Please help me decide...Bangs or No Bangs?

[2luvmycurls]

I am really considering long side-swept bangs. I love the look on others, but am not sure they'd work for me. I know when my hair is shorter and I have more face-framing layers, my face looks nicer and not as fat. With all my hair long, it seems to pull on my already longish face and make the lower cheeks/jaw area look even more unflattering. But I really like long hair, and don't want to cut it. So I'm in a predicament. How do I keep my hair long but also flatter my face? I know I DON'T want straight across bangs...I had them as a kid and hate them.

I guess I'm wanting to mainly hear from people who have curly hair and also have bangs. Do you let them curl? Do you straighten them? Would it look strange with curly length and straight bangs? What do you think would be a good length for bangs for me? Sorry for so many questions! I'm just trying to have my cake and eat it too. :)

[Curlsgirl]

As you can see in my avi I have curly hair and straight bangs. I do straighten them with a round brush but with my hairtype (mostly 3a, it's a little straighter than usual in my avi) they aren't very curly anyway. I love them. But you said you don't want straight across bangs. I do sidesweep mine sometimes, can wear them either way. I don't think it looks weird with straighter bangs and curly hair. :shrug: If you don't like them you can always grow them out.

Your hair is GORGEOUS by the way!

[morguebabe]

I have wavey hair and if I want to wear my bangs down I have to flat iron them in the morning. My wonderful stylist Tina, know my obession with my hair and how much I don't like loosing thickness or length talked me out of them TWO years, I finally convinced her I DID want them and I wouldn't mind loosing both for bangs. Ugg :( she was right.
I mean I like them, I think they look cute down, WHEN I do bother to style them to wear down. I just hate how much out of my pony tail I lost.
I just uploaded picture in album for you of my bangs. YOu wouldn't think they made me loose that much but they did.
I do and don't regret them.

[Heidi_234]

I have bangs, and it's a royal pain in the butt to maintain them. I personally decided to grow them out.
I have to flat-iron them every morning, and still I've got tons of bad bangs days. Mostly, the only way they look decent is when I sweep them into the rest of my hair (as like trying to tack them behind my ears, so it appears as there as almost no bangs at all, just some sort of volume above my forehead.
It's a shame because I find bangs really cool, and I wish I had the right hair type to wear them. It doesn't look weird at all, having bangs and curly length. IMHO bangs that are not straight look bad, but it's only my opinion (don't forget that bangs are much shorter, and that make them even curlier than you length sometimes). And I forgot to mention they always grow out too fast when you try to maintain them, but not fast enough when you try to grow out.
If you think you've got the power to maintain bangs, then i suppose you should go for it. It's your hair, and you'll never know unless you'll experience it by yourself. I personally don't think any curly head can get away easily with bangs.

[Tap Dancer]

I don't have curly hair, but I had bangs for most of my life. My advice is not to cut them unless you don't mind the work. I think that rule goes for pretty much any hair type. Trimming and styling take a lot of time.

[girlcat36]

Bangs are high maintainence, unless you are 1a, b, or c.
Your hair is so pretty and shiny!

[Fantak]

Would face framing curly layers be an option? Not too many, just a few.. I think they would give width and lift to your face without the need for straightening.

[GlassEyes]

*I* have curly bangs.
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b170/PaulCarroll/Me/SD531690-1-1.jpg

That was before they grew out. Not I still have them, but they're longer. You'll have difficulties getting 'sideswept' bangs with curls, but you can blow dry them.

[Fantak]

Those are really cute GlassEyes!

[Tap Dancer]

Bangs are high maintainence, unless you are 1a, b, or c.

Bangs can be high maintenance for those of us with straight hair, too.

[Speckla]

They should atleast reach the bridge of your nose when pulled straight so they're not too short when curly. That'll be long enough to pin back if you want to or blow out straight.

I'd rather wear straight bangs and the rest curly or I twist my bangs into several sections and secure back with mini-jaw clips. It's cute and easy.
________
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[bjt]

OMG GlassEyes & 2luvmycurls, you have *amazing* hair! You both have such beautiful curls! I wish my hair looked like either of yours, with or without bangs!

I've recently cut just a few (very few) sideswept bangs into my hair--they are more work than the rest (and my hair is straight!)

[wintersun99]

.............

[Vitalai]

I have straight hair, and I absolutely love my bangs. My hair isn't too fussy, so I just wash and go.

I have a friend with curly hair. She has face-framing layers with a side part, about ear-length to chin-length. She leaves them curly. It's pretty both up and down, little ringlets going down the side of her face.

[Themyst]

I already have self-cut bangs (did it myself and am not very good at it). You can see them in my album (the pic with my dog).

But I want more! I want the ones that come down the side and go just under my jaw line. As it is now, when I wear my hair back all you see is FACE. I'd like to soften that look a bit ...

My hair is getting pretty long so I don't know how this kind of fringe would look. I guess I'm looking for more pics.

[Vitalai]

I already have self-cut bangs (did it myself and am not very good at it). You can see them in my album (the pic with my dog).

But I want more! I want the ones that come down the side and go just under my jaw line. As it is now, when I wear my hair back all you see is FACE. I'd like to soften that look a bit ...

My hair is getting pretty long so I don't know how this kind of fringe would look. I guess I'm looking for more pics.

Have you tried taaz.com? You can upload a picture of yourself and try on hairstyles.

Tonight was hairstyle night, so I had my camera out. I took a picture of my bangs for you. They're kind of messy, because I had been playing with my hair. I like them because they flatter my face much better, but you can't really tell from the picture. I'm not entirely ready for the tight-bunned mean lady look yet. :p

http://i449.photobucket.com/albums/qq211/vitalai/bangssafe.jpg

The picture with Wentworth is adorable, by the way. :cloud9:

[Tangles]

I might be in the minority here, but I don't think bangs (the kind that end at the temple or cheekbone) really make most people look any better, and they're not easy for wavies to keep up.

If you cut face framing fringe that hits at the lip or chin, you can make faux sideswept bangs easily simply by parting your hair deeply to the side and brushing the fringe over your forehead.

[Themyst]

Thanks Vitalai and Wentworth thanks you too! I do like your bangs.

I did hear about taaz.com, I've had the URL written down for some time now but haven't tried it out yet. Maybe it's time.

I didn't mean to hijack this thread. I better go! :)

[jessie58]

I deeply regret my bangs that I cut in 6 months ago. I have curly hair and they were a pain until they were heavy and long enough to sit down nicely by themselves.

[Lacus Autumni]

I would say try it out! Since you said they would be longish, you could clip them back if you dislike them. But make sure the person doing them knows what you want! I wanted long sideswept bangs myself - the hairdresser translated that into a take on Zack Morris' early years when he used to gel them so much the comb lines were visible.

I will say though, that my curly/wavy bangs are difficult to keep properly, so you may have to fuss around a little.

You never know unless you try!

[saoriiroas]

Bangs take years to grow out! You can always try to find a wigmaker (check the operahouse) to make some bangs on a headband for you.

Having long face framing bangs is a good way to have a short hair look from the front with length in the back. IF you are cool with layers, a few "face framing" layers can look good on anyone.

My sister has beautiful large curls, its more than wavy but not corkscrew, and she always straightens her bangs and leaves curls in the back. It looks really cute, she has a long face too, but she got a little chubby due to disability (before she could run 10-20 miles a day!) and she definetely looks good with straightened bangs and soft curls. When she doesnt straighten them they look good with a curl too. Look for pictures of people with a hairtype similar to yours and see if you like the way bangs look with it.

Good luck!

[brok3nwings]

when i used to curl /wave my hair thats when i liked my bangs the most... i really like the look of long wavy bangs with curly hair. Really nice :)

[Oskimosa]

Bangs can be very awkward, except when you pull your hair back, they leave softness around your face that you can miss with all one length hair.

I think curlies have plenty of softness already with the curls... My cousin is a curly and has bangs, and it can look a little crazy, but curlsgirl has beautiful bangs. You can always try it out, but, you know, you might hate it. Have you tried pinning your hair to simulate it?
I haven't really seen any realistic or curly looks in Taaz. Remember that even if a hairstyle looks good there, that YOUR HAIR might not do that.