How to style your bangs like a pro at home

Having recently joined the Bangs Club (opens in new tab), I finally feel qualified to voice my opinion. Bangs. Super fun. (opens in a new tab) 'Stretched bangs that hang over my eyes and obscure my vision' Not fun. Normally, I could run to the local salon for a quick bangs fix, but there are drawbacks to that. For one, it is physically painful to spend money on a two-minute salon visit. Second, given that the coronavirus pandemic is still ongoing, running to the hair salon every two weeks seems like an unnecessarily risky endeavor. Especially when there are better options out there.

So here's the good news. You don't need a cosmetology license, and it's actually surprisingly easy to do your own bangs. To prove it, we asked celebrity hair wizard Matt Fugate (open in new tab) to show us the easiest and surest way to cut bangs without mistakes or regrets. Yes, it's totally possible. Here are just six steps you need to take to convince your friends that you are secretly a professional hairstylist.

First things first: Put down the kitchen shears and get a decent pair of scissors. Fugate says, "If you're going to cut your own bangs, it's worth it to buy a pair of scissors." Otherwise, you risk an uneven, incomplete cut, which can lead to split ends later. And don't forget your hand mirror. [That is, make sure your hair is completely dry and styled before you pick up the shears, so you can see in real time how the bangs will lay out (anyone with curly hair knows how realistic shrinkage can be, and you don't want to get stuck with unnecessary micro bangs (You don't want to be stuck with unnecessary micro bangs.)

"Style your bangs the same way you always do."

"Whether you're trying to wear them smooth and blow-dried every day or if you want them to remain naturally curly, style them that way first, because you're going to want to cut them.

"As soon as you cut the bangs, they will drop and fan out, making them much wider than you originally planned, so before you begin, be sure to clip off the rest of your hair except the bangs on either side of your face," says Fugate.

If you are cutting bangs from scratch, the chunk of hair that will eventually become the bangs should be separated by drawing a small triangle (open with a new tab) from the outside of the eyebrow to the middle of the hair using the tip of a comb. The longer the triangle is extended back, the thicker the bangs will be, so remember this when separating the triangle and trimming the rest of the hair back.

"You don't want to cut the entire chunk of bangs at once. Besides, if you cut them all at once, you're more likely to make a mistake. Instead, divide the chunk of bangs horizontally into two (or three if the bangs are super thick) like layers of cake, cut back the top layer, and work from the bottom up.

It seems counterintuitive, but it is the top that you want to cut, not the outside. Don't be tempted to cut in a straight horizontal line. Holding the scissors horizontally and cutting toward the ends of the hair, I want to create a soft, piecey, diffuse line that looks natural, not a dull line that looks like it was just cut."

However, if you are making bangs for the first time, it is perfectly acceptable to cut the entire piece at about chin length, with the bangs portion brushed forward and gathered into a ponytail. Yes, chin. But after that, only sections and upward snips.

The biggest mistake when doing your own bangs at home is to make them too short. But the best bangs have graduated layers, starting at the length around the face and going shorter and shorter. Therefore, you want to cut the first layer at about nose length and see how the hair reacts before shortening it any further.

Once you are satisfied with the length of the first layer, the hard work is done. Fugate says, "Take the second layer down and, using the shorter section as a guide, trim upward until both layers blend together." Congratulations! You've cut your bangs like a boss."

To ease your apprehension, you can also check out this step-by-step video before you begin. Now, excuse me while I decide what to buy with my saved haircut money.

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