You just loved how your airy, wispy bangs contrasted with your thicker tresses when you first saw them in the mirror at the salon.
But then they started to grow. And grow. And the reality of those who complain about the pain of trimming often hit home.
As all too soon that feathered wispier feel was gone. Replaced with a sense of overgrown mayhem overhanging your forehead.
Trim time!
Two choices.
You can go back to the salon to get them trimmed professionally. Which can be a pain.
Or act like the zombie apocalypse has struck and you find yourself stuck at home to stay safe. Leaving you to head into the uncharted territory of trimming your own bangs yourself.
Wait what? That trimming yourself stuff is super scary. Not to mention risky.
Well. Not really. Especially if you have the full rundown on how to pull it off flawlessly as shared in this video guide.
Even better it comes straight from a stylist.
Of course if you’re unsure about even getting wispy bangs we share the top five questions to ask before taking the plunge.
Now on to the main event …
Stylist Trims Her Wispy Fringe
The approach featured here starts with a horizontal cut on wet hair.
That is followed by point cutting the ends to soften the look.
Almost feel like I should insert an obligatory “Don’t Try This At Home” warning here. That way beginners don’t end up with a too short fringe from cutting wet hair.
The reason this can happen is wet hair is stretchy.
Which make it more likely you’ll cut it too short if you pull it too taut. Which is also why most are not fans of DIYers going at wet strands with scissors. Just saying.
Hang on. Before we get to the important stuff what if you’re new to world of point cutting and could use a quick refresher as to what it is and why bother? In that case click here to read our recent article.
You’ll find it’s crammed full of handy how-to tips making it perfect for beginners. The video tutorials aren’t bad either.
Anyway, here’s the
Essential Step by Step by Timestamp
- 0:53 Separate out the fringe and tie back the rest of your hair
- 1:18 Warning about cutting wet hair – pay attention here
- 1:41 About using a fine tooth comb to help with trimming
- 2:58 Stop and evaluate for evenness
- 3:21 Blow dry with concentrator attached
- 4:00 Flat iron before chipping the ends
- 4:42 Soften the ends by point cutting
- 6:08 Check the length to make sure both sides are even
Now trimming your own wispy fringe starts with this good, often overlooked tip:
Yeah I don’t agree with her that any ole scissors will do. (She mentioned this in her intro which I didn’t include in the clip.) Most are not nearly sharp enough and can result in uneven results.
That applies whether trimming curtain bangs, cleaning up those that sweep to the side, and all the more with blunter bangs where crisp ends are key to a totally seductive look.
Her advice about thinner blades being more desirable is probably valid however.
Oh and for a crash course on the best hair cutting shears for home use you might want to check out our post “What Kind Of Scissors Are Best To Cut Hair At Home”.
That said here’s the step by step highlights:
Tie the Rest Of Your Hair Back Tying back the rest of your hair out of the way just makes this easier. And lets you avoid cutting hair that doesn’t belong to your bangs.
Be Careful with Wet Hair Again feel you want to keep in mind that some feel it’s kinda dangerous for beginners to trim a wet fringe. You could end up with a shorter outcome than you were hoping for. She suggests leaving it a bit longer to allow for shrinkage.
Good idea.
Good to Know Tip: Hold the fringe as close to your face as you can. That’s because elevating the hair up and away from your face is another way to end up with bangs that are too short.
Yet even if you do go too short don’t despair. Your bang is only maybe two weeks from growing out and being where you intended it to be.
Create a Length Guide The takeaway here is to do a straight across cut in the middle of the fringe. Then using that as your guide cut one side away from the middle at a slight angle. Repeat on the other side.
Eyeball For Evenness From time to time stop and assess how you’re doing. You want the hair across the fringe and at the edges of both sides to be the same length.
Newbies are advised to do this more often than semi-pros!
Concentrator Not Optional Blow dry with a concentrator while twirling your round brush on the underside of the fringe. Given how little hair there is in a fringe it should dry fairly fast.
Flat Iron Smooth Straight smooth strands are simply easier to work with.
Here you want to run over your bangs quickly with your flat iron to prepare them for “chipping” or point cutting. Just another hack that makes this DIY trim easier to pull off.
Check For Symmetry There are two sides to any fringe. So it may be helpful to see how she determines if both sides are the same length. Because you don’t want face framers that are all cockeyed.
Tip: Tired of wispy bangs? For a fuller fringe simply have your stylist include hair from further back on your head.
For more inspiring hair care tips, hacks and ideas like these do check out our Pinterest boards.
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