Obviously stylists would prefer you not cut your own bangs.
I get that.
Yet you may not always be able to get to a stylist in your moment of need.
So sometimes a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do. You know? And you might as well have a clue what you’re doing when doing it, right?
So is there a quick and easy way to cut French girl bangs without butchering them? Or some way that minimizes the risk?
Maybe.
What follows is just such a hopeful tutorial. Or two. Both using the “twist method”.
Admittedly some stylists don’t like this method. Others teach it.
I’ll leave it to you to decide if it’s right for you.
Just like I’ll leave it to you to answer the question “Should I give myself curtain bangs?” since I have no idea how good (or bad) you are with scissors. Obviously. 🙂
Feel free to read on as long as you promise me one thing. That is to only cut off the least little bit with each followup snip if you say yes to going for Parisian chic using the tutorial that follows!
Deal?
But first…
What are French girl bangs?
Wispy French girl bangs, aka curtain or Bardot bangs, frame your face like curtains do a window. This retro fringe typically grazes your eyebrows with a beautiful sweep along the side of your face. Blending easily with your hairstyle it’s both versatile and easy to grow out.
Now as promised this first video is a look at a quick way to cut your Bardots using the “twist method”. With a trick for softening them that hides any mis-cuts.
Sure this may not be the most precise approach. But it is nice and easy. And twisting can produce decent results for a bang beginner as this video shows.
DEMO: How To Cut A Modern Brigitte Bardot French Girl Fringe Yourself Tutorial
Featured Tool: Hair cutting shears.
Don’t try to trim hair without them. For more on that we expose what kind of scissors to cut hair with. Or all you need to know before getting hair cutting scissors. Including some lower priced options that are surprisingly good.
The Mane Moves:
- Section out your bang
- Comb through it
- Twist the bang twice
- Using hair shears cut the ends straight across
- Twist it twice in the opposite direction
- Using hair shears again cut the ends straight across the least little bit more
- If you like you can point cut to soften the fringe
Tip: You don’t want to lift the sectioned hair to be cut off the forehead much. If at all. In other words keep it as close as you can to the bridge of the nose. Draped down your forehead not lifted off it.
Now if that point cutting suggestion sounds scary you’ll want to check out our post that shows how to point cut your own hair. It’s a great softening technique to have in your styling toolkit.
Point cutting like this may the perfect way to keep the middle of your bangs in trim. Just take the least little bit off the ends and the hair is out of your eyes!
Why This Method Works: Because you’re over-directing each of the edges.
Here’s what I mean.
The outside edges on both sides are over directed to their opposite side. The center stays, well, in the center. That leaves the center hair cut the shortest. While the edges will have a built in angle to them.
So this technique pretty much has to give you the iconic Brigitte Bardot curtain bang effect simply because of how you’re cutting it.
Tip: Beginners. To do this safely start your cut a little on the long side. Only snip shorter after you feel you’ve gotten the hang of twisting.
But what if you’re one those who likes to know more before taking the plunge? Then here’s the help you need to do DIY curtain bangs like a pro.
Oh and clicking that link is all the more important if you want to avoid the five dumb moves made when cutting them yourself.
But what about if you don’t currently have bangs?
How much hair do you section out for them?
This hits on the difference maker. That is getting the sectioning out of the hair for your fringe right.
Since this isn’t a post on cutting bangs, like the tutorial on the end of that link,let’s just hit the highpoints.
A good rule of thumb might be a triangle running from eyebrow peak to eyebrow peak for the width.
Nothing hard and fast about that. Your fringe may wider or not as wide.
Depends on your face shape.
But it’s a good place to start.
Tip: Always double check the balance so the triangle is the same size on both sides.
How far back your triangle goes is important too. It can vary maybe an inch to at most two inches from your hair line. The depth depends on how thick you want the bang to be. And how thick your hair is.
Hopefully that begins to answer the “What is the easiest way to cut curtain bangs?” for you.
Okay Edwina Scissorhands. So what can we learn from watching a stylist cut a French girl fringe?
As it turns out quite a bit.
Yeah you can pick up several subtle, easily missed tricks the pros use to get an airy, effortless kind of look with beautiful sweep to it.
Demo: Cutting Curtain Bangs By Twisting Your Hair | More Info and Inspo
This is an Instragram video by a stylist who goes by colourmesue.
If the embed code has gone haywire and all you see is gray where the video should be (which I just hate and why I seldom embed anything Instagram) here’s the link to the video to try instead.
Takeaways:
1. Cut bangs dry.
The risk when cutting hair wet is you’ll cut it too short. Hair shrinks some when it dries remember. You don’t want that. Waiting for awkward looking bangs to grow out is no fun.
So blow dry your fringe before whipping out your shears.
Although like all “rules”, some would argue those cutting curtain bangs on wavy hair would be better off to cut them wet since that takes all the wave out making the cutting easier.
Or how about this? Cut dry the first time or two. Then after you’re more experienced see it you’re up to cutting wet hair without giving yourself unintended micro bangs.
2. Don’t put too much tension on the bang after you twist it.
Again this is to avoid going too short. Stretched out hair is apt to spring back when released. Then surprise! Suddenly you’ve got micro bangs!
Better to use a comb to hold your hair while cutting.
3. Shorter shears are better than longer.
You want scissors with a shorter blade only because they’re a lot easier to control. The longer the blade the greater the chance you’ll cut off a bit, or a lot, more than you wanted to
4. Point cut the ends.
Point cutting is safer for a bang beginner than a blunt straight across cut. Because you’re only removing tiny snips of hair at a time.
5. Remove weight in the center.
By point cutting a little more length and bulk from the center of the fringe you create more of a see through, piece-y look. And right where you want it to be its airiest too!.
6. Create a smooth swoop.
Carefully gliding your scissor down the entire length of the bang on the edges can help insure they flow into your existing style.
Sexy, soft curtain bangs aren’t going anywhere.
So it’s no surprise you’re looking to find out more about cutting them yourself at home. Hopefully this scratched that itch a bit. And shared a little info and inspo that helps you along your journey towards the cool bangs you always wanted.
When it comes to hair care easy is good. The trick shared here is. If you’d like more easy hacks, tricks and tips that make your life easier then be sure to follow our Pinterest boards. Okay?
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