Q&A: How To Cut And Style 70s Style Curtain Bangs

Okay so you’ve thought long and hard about channeling your inner Goldie Hawn by getting some curtain bangs 70s style?

It doesn’t hurt that these guys are the very definition of an effortless lived-in fringe.

You’ve also thought long and hard about going all crazy and cutting these swoopy face framers yourself?

While it might be a bit crazy to attempt that it’s not impossible. All the more if you have answers to common questions at your fingertips.

To be honest this article isn’t anything in depth. Its purpose is to give you a quick answer to life with these iconic face framing fringes. Some cutting but mostly styling. plus a few other topics are covered.

But that’s not to say we don’t have more in depth guides on our site.

Like if you still aren’t sure this is for you we give you 7 reasons why you might want to give this type of bang a closer look. You know, the “should I?” question.

Or you can watch four YouTubers reveal their best styling hacks. One of the four different methods just might be the game changer you’ve been looking for.

So if your lack of knack for styling a Bardot fringe has you frustrated it’s worth a quick click, don’t you think?

While if you are brave and know your way around scissors DIY bang snipping may be for you. So if you want to know how to cut Bardot bangs yourself, well, three stylists dish the deets

Anyway here’s 13 questions women have about curtain bangs that you’ll get answers to here. Designed to help you to begin to figure out the best solution for you and your curtain bang challenges.

13 Curtain Bangs Questions Answered

• Cool 70s Curtain Bangs for the Uninitiated
• Will These Work For Me Or Not?
• What About Cutting Them Myself?
• So How Do I Style 70s Style Curtain Bangs
• Will I Have To Style Them Every Day?
• Should I Blow Dry Or Straighten My 70s Fringe?
• Will Curtain Bangs Suit My Face Shape?
• How Do I Maintain Curtain Bangs?
• How Do I Grow Them Out If I Don’t Like Them?
• Can I Wear a 70s Fringe With Curly Hair?
• Do Curtain Bangs Work With Curly Hair
• Are These A Good Way to Hide a Huge Forehead?
• Pulling My Hair Back Into a Bun, Topknot or Ponytail – Yay or Nay?
• Are Bardot Bangs Suitable For Girls Living With Thin Hair?

Cool 70s Curtain Bangs for the Uninitiated

So what are 70s bangs?

You’ll often see this style referred to as the gateway bang. So called because they let you dip your toe into fringe territory without making a full-on commitment.

Specifically these are longer with softer feathering than more traditional fringe. Also usually paired with a middle part that lets the hair fall on either side of your face draping your forehead in a curtain of hair.

With their accidentally-perfect finish these subtle face framers work with any hair length.

Or hair type. From pin-straight to coiled and curly.

Not to mention they flatter every face shape.

Versatile. Low commitment. Easy maintenance.

In other words great for beginners.

They have an easy going retro feel to them that has become Instagram and Pinterest trendy.

Oh and they’re also perfect for those days you just can’t bring yourself to whip up a cute style. They’ll let you look like you tried by simply styling the fringe and pulling back the rest into a pony tail or messy bun.

How Can I Decide Whether These Will Work For Me Or Not?

Now if you’re on the fence the thing is you can try them longer and see how it goes.

If you don’t like what you see these iconic Brigitte Bardot curtain bangs are easily grown out. So unlike say a blunt bang, that would take ages to grow out, there’s not a lot of risk involved.

Or if you’re happy with the results you can always experiment. Like say go shorter to see how that works.

Eventually you’ll discover the perfect length that’s you.

Guess you could say when it comes to trying these on for size you can kinda ease into it.

What Should I Know About Cutting Them Myself?

Ahhhh a do-it-yourselfer. Good for you. Cutting these isn’t as hard as some make it out to be. (Have you noticed it’s mostly stylists who are against this?)

Rather than telling you what to do let this graphic lay out what you shouldn’t do.

Still we’ve also got a good how to cut a French girl fringe tutorial on this site. Which you’d be wise to check out before taking a whack at your hair. Since as you’d imagine getting the cut right is kinda crucial.

For sure you won’t want to miss the trick revealed that makes this such a simple bang to cut without messing up.

Okay So How Do I Style 70s Style Curtain Bangs

Good question. Knowing about styling is must-know info since curtain bangs don’t seem to be going anywhere. And may be as popular as ever. No surprise given how undemanding and effortless they are.

Still recent converts need ideas for how to quickly style them without a lot of fuss.

As you’d expect the styling tools involve the usual suspects. Most commonly a round brush and hair dryer. But some prefer a flat iron, rollers or even hot air brushes.

Permit me to share several tips for styling your curtain bangs with a dryer and round brush.

First, try not to volumize the roots. A poofy look is considered by many to be too old school.

You may find drying them forward helps to get the swoop you’re looking for.

Blow dry your bang with air directed down. Using a nozzle is best to keep from blowing everything to kingdom come.

Most find a bigger round brush works better than smaller – depending of course on how long your hair is.

Then to finish off pinch the curtain closed. Then add some hold by spritzing with light hold hair spray to complete the look. Using creaseless clips to hold things together until the hair sets.

Okay but…

If I Get Them Will I Have To Style Them Every Day?

Basically yes. Some can get away with air drying and go. Most cannot.

Not much to it though. Here’s a very brief step by step that’s but one way to give yours a sweeping bouncy refresh.

• Spritz them damp more so than wet if you aren’t lathering up.
• Don’t forget the heat protectant.
• Grab your big barrel round brush.
• Wrap the hair on it.
• Give it a blast of heat while twirling the brush up and away from your face while putting a bit of tension on your hair.
• Release.

Do that dryer/round brush routine two or three times and you’re good. The swoop should be shaping up nicely.

Again use a spritz of hairspray to set it in place.

If you’re lucky like some they’ll last a couple of days or three before needing washing. But don’t count on that.

Besides like any bang if you try to stretch your hair an extra day between wash days you may need to give your fringe some love.

They get greasy.

They’re exposed to sweat.

Then there’s the makeup.

All that grimes them out over the course of the day. Maybe not totally disgusting but you know what I mean. So they’ll need to be refreshed every day or two to keep them looking their best.

Should I Blow Dry Or Straighten My 70s Fringe?

You can do both.

Some prefer to style theirs with a blow dryer and round brush.

Others like to use a flat iron or straightener.

All should involve applying a heat protectant. As this is a small amount of hair that can be easily damaged by too much heat exposure.

Will A Bang Like This Suit My Face Shape?

That’s the amazing thing about this playful fringe. It’s like universal. Working to soften, shape and balance all face shapes.

Just remember how successfully it does that depends on its cut and how it is styled.

How Do I Maintain Curtain Bangs?

Given these tend to be longer they are quite forgiving and relatively easy to maintain.

And by maintain I mean keep that flirty shape and delicious 1970s vibe going.

So you will need to trim them with some regularity to keep them from getting too thick or unruly. Mane mayhem is not what you’re going for here.

They will go longer between trims than traditional bangs. Something like every 6-8 weeks should work for most.

But what if you don’t want to schedule a trim every 6-8 weeks? You know to keep them looking their best?

Assuming that means you want to trim them at home, well, we’ve got a super helpful guide “Trimming Curtain Bangs Doesn’t Have To Be Nerve Wracking”. It can help you do it yourself if you prefer.

Otherwise your trusty dry shampoo can keep them from going all clumpy on you. As you know it soaks up the grease and volumizes a bit.

Or you can always sink wash and then style.

A curious thing happens when you do that. When your fringe looks all clean and fresh the rest of your hair will too. Which can let you put another day between you and shampooing.

How Do I Grow Out Curtain Bangs If I Don’t Like Them?

This is also where this deliciously 70s fringe shines. Since it is cut to blend in with the rest of your hair anyway pretty much before you know it they’ve grown out.

Okay maybe not that simple but that’s off by much.

No styling struggles.

No awkward grow out period where you’d rather not go out in public.

No wearing headbands for days on end to hide the evidence.

Which you should take to mean growing out with little fuss and drama is what you should expect.

Are Curtain Bangs and Curly Hair Good Together?

Yes, yes they are. Pretty much the same goes for curtain bangs and wavy hair.

But styling matters. As well as understanding your curls can twist in some weird way without warning or your permission and throw the entire look off.

Also your face shape plays a role in the ideal length of fringe for your coils. Plus they should be cut to best set off your face too.

For example a round face would work better with a longer style of curly face framer.

While it’s thought a middle part is an absolute with these game changers with curls not so much. Some feel there is more room for an effortless nonchalance when curtain bangs are paired with natural curly hair.

But just in case here are five more tips you may find helpful

• Air drying is good strategy when working with curly hair and bangs like this.
• Hair defining products can encourage them to stay where you put them.
• Finger curling can help with spot retraining.
• As you’d expect volumizimg mousse can help with the volume and fullness.
• As before a light hold spray can help hold them in place too.

Are Curtain Bangs Flattering If I Have Big Forehead?

If you want a way to camouflage a prominent forehead you can’t go wrong with curtain bangs.

The idea is to distract the eye away from this facial feature. A fringe like this definitely does that.

All of which makes your worries about a big forehead instantly disappear almost by magic. Or what you could describe as hiding a high forehead in plain sight.

Especially if they are cut to graze your cheeks.

What you’re doing is using your swooping hair to add width and a sense of balance to your face.

Leaving your forehead to peek through the curtain of hair.

Just another reason why it seems everyone is getting low maintenance Bardots.

Do “See-Throughs” Work with Ponytails, Buns and Topknots?

Absolutely.

That’s kinda one of the big ideas here. These bangs are long enough to afford versatility. Meaning casual ponytails, flirty buns and quickly pulled together topknots are totally doable.

You can either incorporate them directly into styles like those. Or you can leave them out in all their face framing glory. Using the fringe to accessorize hair pulled up or back for the ultimate 70s vibe.

Like I said versatility is part of this fringe’s allure. It can effortlessly elevate even a simple everyday look into something sleek and stylish.

Are Bardot Bangs A Good Choice Even For Those With Thin Hair?

No worries.

While I understand your hesitation curtain bangs can work with fine or thin hair types.

In fact if blow dry styling is done right, using a the dryer with a properly sized round brush, it can give your mane quite the volume boost. Which is what girls with thinner locks need anyway.

Plus when cut right, you’ll find you also have more movement and body. Which as you know can also help thin hair look fuller, thicker, more voluminous.

Leaving you with a rather timeless bohemian look despite the lack of thicker strands.

Oh and if you need more help we share five unwritten rules for blow drying curtain bangs that you might find useful.

Now if you’re one of those always on the lookout for new ways to make your locks look glam maybe you should follow us on Pinterest. You’ll find our boards are full of all sorts of great ideas we’ve stashed there to keep your mane looking its best.