bangs: I'm teetering on the brink! And a question

[intothemist1999]

Ok, now kimberlily's off to get bangs! All the recent successful switch to bangs is really weaking my resolve. lol

I've been reading up, and I was almost tempted to go for it last night, but I was more sleepy than I think was safe to be snipping bangs :)

My question is for those who have done their own: did you do it damp or dry? The two good videos I saw were both dampened with a comb. However, alot of the other articles I searched said do them dry. I can see the logic to that, but it seems to me it must be easier damp, especially if you have fine, straight hair like me.

Suggestions?

[ReadingRenee]

I did mine dry and a word to the wise. My hair is wavy so Im sure this has something to do with it but even if I cut my bangs dry, they raise at the roots within the next 24 hours and look shorter than I wanted them to be. So I always cut my bangs dry and leave them a little longer than I think I want them otherwise they are way too short looking.

You could do them damp but just remember damp hair stretches and shrinks up when dry.

[amaiaisabella]

I do mine damp just because it's easier to cut, and if I try to cut dry, everything goes flyaway. Just remember to cut less than you mean to- mine spring up like a slinky on a trampoline if I cut too much :D

[debzillla]

Don’t cut you own one bangs! They will take a really, really long time to grow out.. … maybe even try on a variety of banged wigs to see if you really like the look and feel of bangs on you… Have a pro do it the first time… play close attention when you get them cut & once you have them they are easy to maintain / trim yourself

[Elainehali]

I cut my own on dry hair. The important thing to remeber is if they are wet make them longer. When they dry they will get shorter.

Look for vidios on your tube first. The ones that do it right cut with the scissors vertical. It takes a while, but they look softer and less likely to be lopsided.

[Islandgrrl]

What Elainehali said about vertical scissors! I cut my own bangs for YEARS and the best results I ever got, I got when cutting dry with vertical scissors. If you're cutting from a long length, gather the section that you want to fringe, and cut horizontally off about 3 inches longer than you know you want them to be when they're done. Then go at it with vertical scissors, snipping a little at a time, until you get them as even as you like them and at a length a little bit longer than you think you want. Spritz the new fringe with water (make sure you get the roots wet), finger comb and fluff and let them dry. Then re-evaluate and snip a bit more if you need to (chances are you won't need to cut more - or just give a tiny dusting).

This method kept me in very nice fringe for many years, even considering my atomic cowlick.

[mommy101405]

When I originally got bangs I had them done professionally then I would trim them myself from time to time. I prefer to do them damp. They will shrink up more if they are damp but I found it hard to get them straight b/c there were hairs going everywhere. I just cut them a bit longer than I thought I wanted them and they usually shrunk up just about right. You can always take a little more off later if you go too long.

[HairColoredHair]

I cut my own bangs for years. Stylists ALWAYS cut them far too short "Well, now you won't have to come in for a while! :mad: "

Bah.

I liked the thick heavy bang look.


I've since grown them out (they're to almost APL!) And am VERY happy I did so. So much less fuss! :cheese:

[Curlsgirl]

I too would get them professionally done the first time. Make sure you don't get them too far back or too far to the sides either. That will cause problems. You can always get them cut thicker. I love my bangs and have had them for years. I trim them myself dry usually. I am so used to it that I have no problems. I cut them about every 2 weeks to keep them just out of my eyes.

[Dark Rosaleen]

I'm also going to chime in and say have them cut by a stylist for the first time. Then you can easily maintain them at home once you have the shape.

If you just have a stylist trim your bangs in it likely won't cost as much as a full fledged haircut.

And...this is making me think of getting bangs again. I'm one of those people that always go back and forth. :)

[Kirin]

I cut my own, really happy with it, did them wet and it hides my six finger forehead :)

[intothemist1999]

Don’t cut you own one bangs! They will take a really, really long time to grow out.. … maybe even try on a variety of banged wigs to see if you really like the look and feel of bangs on you… Have a pro do it the first time… play close attention when you get them cut & once you have them they are easy to maintain / trim yourself



Thank you for the advice! Actually I had bangs done by a pro for decades. :) It's only a couple of years that I've been growing them out. ETA: I also cut my own bangs for many years, prior to growing them out.

I also have liked my own cut jobs better than what I got at the stylist, mainly for the usual reasons...they notoriously cut too short, and don't listen to instructions. I wish rymorg lived near me :D

Usually I'm gung-ho, but this time I know (mainly from being on the LHC for a year and a half) that taking one's time is best. I will start VERY small!

Gee...you'd almost think I'd decided!! :rollin:

[GibsonGirlV]

I thought long and hard before getting bangs. I hadn't had them since I was a little girl, but I had a feeling they would look well on my face. It was so scary for me since bangs seem to be something that either look really good or really bad on a person, and it's so easy for them to go wrong (they could be too short, too stringy, and all sorts of other things, plus I have a cowlick in my bangs-area).

I finally made the decision to go for it and had it done by a professional. I HATE going to the salon (you all know they always cut too short :P) and even more than that I hate paying through the wazoo for a hair cut (i can never tell the difference between a $14 haircut and a $45 haircut on me). I went to the local cost cutters/great clips/whatever and was very specific with what I wanted even though I couldn't find a picture of exactly what I wanted. He did a good job and there's no way I could have done the triangle part correctly on my own to achieve the cut.

I am SO glad I got bangs and it's been almost a year since I got them cut. Since then I've been maintaining them on my own. I've experimented with different styles and techniques. Sometimes I let them grow out to be a little more in my eyes, had them longer at the sides to frame my face, curved them up at the sides for sort of a Bettie Page look, etc. I've cut them wet, dry, damp, used the scissors vertically and horizontally.

I HIGHLY recommend that you get them done by a pro (even just the $12 "pro") for the first time and just make sure to request them on the long side if you're afraid they'll be too short. That way they'll be correctly centered and it will be easy for you to maintain them yourself (especially since you say you've had experience in that already).

What made you decide to grow them out a year and a half ago? What is making you think about getting them again suddenly?

If you DO decide to do them yourself (I don't think I'd have the guts for it even with all my bang experimentation) I would cut them wet to about eye level or so, then when you get close-ish to the general length you want them, blow dry them with a round brush and do the fine-tuning dry, with a vertical scissor (unless you want a blunt look, if so, use horizontal).

Hope that helps! Good luck!!!!

[ktani]

The video I posted here on how to cut bangs is very good, IMO.
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showpost.php?p=364494&postcount=14

[GibsonGirlV]

What a fabulous video!!!! This is exactly what I do to maintain my bangs (glad to hear I'm doing it correctly :p). only use horizontal scissors when I'm going for a more vintage Bettie Paige-esque look. I liked his tip about getting shorter scissors. I'll have to keep my eyes open for some.

Thanks for posting this!!!

[ktani]

What a fabulous video!!!! This is exactly what I do to maintain my bangs (glad to hear I'm doing it correctly :p). only use horizontal scissors when I'm going for a more vintage Bettie Paige-esque look. I liked his tip about getting shorter scissors. I'll have to keep my eyes open for some.

Thanks for posting this!!!

You are most welcome.

There are more videos on his site. They are updated and varied. I think that is very cool, even if I do not use his products, lol.

Here is the link.
http://www.tedgibsonsalon.com/meet_ted_video.html

[intothemist1999]

What made you decide to grow them out a year and a half ago? What is making you think about getting them again suddenly?


Not really sudden....ever since growing out my hair, I've debated over the bangs. I think I look better with bangs, but I had alot of agro from my history with them...because I'm a "sweat-er" soon as the weather gets the teansiest bit warm (I really should live alot further north! lol), my pores open up. So...I spent alot of time with the curling iron to fluff them away from my forehead, followed by a ton of hairspray.

At the moment my outlook on it is that if I think it will be warmer than I'd like, I can comb them side or back, to keep them off my forehead. I never did that in the old days, because I was too self-conscious about my forehead. However, since growing all my hair out, I've gotten used to my forehead being "out there". I'm hoping I will have more flexible bangs than I used to.

[goodenough]

I've had bangs since June, and I couldn't be more thrilled with them! I cut them myself, and I'm gonna have a stylist friend make sure my part's right tomorrow. I trim dry, even though it's messy.

To make them as thick as I like--I find they are a little too blunt. That's where thinning them by holding the scissors vertically comes in handy.

[sneakybea]

When I cut bangs again, I did it myself, though I probably should have had them done professionally. But people tell me I did a good job, and I felt kind of safe experimenting because I left them very wispy, and because the general waviness and puffiness of my hair makes it difficult to tell how precise or even the ends are anyway. I always cut dry, but they still end up shorter than I expect them to because they poof up again after I'm done pulling on them to trim.

[jojo]

I used to have bangs/fringe and cut my own on dry hair, if you cut on wet/damp hair remember to cut them a bit longer than you want as the hair shrinks as it dries.