Saturday, August 30, 2014

Bangs for Thin, Wavy Hair


It happened.  I got the itch for bangs.  After months of Googling photos of celebrities and people with bangs AND wavy hair, I became frustrated that there were very limited "before" and "after" comparisons.  So when I decided to take the bang plunge I opted to document it in hopes of helping other ladies who are interested in bangs!

Past Hair Type
- Thin
- Fine
- Curly ( 3A or 3B ish)




Then my locks got long and heavy!  The top straightened out so I decided to cut it, assuming it would curl back up to it's previous glory.  I was wrong.




Current Hair Type (post-baby): 
- Thin
- Fine
- Wavy/Curly (2A or 2B depending)




I had bangs when I was a small child, I mean, EVERYONE seemed to have bangs in the early 90s, right? I had such curly hair after adolescence that bangs were NEVER on the table.  After having pregnancy reduced my curls to beachy waves

 However, after having a baby my curls have reduced to beachy waves and I became fascinated with the thought of curls to add a little "edge" to my face.  This, plus realizing that my faint/thin my eyebrows make my forehead look larger, sealed my decision to add some bangs to my look.


Bangs with waves/curls are tricky because waves are often unpredictable.  However, the benefit of adding bangs to waves is that they can be straightened without looking awkward next to the curls.  My goal is to be able to wear them casually wavy.


Celebrity/Pinterest Inspiration:
This is the general look I want.  Of course, I don't have a personal team of stylists and makeup artists to help "perfect" it for events, but you can see the idea.



I found a lot of tips from this YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSzkzSG4KNQ

Please excuse my late night, make-up free, photos! 


1. Form your triangle!  (Mine is very small... I wanted to take baby steps just in case I botched my hair)


2. Trim bangs to desired length.  Initially, I went for the side bangs. I kept going back and forth between wet and dry cutting to ensure I was keeping them even AND making sure the hair wasn't going to curl up too short.   


As you can see, I just them long to make sure they would not dry too short.  I trimmed and adjusted a few times.  There is a steeper taper on my left because of where my natural part is.


Before and After:  Subtle difference.  



The next night I took the bangs a step further to see-through fringe bangs!  Mine were too thin at first, so I pulled more "bangs" from the triangle technique.   Then, I trimmed a tiny bit more to keep the ends out of my eyes.  







This final results! 


Oddly, my hair curled up more than normal for these pictures. 
We will see how I like it over time!   I can't wait to see how they look with different hairstyles.



***UPDATE**
Three months later I am still a fan of the bangs!  It is different having to trim them every 3-4 weeks so they don't poke me in the eye... but it's totally worth the hassle!  I prefer to wear them straightened instead of wavy which wasn't explained in the initial tutorial.  Trial and error :)








*** Update, 1.5 years later ****

I am still loving the bangs! :) 










19 comments:

  1. They're cute (& you're brave!).

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    1. Thanks, Anonymous! I've been meaning to post more "updated" photos. I still like them three months later.

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  2. So.... It has been a year. Are you still banged and lovin' it? Or are you in grow out mode?

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    1. Hi Larae! I still absolutely love having bangs! They were mildly frustrating in the humid Alabama summer, but besides that I plan on keeping them for a while. I need to add another photo update :)

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  3. That is exactly my hair story....post baby. It's so hard to figure out my new hair. What kind of products do you use in your hair?the bangs look really good. I'd love to try it....very scary as I have never had bangs.

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    1. Hi! I usually use a mousse that I can find at any store (like Garnier Curl Constructing Mousse) and some light holding gel (lately I use DevaCurl Defining Gel; sulfate free products are supposed to be healthier for curls). If you do try the bangs, I recommend doing the "side swoop" style bangs first so it's not culture shock after the change. I do think having bangs can make the mom-ponytail look extra chic. Toss the hair up, apply some dry shampoo to the bangs, straighten them, and DONE is one of my go-to styles.

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  4. It's fate! I'm trying to really work out my exact curl pattern while also deciding whether to go for bangs on my ultra long hair. You may have just given me the green light. Yours look great! Thanks for the true before/after photos!

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  5. So this isn't letting me post a comment if I use mean words?? Seriously?

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  6. Fine. I can work around it. You are u-g-l-y! For some reason it won't let me post the full word but I guess you're special because i Wrote a whole paragraph about how s-tup-id and ugl-y you are!!

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  7. Bonita, why would you want to write something mean about someone who has no impact on your life. If you don't like her photos or post, log the heck off! Don't project your u-g-l-y and s-t-u-p-i-d self on other people.

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    1. **hugs** People and their keyboards must get real-real bored sometimes to waste their time on rudeness.

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  8. Same thing happened to me pre/post baby! I have the same hair!! So frustrating! My ends are so thin right now, everything poofs out at the ear level LOL it looks *fantastic* haha. The bangs look great on you, especially slightly wavy/natural! So brave, I don't think I could do it! Also, ignore (or delete/block) Bonita. Who writes a paragraph bullying someone on the internet LOL that is silly. You're not what she says, you just look happy and she is trying to tear you down. See ya!

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    1. Hi Jenna, welcome to the mom club! It's so bittersweet finding people who have the same struggle. Seriously, long full layers was a game changer to end the "below the ear poof" look! I hope you figure out what works for ya so you can rock the mom life with gorgeous curls <3 If you're not a DIY hair girl, you should check with a stylist and see what they recommend. (Thanks for the kindness about the rude comment BTW, I guess late night, make-up free selfies in poor lighting aren't Bonita's thing =P Silly, bored people. )

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  9. Thank you so much for your article. I have thick curly hair and no haircut or hairstyle would make me feel good about my hair. I want to try bangs as that will lessen the volume but too scared to try it..My hair always curl up after drying and I do not wish to use haur straightener or hair dryer . Can I still try thr bangs?

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    1. Hey! If you are still considering the bangs I would definitely start off with a small section and dry cutting them after you've styled your hair the way you normally wear it. It will help to cut them when your hair is dry because you never really know how curly hair is going to look once it dries. Good luck!

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  10. The bangs look really good on you, and I'm glad you still like them! Bangs are sort of dangerous because they can really be hit or miss especially with curly hair.

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  11. Thanks for sharing! Very brave but they turned out so cute :)

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  12. They really suit you! They pull all attention straight to your eyes and cheekbones. Very cute!

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