, is to have a stylist take a look at your curl growth patterns and choose the length and shape that will cooperate naturally. (This brow-length fringe is a perfect fit for Alanna Arrington's looser curls, for example, while those with tighter coils may want a longer length). "I always tell my clients to achieve the look at home using a Wet Brush," says Hallman. Then brush the bangs from underneath while damp and shake them out to form the curls, he says.
Expert-Approved Tips to Achieve Your Longer-Hair Goals
We tapped top dermatologists and hairstylists for their best tips (like meditation...whaaa?) to support your specific goals on the way to getting your swishy-shiny dream hair.
Originally published @ Cosmopolitan |
Good News: It's easier than you think.
Growing long, strong, and beautiful hair (think: the manes of your favorite K-pop girl group, or a Lady Godiva-inspired style), starts with setting the right goals. Maybe your mission is to finally kiss breakage goodbye. Or you’re focused on growing out a bad haircut—like yesterday. So we tapped top dermatologists and hairstylists for their best tips (like meditation...whaaa?) to support your specific goals on the way to getting your swishy-shiny dream hair.
HAIR GOAL #1
Say *Bye* to Breakage
Always fantasizing about mermaid-length hair, only for it to snap into a million split ends before even grazing past your shoulders? (Ugh, same.) The unfair reality is, growing longer hair comes with the risk of more breakage. Preventing this comes down to the right hair care routine, and trichologist (or hair-issues and scalp specialist) Bridgette Hill of Paul Labrecque Salon and Skincare Spa, celeb hairstylist Jonathan Colombini, and L’Oréal VP of scientific communications Rocio Rivera, PhD are here to explain exactly how to find yours.
Gently Detangle in the Shower
First, Colombini emphasizes the importance of in-shower techniques to help combat breakage from the first step of your hair-care routine.
“Your hair is most vulnerable when it’s wet, so you want to make sure you’re not putting any tight tension on it.
”
Start by cleansing with a moisturizing shampoo like Loréal Elvive Dream Lengths Restoring Shampoo, which—along with the rest of the Dream Lengths collection—is made with nourishing ingredients like castor oil and B vitamins. (Together, the collection helps smooth ends and strengthen hair.) To bypass wet tangles, Dr. Rivera says to use a conditioner formulated to prevent knots, such as the same Loréal Dream Lengths brand. She recommends keeping a wide-tooth comb in the shower to gently work the silky stuff through your hair
“Start at the ends and work your way to the top,” she says, explaining that by starting where the most tangles are and working your way up, your brush won’t get stuck like it would from running it from the top down.
Use a Microfiber Towel
Once you step out of the shower, Colombini suggests ditching your terrycloth towel and wrapping your hair in one made of microfiber to help maintain your hair’s smooth cuticles from the root to the tip. His favorites are ones that are designed to wrap around hair and secure in place once twisted and tucked in.
Prep Your Style With a Leave-In
To keep the TLC going, Hill recommends coating damp hair with a leave-in conditioning product like. Once applied evenly across hair, use a boar-bristle brush with wide-set bristles—this is key!—to detangle strands from the ends up. Too-close bristles will cause unwanted friction, and Colombini warns that this can cause breakage especially if you have fine, tangle-prone hair.
Color and Style With Care
Seasonal color changes, hitting the heat tools and throwing your hair into tight ponies and top knots are all part of your hair rotation, and Hill says that’s okay—so long as you’re giving your strands long breaks and taking measures to protect them. She suggests giving hair some relief with heatless styles made with tension-free accessories, like saturating loose braids with a leave-in to create beach waves.
If you must reach for your wand/iron—we get it!— Hill emphasizes prepping hair with a heat protector (like L'Oreal’s Paris Elvive Total Repair 5 Protein Recharge which is formulated to protect hair from temperatures up to 450°F.) When it comes to color, she recommends a look that can go longer between touch-ups, like balayage— which often looks even better with time.
Coddle Your Strands Overnight
Whether you’re the type to sleep pretty still or toss and turn until the first time you hit snooze (then hit it again, and again), swap your cotton or flannel pillowcases in favor of silk or satin ones. The smooth materials are gentler on hair’s cuticles than other fabrics that can ruffle ’em up, leading to big bad breakage. You’ll actually wake up with softer, shinier strands. Pretty dreamy, huh?
Hair Goal #2
Skip Your Next Salon Appointment
Moisturize Your Split Ends
We’ve ALL been there: You chop your ends into the bob trend of the day, only to flip TF out at your first peek in the mirror. There’s no magic technique to growing inches back overnight, but there are ways to help prevent another trip to the salon and focus on maintaining your length.
One way to do so is to consistently use a leave-in conditioner that nourishes split ends via its moisturizing ingredients. Again we recommend multitasking —which adds shine and smooths split ends, giving you the appearance of fresher, no-fraying strands.
Make Scalp Care a Priority
Another way to prolong the period before your next haircut is by paying attention to how you care for your scalp. Celebrity hairstylist Kendall Dorsey explains that the number of products you use can impact your scalp health. If your oils, serums, hairsprays, and dry shampoos are like your bbs, Colombini says to cut back.
“Think of your scalp as an extension of your skin from your face,” he says. “If you put too much makeup or products on your face, it doesn’t allow the skin to breathe; the same is true of hair follicles.” When you overwhelm your hair and scalp with products, it might not only weigh hair down but in some cases can even clog follicles.
HAIR GOAL #3
Strengthen Hair From the Inside Out
Eat the Right Nutrients
You’re eating clean(ish), kind of getting into crystals (?!), and now you’re ready to make getting long, healthy hair part of your ~lifestyle~. Cosmetic dermatologist Michele Green says, and recent research suggests, that eating foods rich in certain nutrients can be a low-effort way to promote stronger and healthier strands.
Try eggs for protein, salmon for omega-3 fatty acids, leafy greens like spinach for iron, and a variety of fruits and veggies for vitamins A, B, C, D, and E. Also check labels for zinc and fiber, which may be beneficial as well, and learn more about foods for healthier hair here.
Practice Self Care
If your hair growth is stunted by profuse fall-out, we get the frustration. After checking with your dermatologist or trichologist as to why your mane might be thinning (it’s possible it’s genetic), you might want to try out a few different methods of mellowing your mind. According to Dr. Green (and this 2017 study), heavy stress shifts the immune response to specific growth factors, potentially leading to thinning and fallout. Yikes.
To lessen the chances of this scary sitch, you might find it’s worth booking that yoga class, spending an hour in an infrared sauna, or tapping into your meditation app for a dose of concentrated relaxation. Because hey, we’re about any excuse for self-care that’s also hair-care.
Rebecca Norris is a full-time freelance writer living in the DC metro area.