Bang Debate

[FrozenBritannia]

I asked this in the bangs/fringe thread, but as I suspect only those with bangs/fringe go there I have decided to post this as a thread on it's own to see some opinions!
Do bangs make hair look thinner or thicker, and why do you have/not have bangs/fringe?

I am very interested to see your thoughts!

[spidermom]

I don't have bangs because I don't like to have hair sticking to my face when I'm sweating. The little stray baby hairs are annoying enough.

[Kathie]

I'm often alternating between having bangs and not. I have a small thin-ish face and a lot of hair- so bangs soften the look a bit. The reason I alternate all the time is that bangs can go from looking great one day to horrible the next- when that happens I usually start growing them out. At the moment they're at chin length... I'm currently holding out to see if the look any better as they get longer.

[longhairedlady]

I messed up and cut me some a huge thick layer of blunt cut bangs. It did make my hair look more thin and I am now trying to grow them back out. So for me I did not like the look. For my face shape I look better without bangs.

[archel]

I love my new bangs. I wear my hair up all the time and the bangs and face framing pieces keep me from looking like such a puffy moon face. I look waaaaay better with my hair up now.

[greentealeaf]

I think side swept bangs make my face look thinner but I'm currently growing mine out. I just stopped "wearing" them since I got sick of blowdrying them. It started to be a hassle and they never cooperated. Wind, heat, sweat, etc. just made them look crazy and I was always worried if they were in the right place. It's no fun growing them out either! Also, it makes my hair feel thinner, especially when in a pony tail. I'll be happy when my bangs can all reach my pony tail and be put up!

[Chetanlaiho]

Mine are currently half-way grown out right now (they come to the tip of my nose). Partially due to laziness and then I just kept it longer since I want to grow parts of it out (they're quite thick and I want more of my hair long).

I'm still deciding whether to cut them blunt again or not but I figure I have time to sort it out xD

[Fairy tale]

I have had bangs pretty much all my life. I grew them out once and I did like the look with out it but eventually went back. I think it depends on the kind of bang, I sported 'wispy' bangs at the urging of my sister for a while and it made my hair seem thinner. I now have a thicker bang wich I think makes my hair look thicker...I think. Maybe it is all in my head.

[mrs_coffee]

I vacillate between bangs and no bangs. Right now I'm sick of them so they're growing out.

[Tapioca]

I don't have bangs because of a massive cowlick right above my right eye. I need that bit long enough to tuck behind my ear or in a clip.

[FrozenBritannia]

is there any truth to the old wives tale that bangs grow faster than the rest of the hair?

[Squeak toy]

I am not sure about bangs making my length look any thicker or ruined
But they look good on my face. I have very thin see through bangs with just the front cm or less involved. I wear my hair up most of the time and without bangs I look like a drowned rat. It mint just be me but I like some hair seen when my hair is up.

[KwaveT]

Mine tend to hardly ever behave the way I want them to. If I try to side sweep them, they fall down. They aren't long enough to rest on the ear. If I comb them vertically, they tend to curl, twist, and wave however they want to after a while. So does the rest of my hair, but it doesn't look right for bangs though at least to me. I am going to blend them to the rest of my hair. I am growing them out now. All of mine are below the eyes now. The longest tail of the bangs are on the center of my nose.

[bedazzlecat]

I wear bangs to accent my facial features. It does make my hair a little thinner, though.

As to whether they grow faster... no, but I notice the growth more than the rest of my hair. I can't stand long bangs in my eyes, so I keep them super short and blunt about half an inch above my eyebrows. It's super easy to take care of and the style is simple. If I want to wear my hair down, it doesn't get in my face. But I also wear my hair in buns and ponytails a lot too.

I've considered growing my bangs out several times, but I always have to pin my front hair back because of the tickly hairs in the face thing.

[vanillabones]

I have had bangs all of my teen years, they make my hair look incredibly thinner. This would frustrate me and I would just think it is because I need more bangs... I would make my hairdresser make half of my head my bangs... no wonder my hair always has looked so thin. I've been doing everything wrong from brushing, drying, styling, frying, heat, handling, styles and CUTS for years and years :( Bangs aren't for me, my face, or my hair. I think I just used them to hide behind and try to fix what a hot mess I got my hair into.

I'm definitely a no bang voter. I love the thick blunt bangs on people that have enough hair, and long face framing layers, that's about it.

[Alex Lou]

I always have at least shorter layers around my face. It's just flattering. I have real bangs right now, and I'm liking that they take volume out of the rest of my hair.


is there any truth to the old wives tale that bangs grow faster than the rest of the hair?
No. Just no. The hair on the top of your head has no way of knowing if it's bangs or not, so it's not gonna grow faster just because you comb it forward and call it "bangs." It's just noticeable that bangs are growing because people only cut them to be about an inch or so above their eyes, so they need to be cut ever couple months.

[Mesmerise]

I used to have bangs as a child on and off... I was told to wear bangs to hide my high forehead :rolleyes:.

But last time I had bangs cut I couldn't wear them... it was too habitual to brush the hair off my face!! I do like having a few short bangy bits though, to soften updos. At the moment I've got some "natural ones" due to shedding regrowth!!

[jasper]

I always had bangs since childhood. I tried growing them out when I was about 10, using clips to keep my hair back during the transition. I remember my mom's outburst of relief when I went back to having them cut.

I have a fairly pronounced widows peak so that is why I wear bangs to this day.

is there any truth to the old wives tale that bangs grow faster than the rest of the hair?

This rings true to me in a way. I know that hair on diffent parts if one's head can grow at different rates. I cut my spouse's hair and it grows faster on the sides. I cut the sides shorter than the rest of his hair and the sides will be noticeably longer than the rest of his hair by the time he needs the next cut.

[jesa]

I notice that the hair around my face tends to get more split ends and damage so the hair that would be bangs never really gets very long anyway. I am to midback length but the bangs area is around 3-4 inches shorter - I am pretty vigilant about snipping anything even thinking about becoming split/damaged.
I've been planning on just getting bangs just to soften the look of always having my hair up at work (since I figure I'm half way there already). But I've only ever really had blunt bangs, and I don't want to go there again.

[Carolyn]

I don't have bangs for several reasons. One is because I don't want to lose any of my thickness. My braid would be thinner even with just a small section of bangs. Bangs are annoying. They are always greasy and dirty. They NEVER stay in place even with blow drying and hair spray. I used to have them so I know. I really dislike this new fad of bangs. I don't think they are flattering on most people. It just covers their face plus they are always messy and greasy looking. I hope the thick brow or above length bang fad goes away soon. I grew my last bangs out about 10 years ago and have been happily bangless since then. I don't plan to ever go back to them. They are a lot of work to keep looking good.

[LuciousLox]

For the past 2 years (around Christmas), I got bangs. Then... I spent the whole rest of the year growing them out!! This year, I will not be repeating this same mistake because;

1. I feel I look better without bangs. (I have a round face, and it make me look heavier.)
2. They are a lot of maintenance.
3. They require daily styling, and constant adjusting.
4. If they got trimmed crooked, you have to cut them even shorter to make them even...

Even side bangs can be a pain, though not as bad...

But I have *finally* come to the conclusion... Bangs are not for me :P

[jacqueline101]

I have bangs mine are pixie style sorta layered spiky and thin. The cut is triangular shaped with wispy longer pieces that frame the outer portion of my face. I have in the past grew them out and didn't look right with out them. I have also played around with the thickness of them as well as cut or style. I never noticed bangs making my hair looking thinner.

[Ermine]

It totally depends on the kind of bangs. For example, there's no way I'd do thick blunt bangs because I would have to have the bangs start almost at the top of my head for them to look dense enough. Then there isn't much hair left over. With more "wispy" bangs, it doesn't affect my thickness too much though. But when I get past shoulder length, I think I might grow out my bangs just because I need all the thickness I can get when I have long hair.

[FrozenBritannia]

I have bangs that start from the top of my head right now... LOL.

I love all these different thoughts and there are some very good points too, I try my best not to sweat but I can see how having them stuck to your head might be very aggravating!

Something that has always bugged me about bangs is that they make me look like I am 12 (I got ID'd this summer- I'm 26 and the drinking age here is 19) which is I suppose not a bad thing, but I have two children who are rapidly growing as big as me!

[archel]

Now that I'm 40 I *love* that bangs make me look younger. :)

[ssjhotau2]

I do not look good with blunt or even short side-swept bangs. Since I have a huge forehead I always think I'll look good, but I don't.

I need "face framing layers" or long side swept bangs that start at my cheek bone to look good. However I look best with no bangs.

[Aeltt]

Since my hair is not straight, bangs don't lay nicely. At all. (see Tintin to see what i mean xD)
So it looks bad if i don't straighten it, and even if i do there are those damned rainy/windy days.. So no bangs for me.

[Aeris]

I've had long side-swept bangs a few times, and while I don't think they looked terrible, I don't plan on getting them again, for a few reasons. First off, I have wavy hair and a cowlick, so I'd have to heat style the bangs until they were about cheek-bone length. That alone seems like a pain (as opposed to detangling, brushing, and all the crazy treatments I put on my hair - those are enjoyable to me). Second, I play with and relocate sections of my hair all the time without thinking about it, so bangs would just annoy me, since I can't just push them back. Also, while they didn't look horrible, I think my face just looks better without them. I have a long face, which would be great for bangs, but something about bangs combined with my eyes/eyebrows/nose would look kind of cluttered to me. Maybe it's just that my forehead isn't a good size for them? I'm not sure.

That being said, I think they are super cute on a lot of girls, like Zooey Deschanel. I love hers!

[teal]

I don't have bangs because things in my face really, really, really annoy me. My mom tells a story about how I wouldn't wait for my bangs to be cut one time and took matters into my own hands. As I only had access to blunted kiddie scissors at the time, you can imagine how that turned out. :D

I also have a cowlick which is only a problem when I have bangs.

[heartgoesboom]

i've been told i have thick hair and a low hairline so it doesn't make my hair thinner, but it does make me look younger. i recently got side-swept bangs but now it annoys me, lol. oh well. i only like bangs when i'm wearing an updo.

[redmj]

I think it depends on the kind of bangs you have. I have really thick hair and when I had bangs it made no real difference. I don't have them anymore because I have a round face and they make my face look wider than it is long.... not pretty.

[Anje]

I don't have bangs because I think they make faces look shorter and therefore wider. My face is already a smidge on the wide side, with all my hair pulled back. Bangs push it from a rather large-jawed oval to round.

ETA: I grew mine out when I was in 4th grade. I think I was so traumatized by the experience that I still never want to cut bangs in again, simply because the grow-out was such a pain.

[kettle]

I hadn't realised there was a "thick bang fad", I'd have been slightly put off from getting them! I do hate to be in fashion!

Mine are still new, and I'm still undecided on them. I'm trimming them myself and dry shampooing between washes so they're pretty easy maintainance. They seem to lie just fine, except for the very occaisonal morning when they may need a little spritz and a comb. I feel they do suit my face better, particularly since I wear my hair up 90% of the time, and have had a lot of positive feedback from friends confirming this. I'm not AS convinced as my friends that my hair looks as good down with a fringe- although there is also the plus that I can actually see! My hairline is so low that my hair was always getting in my way when it was down before. I feel like I've had a little window cut in, and I can wear my hair down more because of this.

No noticeable loss in thickness, though of course there will have been some.

The ONLY things that make me consider growing back out are a) the issue of having something in my face (minimal since mine are blunt, just above my eyes, but they do still cut off the very top part of my vision, which I haven't had to cope with for years!) and b) there's something just more natural and therefore appealing to me about all-one-length hair, especially at my length +.

Basically I like them and they're definitely staying for now. But of course hair grows and they're easily grown out again.

[edit]: spelling. Also I've just realised I've referred to my fringe as "them"... I've become all American for this post! :)

[owlathena]

I've had them on and off since my early teens. Right now they're grown out passed my chin, but I've been getting the urge to cut them again. I don't like that I'll have to straighten and wash them every day, but I'm itching for a change and I think they soften my face a little, although they might also make it look rounder. I think there is a picture of me with them in one of my albums. I think I might look better without them, but I like switching things up every so often. I usually cut blunt, just about the eyebrow bangs, and then turn them into side swept bangs as they grow out.

[battles]

I look weird without bangs, my forehead is too big. :D It also looks strange in updos if I have all of my hair pulled back. I'd love to have thick blunt bangs but my hair isn't thick enough in general, so mine are just kind of.. there.

I'm thinking of growing them out a little so I can push them off to the side.

[YepLilly]

I have long side bangs that I part on one side. But not the thick ones that fall over your face. I have thin ones i.e. I only use a small section of hair for them. As for their length, as long as I can pull them behind my ears I'm good to go (but not too long either so they start to poke below the ears lol). The rest of my hair is all one length so it all looks healthier and fuller.

I personally love them :D I think they frame my face shape nicely and they don't get to be all over my face. I can even secure them up top with a bendy clip if I want to. They are also easy to style and maintain.

[Airmide]

I think it depends on the bangs/fringe and on the person wearing them. I've never had bangs, and usually I don't prefer the look, though on certain people it really seems to suit them. I've toyed with the idea of trying out clip-in bangs since my hairline is receding. Now I'm having good luck re-growing with monistat, yay! I don't want to cut bangs since they're such a big commitment, and I'd hate to lose even a little of my thickness and length to them.

[FrozenBritannia]

:D updo's can look very funky with sideswept bangs I think! (which I don't have and have never been able to pull off ;) )

[swetiepeti]

If I could get someone to cut them the way I wanted, then I'd like to have them. I've had bangs before. However, they are more maintenance and if you decide to change your mind they are a PITA to grow out

[WinterButterfly]

I loke the way bangs look on me. But I hate them when I exercize or when it is hot outside. I look better with bangs. But I hate dealing with them. Also, since my hair is all one length past waist maybe hip or bcl, it might make me cry to cut them again. My hair is thick, so bangs don't really affect the thickness in a negative way. But I like the ease of it all being one length and goin into a braid with ease.

[annieangel149]

i have had blunt bangs but they dont quite look right on me! When my bangs start growing, as they get to cheek bone they start to drag my face down! Im just not sure that i would look good with no bangs atall! I think that side swept bangs just above cheek bone look best on me but im curently growing them out to see if my face will look better when my bangs get very long!

[hs_atreides]

I have gone back and forth with bangs- blunt, short, long, sideswept. I grew out my pixie a few years ago quickly by only trimming the bangs. Hair grew to shoulder with layers and some serious blunt bang action that I loved! Well, until summer and then bangs suck.
Currently, I am letting them grow and have a decent sideswept look going on. As Autumn approaches I am hearing the "cut the bangs" call more. So, it continues....

[templeofvenus]

currently trying to grow mine out as I have greasy hair and bangs get oily quick also in summer far too warm! I like the look of bangs and without hard to decide but as I am growing my hair I am growing the bangs out aswell to see how it looks without for a while! may return to bangs someday though!

[FrozenBritannia]

I have decided to grow mine out for the winter at least. Toques always make them look weird! If I notice that my hair looks thicker when they get a bit longer, I may keep them gone!

[MasCat]

I had a short fringe in fifth grade, ant then got glasses - that wouldn't work - so I grew them out a bit.

Now I cut it regularly, every 3-6 month so it's around jawbone length, so I have something hanging around my face when I have an updo :)

[kimberlyjoy]

I always, *always*, had bangs up until a few years ago. I have an oval face which is sorta on the thin side, so I was afraid not having bangs would make my face look even thinner, but - surprise! - it doesn't. I'm actually enjoying not having to deal with the constant upkeep bangs require. Not to mention I'm no longer fighting the cowlick I have right in the front of my hairline. I can't say that my hair looks any thicker, unfortunately. And I really need all the help I can get in that department. lol

[ebba]

i look better with bangs because i have a big forehead but for now i have given them up. i have a huge cowlick and it never sits right so im constantly playing with it and getting it greasy which gives me zits there, and also its really windy where i live and with it always blowing your hair around bangs just look silly with a wind middle part haha

[Remyy]

I don't have bangs because I don't know if I'd be able to tame them. I really want to try getting them though. Worse comes to worse I can always pin them back I suppose. Also, I really like my face (kind of a weird sentence), I almost don't want to hide it behind bangs but when I look at pictures of zooey deschanel (http://divergentmusings.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/109-zooey-deschanel.jpg) and Alexis Bledel I craveee bangs.

Actually, I guess I technically have 'bangs' but I don't wear them for the purpose of bangs (as in they're never really noticeable). I wear them to the side and tuck them behind my ears, I have them for layering purposes I guess.

Anyway, I love when people can pull off front bangs, (like Lily Allen (http://www.babble.com/CS/blogs/famecrawler/2007/12/23-End%20of%20Month/Lily_Allen-pregnant.JPG)!) But that's debatable.

[HuggyBear]

I like my bangs no shorter than chin length. I tried to wear blunt bangs but they bugged me so I let them grow out.

[wooliswonderful]

I have a fairly pronounced widows peak so that is why I wear bangs to this day.

This is the reason why I don't wear bangs. ;)

ETA: Kinda kooky but one of my favorite jokes when I was little:
Why did the little girl monster eat bullets? Because she wanted to grow bangs. :D

[celebriangel]

I don't have a fringe, because:

1) I don't like the feeling of hair in my face. It's itchy and annoying.

2) Upkeep. Trimming, fringe washes (I often wear my hair slightly oily, cause it looks just fine when up, but if it got in my face when it was oily I'd get forehead spots), blowdrying.

3) I have curly hair, so if it's humid/I forgot to blow dry/I get caught in the rain, I no longer have a fringe, I have a mass of little spirals blowing all around my hairline.

[Flying Penguin]

For the past few years I've had bangs between cheekbone and chin length. But I always wore/wear them clipped back. Two years ago I cut sideswept bangs. I pinned them back most of the time too, because it was annoying to style them properly. I liked how they looked when I was able to get them to look good, but that was rare... And it was annoying to have them constantly in my eyes. More recently, I was considering blunt bangs... blunt so they wouldn't get into my eyes (lol). But I finally realized that my face shape wouldn't look good with blunt bangs, they would get greasy quickly and I'm too lazy to do bangs-only washes, and I would have to trim often. So I decided to grow my bangs out. The shortest pieces are now a few inches below chin length. :) But I realized it'll take a looooong time for them to catch up to the rest of my hair... oh well.

I do like the look of bangs on other people though. :)

[MrsGuther]

LOL. I saw the name of this thread and it made me think of two things: 1) The Big Bang theory and 2) Banging, (as in my-mind-is-in-the-gutter-type-of-banging). HAHAHA I don't know why those two things were the automatic thing my mind went to...

[uptosomeone]

I like bangs, but it could be because my face shape can hold pretty much any hairstyle with relative ease. I've never been one to fuss about growing out bangs either because I don't mind the scruffy, overgrown look (I'm a teenager, so sue me ;)).

[FrozenBritannia]

LOL. I saw the name of this thread and it made me think of two things: 1) The Big Bang theory and 2) Banging, (as in my-mind-is-in-the-gutter-type-of-banging). HAHAHA I don't know why those two things were the automatic thing my mind went to...

Anyone who sees "bang" and thinks "big bang theory" is A1 in my books! LOL. :D

[infinity_girl]

I don't have bangs (in the UK we call it a "fringe"). I think you need to have a really good face shape to be able to carry off a fringe. I think they generally look better when they are really thick and I like them when they are styled in a sort of "rockabilly" or "goth" way with a very blunt fringe (think Louise Brookes style fringe). I am not mad keen on think wispy fringes. I wouldn't get one myself as I don't think they suit curly hair and I definitely don't have the face shape to be able to pull it off.