Side-swept bangs haircut?

[CanadaSquirrel]

I've had the straight-across bangs look for most of my life. My 18-year-old daughter has been trying to convince me to get what she calls "side bangs". She wants to go to the hairdresser with me and tell them how to cut my hair. My daughter is beautiful and stylish so I trust her sense of what looks nice, but I'm still a bit hesitant concerning changing my bangs. At the same time, I am definitely sick of the way my bangs look. I don't like the hard line they have along the top of my head and need something different to update my look a bit, but I worry about "what if I don't like it?" Then it's a matter of years to grow it all out again.

I had gone to a different hairdresser a few years ago when my usual hairdresser closed the doors of her in-home salon for awhile due to health reasons. The guy who cut my hair was one I had gone to before and was happy with the trims he gave me, but this time when I went, he suggested I have more bangs to give me a more modern look. He gave me very thick bangs that went so far back on the top of my head that my hair refused to cooperate and go forward. They insisted on splitting into a part and going down either side of my head in their short little paths. About three years later they are finally just past my shoulders, with only my whispy-ish bangs being up at about eyelash level right now.

I like the look of Zooey Deschanel's hair is in the movie "Yes Man". Her bangs frame her face nicely.

My goal is to always have hair that can still be put back into two braids. I don't wear it that way often, but for the few times that I do, I want it to work.

Hmm... a bit of rambling thoughts here, but my question has anyone here got "side bangs" and, if so, are you happy with them? Do they get in your eyes and annoy you? As I said, my bangs are now about eyelash level, and so I am getting quite annoyed by them. Pinning them back looks really ugly on me so not an option.

[Lamb]

If your bangs are past your eyebrows, or just brushing them, you could try training them to fall to the side without cutting.
Just brush them forward, towards the tip of your nose. Then, with your fingers or a comb, make a part on one side, and comb your bangs aside from that part. (Does this make sense?)

Here is a better explanation, but this is for people who have no bangs at all:
http://www.longhairloom.com/changeyourlook.html

I wouldn't go to the salon just for the sake of changing the direction where your bangs fall. ;)

The good thing about side-swept bangs is, the longer they are, the easier it is to pin them to one side, out of your face. But if you are generally speaking happy with your bangs as they are now, just let them be.

[manderly]

I cut my own side bangs last year. I had no bangs to begin with. They do need to be longer than the traditional blunt bangs that you have, so you need to grow out a little bit to get the best effect.

To cut them yourself, there are lots of great how-to videos on youtube. Essentially, hold your bangs (or to-be bangs) in front of your face loosely (don't pull tight, as we know bangs magically shrink when you do this!). Hold your scissors facing down to the floor and cut at an angle from around the middle of your eye (on the shortest side) down to your nose, snip snip snip, and down to the opposite earlobe from the starting eye. This is creating a diagonal line of hair from your eye to your cross ear. Start conservatively with the length (meaning keep it longer than you think you want it). Brush your hair to the side, tucking the longer ends behind your ear. See where all that hits you now and touch up as you see fit.

It was really easy to do, and really easy to grow out because sideswept bangs are essentially already overgrown bangs :)

If you're already used to the feel of blunt bangs on your face, the new bangs shouldn't bug you too much. It will take a day or two for your new part to settle in and not feel weird though.

Here's a photo of my old bangs. HTH :flower:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y50/astrauser/f76c6832.jpg

[Jenn of Pence]

Alas, your bang trim story sounds similar to mine! I had side-swept bangs and had them "trimmed" to be huge and thick and straight across. Not happy! I agree with the suggestion of parting what you currently have to the side first, and you may not even have to cut. I wore mine like this for, seriously, like eight years before getting actual short bangs cut.
Manderly, your bangs were (are?) cute! ;) That's kind of what my cut ones looked like before they got hacked on.

ETA: great article, Lamb! Thanks for posting. :)

[Toadstool]

Manderley, I have real trouble following intructions. I would like to ask you, in the photograph, on the side where your bangs AREN'T, is there a shorter piece of hair that's kind of part of the bangs even though to the opposite side? I have always wondered this when cutting my own.

[manderly]

See that little tiny wisp on the left side of the picture? That is a little bit of short bangs. They just never wanted to part with the rest of them, so it's kind of a screw up on my part. But you can see, that even when imperfect, it's not hugely noticeable or ruinous to the look.


Also, my bangs look a tad short, but in reality they touched about the bridge of my nose in the center (where you think the shortest would be). They shrank quite a bit because I have curly hair and they weren't as cooperative as they would have been with straighter hair. Also, since you push them to the side, they kind of gather and sit on your eyebrow, they don't hang straight down like blunt bangs.

Lemme try to find the youtube video I followed. I'm a visual learner as well :D

[Toadstool]

See that little tiny wisp on the left side of the picture? That is a little bit of short bangs. They just never wanted to part with the rest of them, so it's kind of a screw up on my part. But you can see, that even when imperfect, it's not hugely noticeable or ruinous to the look.


But what I mean is, is there SUPPOSED to be a bit left over on one side for kind of symmetry??:confused:


Lemme try to find the youtube video I followed. I'm a visual learner as well :D



I'm actually a kinaesthetic learner which means I need you to come over here and hold my hands as I go through the motions!!

Thank you for your patience btw.

[manderly]

Ok, I give up. I can't find the video I followed. There are lots of good new ones on Youtube, many of them are using razors though, which eepp!

In all honesty, my bangs didn't look that great compared to a lot of these other girls (probably why I grew them out, lol, but I've never been a bang person)

Toadstool, in answer to your question above: It's entirely up to you. You see young girls today who have a crazy deep part with huge sideswept bangs, and then ones that are "weaker" and more like mine. I think it's just a matter of your own preference. If I was a daily flat-ironer I may have gone for the "look" you see young girls with and the heavy bangs, but I was trying to get them to work with my curls....which was kind of a flop in the long run.

HTH.

[Hana212]

I am facing a similar dilemma... I used to have a side fringe or as you call it side bangs.. and I loved it! but I have been growing it out for over a year, and it is now past my chin length.. (I originally wanted all my hair the same length) I am now unsure whether or not to get them re-cut? I cannot remember whether I needed to blow dry my side fringe for it to stay in place? and if so.. I will not get it cut - but I cant remember!!!
And if I do cut it.. I will have wasted all that time growing it out! DILEMMA

[1nuitblanche]

I just want to say that you don't have too much to loose in getting side-bangs. They are flattering on most people and since you already have bangs, you can just let them grow a bit and then get them styled.

[CanadaSquirrel]

I was thinking they'd probably have to cut in a new "line" for my bangs, seeing how right now I just have this U-shaped line over the top of my forehead. I really don't like this line, but I am afraid it could get even worse and then I'd be back to square one with grow-out.

[CrowningGlory]

I had side swept bangs cut in and I must admit I hated them. I took photos and the hair stylist was very good but I'm afraid I was extremely disappointed with how they turned out. They refused to cooperate and sweep to the side and instead spilt in the middle as someone else has described. They're still too short to go into updos and I can't wait until they grow out and I can have wispy bangs. Meantime I'm relying heavily on gel and hairspray to get me through this stage.

Not what you wanted to hear I'm sure. But really what it comes down to is this: don't do it because your daughter wants you to do it - do it because it's what you really want. And if you're not sure, wait.

[ddiana1979]

I had side swept bangs, & I like how they look on me very much. I have a high forehead, so I need some sort of movement across my face. Straight cut bangs absolutely won't work for me, because I have a prominent cowlick on the left side of my face, and it pops out about an hour after styling (with or without gel or hairspray).

Now that I'm growing my hair out, my bangs are a little longer than chin length. I do not plan on cutting them any more (other than S&D), so I use the method posted by lamb:

http://www.longhairloom.com/changeyourlook.html

It works great. Occasionally I need a bobby pin or clip to keep them in place, but I figure once they're shoulder length, I'll no long have that issue. Plus the extra length tames my cowlick. ;)

[x0h_bother]

when you transition it will probably look more like this http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_30PRmkOl4ro/SaqaZPAU3gI/AAAAAAAAKqQ/Uhpc7zBP65w/s400/asianhair36.JPG until it grows. They will probably take some more hair from your part and cut them into bangs to give a longer sweepy look. I wouldn't be afraid though, because it is so easy to cut them back to where they are now if you hate them.

[dropinthebucket]

ddiana1979, what a fab article link! thank you so much! I've been training my straight-across to be longer and more side-swept over the last year, but I have two huge cowlicks that need some length or weight to hang right. Lamb's method is SO perfect! and thank you to the OP for starting this thread! :)

[Alexannee10]

I cut a side swept bang earlier this year, by myself, and I love it. If it annoys me, I just clip it with a bobby pin, and voila !