View Full Version : Bangs or no bangs- the eternal quandary.
GaJunebug
February 10th, 2012, 06:26 AM
As I age, I like the thought of having a fringe to help camouflage the ever encroaching forehead wrinkles. But, as a person with thinner hair, I miss having the added thickness when a fringe is cut...what to do?
Do you think a bang is necessary to keep longer hair from being severe when it's pulled back or do you think all one length is the way to go?
My side swept bangs are almost long enough to comfortably tuck behind my ear but now I'm questioning whether I should recut them.
Opinions, anecdotes and advice would really be appreciated!
Amber_Maiden
February 10th, 2012, 06:28 AM
I don't think long hair is severe when pulled back, without bangs. In all honesty though, it depends on the person and the shape of their face. I personally can't pull of bangs at all.
GaJunebug
February 10th, 2012, 07:26 AM
Thanks for your opinion. I agree about the face shape issue and that could be a determiner of whether banged are a good idea or not.
Styling is definitely easier without bangs- or, at least to me it is.
(Amber_Maiden, love the twist you've got going on in your profile pic, btw!)
jacqueline101
February 10th, 2012, 07:27 AM
I like bangs my self and if you want to try a new look get the clip on variety bangs see what ones work for you. That will help you on the style and thickness. If you get thick bangs imagine giving up that much hair.
littleizz
February 10th, 2012, 07:48 AM
I agree that bangs soften long hair - especially in an updo. I personally could never stand having my hair even pulled into a ponytail without at least loosening some baby hairs at my temple. Unless you have a sort of pouf, braid, twist, etc. at the front, I personally think that any hair pulled straight back looks severe, no matter how long it is (not that "severe" is always a bad thing, some people go for that and can pull it off very well!).
I think I'll always keep side bangs - short enough to frame my face, long enough to pin/braid back, thick enough to not be straggly and thin enough to not be chunky or thin the rest of my hair too much. I say go for it!!
hairyfan21
February 10th, 2012, 08:09 AM
I like girls with bangs. Makes them look really pretty and cute.
Babyfine
February 10th, 2012, 08:20 AM
GaJunebug I know exactly what you mean. I have thin hair, too and I hate to give up the thickness the grown out bangs give.
I def. need a poof, or side swept hair or something when I wear my hair in an updo.
Bangs look much better on me.My face shape seems to need them(pear shaped face/small forehead/ thicker jaw)Bangs balance out my features better. I've thought about getting thinner bangs but I've had them before and they are a pain with such fine, thin hair as mine.
thicker ones behave better for me but they steal ponytail circumference.
beachgirlla
February 10th, 2012, 08:34 AM
I myself like bangs on others but dread to have short blunt bang that covers my forehead, even though I can pull off both looks, with bang and without my hair type does not support bangs as it gets frizzy and puffy, longer bangs or hair in front give me the freedom to deal with my difficult hair type. I agree with you about the fact when you get older and get thinner hair the situation changes and a nice bang, side or a full one may add some youthful look, hide some forehead wrinkles and so on, I have been looking at women who look over 35 and compare hair types, styles and I did notice that some bang, may be side swept or ? give a lot life to their faces compared to some dull long hair that is long and that's about it.
Hair can be used to shape the face and accentuate some features while hiding some imperfections, long hair is very beautiful but it could be very dull and may make the person look older if the style & cut and color were not done wisely .
May be you could get away with some thinner type of a bang?, do you like to deal with it on daily bases, LOL, this was the most important question I asked myself when I was thinking to get a bang, the answer was no, just due to the fact that I feel sexier with longer hair and the fact that my hair is puffy and the bang could be a nightmare to deal with
GaJunebug
February 10th, 2012, 09:06 AM
I don't mind dealing with a bang. I'm not well versed on it, but I did learn some tricks when my now side swept bangs were shorter.
I find that if I'm painting or doing something around the house, I always grab a hairband to get the bangs off of my face so I can totally concentrate on what I'm doing...but, looking at pics of myself taken when I had the shorter bangs I kinda like the way they hid the wrinkles and I think they softened my face.
The other part of the equation is that I'm a docent for some of the historical houses in the area and do hearth cooking for the students and visitors. I usually keep my hair in a long braid when cooking- and, while I can find ornate hairstyles from the late 1700's, I haven't been able to find working women hairstyles from that era. And, I'm guessing bangs wouldn't be historically accurate.
That's why I'm so torn- do I go back to what I think worked on my face and put up with styling them, etc. or do I continue to let them grow out?
littleizz
February 10th, 2012, 09:47 AM
The other part of the equation is that I'm a docent for some of the historical houses in the area and do hearth cooking for the students and visitors. I usually keep my hair in a long braid when cooking- and, while I can find ornate hairstyles from the late 1700's, I haven't been able to find working women hairstyles from that era. And, I'm guessing bangs wouldn't be historically accurate. That sounds like so much fun!! One way I've kept bangs back when I don't want to have them so obviously *pinned* is to comb/brush them back with the rest of my hair, spray a light mist of hairspray, and then run my hand down my hair. I'm not sure how often you do the cooking, but if you don't mind hairspray every once in a while, it's an option. I wouldn't let it keep you from bangs if you really like the way they look and don't mind styling them normally!
eicamawa
February 10th, 2012, 10:06 AM
I think both thick and thin layers look good, depending on the person who has it. I myself, like thick bangs on myself as I don't feel I look good with thin ones. And I also think that you can go without bangs, and have everyhting at the same length. The only thing that I had some problems with when I had bangs was that I constantly had to cut them. They grew out right away after I've cut them, and then I had to cut them again, and because I'm horrible with scissor, i had to go to the hairdresser, and almost alway I cut the rest at the same time. But it depends on the person, I think, if you want to have a little extra work or not :)
lunalocks
February 10th, 2012, 11:38 AM
I have always had bangs. I would look terrible without them with my high forehead and widow's peak. But if I did not HAVE to have them, I would not have them.
beachgirlla
February 10th, 2012, 12:24 PM
The other part of the equation is that I'm a docent for some of the historical houses in the area and do hearth cooking for the students and visitors. I usually keep my hair in a long braid when cooking- and, while I can find ornate hairstyles from the late 1700's, I haven't been able to find working women hairstyles from that era. And, I'm guessing bangs wouldn't be historically accurate.
That's why I'm so torn- do I go back to what I think worked on my face and put up with styling them, etc. or do I continue to let them grow out?
well we all know we are in 2012 now :D, I think its ok if you are not 100% historically right, lol, this way you can have the bang + look good in it + look 90% historically correct.
I'm going to look for pics of women in the 1700, did they never had bangs then?, hmmm
ravenheather
February 10th, 2012, 06:45 PM
I'm having the same argument with myself. I have bangs now. But I'm just starting to grow my hair and am wondering if I should let them grow out now. Plus they have to be side bangs unless I blow dry them down.
Vanilla
February 10th, 2012, 07:09 PM
I've noticed that I really am starting to love bangs, especially the side swept ones on otherwise long hair.
I like them on myself for about a week, and then they start driving me crazy. I can't ever get them straight enough that they don't flip upwards at my forehead, even with blow drying.
GaJunebug
February 10th, 2012, 07:27 PM
Wow! You oil your hair, do a bunch of housework and come back to the forum to find all sorts of good posts!
( While I'm sorry to see others are also torn on the subject, I must admit it's reassuring to know I'm not alone- )
luthein
February 12th, 2012, 02:46 PM
Bangs were too much effort for me. I have a suitable face shape for bangs, but I have a very stubborn cowlick. Your hair's growth pattern is another point to consider.
spidermom
February 12th, 2012, 02:49 PM
I'm contemplating the same thing, but more face-framing fringe than bangs. In some of my pictures where my hair is pulled back in a braid or bun, I look like I might just be bald. Bleh! I hate that!
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c79/spidermom/faceframinglayers.jpg vs http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c79/spidermom/brown-tawny2.jpg
HuggyBear
February 12th, 2012, 06:36 PM
I need to have some sort of face framing thing going on, especially when I wear my hair up. I debated cutting bangs just last month and decided on long side-swept ones. I cut them myself with the shortest part at my chin. Bangs any shorter than that drive me crazy. I need them long enough to tuck behind my ear when I don't want them in my face.
Bec de Corbin
February 12th, 2012, 08:12 PM
I have always had bangs. I would look terrible without them with my high forehead and widow's peak. But if I did not HAVE to have them, I would not have them.
Ah, and what some of us wouldn't do for a high forehead and a widow's peak!:p
I have had bangs and not had bangs. I have blunt cut bangs right now because I look like I'm twelve if I don't. It's actually become a party trick: "Want to see me look ten years younger without plastic surgery? Look what happens when I pull up my bangs!" I'm hoping that when I'm an appropriate age I can grow them out and the instant face-lift effect will still hold. :D
Kristin
February 12th, 2012, 09:13 PM
I love bangs and will probably always have some type of fringe. I can understand not wanting to lose thickness, but it wouldn't be that big of a concern for me. I say go for it.
annamoonfairy
February 12th, 2012, 09:27 PM
I wear long side swept bangs that can be swept to either side or parted with the rest of my hair : ) It is hard to cut them because I hate cutting my hair. Good Luck : )
maborosi
February 12th, 2012, 10:51 PM
I've worn my hair both ways. I really like bangs a lot. I usually have them side-swept, but with my current style, I decided to try blunt-cut bangs. I'm not sure which I actually like more, but I like that I can pretty much either just leave them straight or sweep them, depending on my style for the day!
Bangs do tend to make me look a bit younger.
~maborosi~
Seeshami
February 12th, 2012, 11:48 PM
Bangs are awesome for five minutes. Then I wonder what the F*** I was thinking and want to rip them off. My compromise, clip on bangs. Yep that's right fringe toupee. To bad my red bangs got trashed by Squeek kitten or I would show and tell.:cheese:
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