How to Cut Girl's Bangs

Here's a few "professional" tips for the DIY salon mom!

Now, we all know that you can just comb them down and cut them off, right?  Pretty simple.

 But have you ever noticed that bangs cut by a salon always seem to turn out better?  There's just a few little tricks that make all the difference!  So, here's my basic how-to.  Sorry about the mess in the background... we had an extremely busy Saturday which just happened to end in a haircutting tutorial.  : )

Step 1:  lightly dampen hair with a spray bottle.  Section off the hair that you want to cut and comb it forward and slightly to the side that it naturally swoops.  Always start with LESS hair than you think you might like.... you can always go back and cut thicker bangs later.  Neatly tuck the rest of the hair behind the ears or put it in a low ponytail.

**Never cut WET hair... it gets longer when it's wet.  Just lightly damp is perfect.

Step 2:  Cut!  We like to trim right to eyelash length.   I also like to have the edges  curve down a little-- it looks less little girlish.  If you're going to wear bangs straight down, this might be a little too long, but always start long and then trim more...  They shorten when they dry!

OK, so far, you're probably thinking "Duh, I already knew that!"  But here's where the salon tip comes in....

Step 3:  Working in the center of the bang, comb up a small section and take a look.  See how the front is so much shorter than the back?  This is what makes them look "chopped off"  when you just cut them straight across.  You need to give them just a slight layer.   That's what makes them fluffy, with a soft edge.  

You're gonna cut from the back toward the front, evening up the back length to match the front.

NOTE:  Do NOT cut any more length off the hair closest to the forehead-- that's determining the bang length!  Just trim the back to sort of fade into the front.

Work your way from the middle out to each side, using the hair that you cut first as a guide.

Be sure to follow the angle of the scalp, sort of slanted down toward the nose... it's not a perfectly level cut (that would be too drastic).  You're just trying to soften the edge and have all the hairs fall at slightly different lengths.

Be sure to keep combing the bangs down and checking to see how they look.  It shouldn't really be that noticeable.  Once the hair is just about dry, you're ready for the final step.

Step 4:  Work your way across the whole bang again, just like you did in step 3, but this time you're going to make tiny little snips "into" the hair.  This is especially important if you're cutting a relatively thick bang.  It gives them less weight and softens the edges even more.

This is the same technique used around the edges and on the layers in the back....

but I'll show you that one next.  : )

Hopefully that made sense.   I'm not a professional salon person, I just have 20 years experience giving haircuts at home and so far, my clients are happy!  It's really not that tricky at all.  Just remember, start gradually, you can always go back and cut more later. Sometimes you may even want to wait til the next day or so to decide if you're happy with the length.  That's OK.  It's a learning experience.

And a great money saver... especially since bangs are becoming popular again and they need so much maintenance to keep them looking good.

So, go ahead and give it a shot!