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The Ultimate Guide to Bangs
Bangs can instantly transform your face and make any haircut look cooler, declares hairstylist Harry Josh. That's great and all, but it doesn't change the fact that chopping off that much length in one snip is scary. If you've been dreaming of getting bangs, Josh offers this bit of consolation: "There’s some form of face-framing bang that will work on almost everyone." Whether you prefer to ease in with sideswept fringe à la Jean Shrimpton, or go for a bold and shaggy version like model Freja Beha Erichsen, our tips from top hairstylists reveal everything you need to know about finding, styling, and maintaining your best match. And if you have bangs and you're tired of them, we've also got advice on how to grow them out.
Flatter Your Face Shape
Like any accessory, bangs should enhance your features, not overwhelm them. For long and narrow faces, “blunt fringe that hits below the brows will make your face look fuller,” explains hairstylist Garren. If your face is round or square, try bangs just above the brows, he says. When it comes to heart-shaped faces, the decision is yours—short, long, or arched all suit you.
Mind the Maintenance
Schedule a professional bang trim every six weeks, Josh advises.
The Beginner Bang: Sideswept
This is the style for women who want to ease into bangs, says hairstylist Chris McMillan. Easy to blend with the layers around your face, these low-maintenance bangs work on any hair length and grow out fairly fast. They’re also rather simple to style: If your hair is straight, spritz your bangs with water and blow-dry them as you pull down the hair with your fingers, suggests McMillan. If it’s wavy, use a small round-barrel brush, drying them in the opposite direction from the way they fall, he says. As your hair cools, smooth them to the correct side to keep them from falling flat.
The Dramatic Bang: Short and Tousled
Wearing very short bangs (translation: two to three inches) à la Amber Valletta in the ‘90s takes some guts, but the look is edgy. Warning: If you have very curly hair or won't be blow-drying daily, this length isn’t for you. When your bangs are too short to wrap around a brush, McMillan advises pulling them straight down with your fingers and blasting them with your blow-dryer. Once dry, comb them down or use a dab of pomade for a tousled Joan Jett–inspired texture.
The Traditional Bang: Long and Straight
The trick with blunt, geometric bangs is to make sure they’re never ruler-straight or too thick in the middle, says McMillan. Instead, they should fall about a half inch longer at the temples than in the middle for a slight, inverted U shape. As for the most flattering length, McMillan advises anything landing between the tops of the brows down to the tips of the lashes.
Use Caution on Curls
Curly bangs were born in the ‘80s, and there’s certainly been a resurgence of girls wanting to rock this style, says Josh. Think Jennifer Beals in Flashdance. “The key is to cut them dry, in their natural state,” says hairstylist Paul Hanlon. As for styling, “comb the bangs down and apply styling gel,” adds Garren. On days you want to wear them straight, use a mini-flatiron to smooth them out.
Forehead Adjustments
To minimize a small forehead, bangs should be as long as possible and start farther back on the head than normal. A large forehead can be hidden with bangs that are cut to be longer at the temples than they are at the middle, explains hairstylist John Sahag.
Growing Out Gracefully
When growing out your bangs, there will always be an awkward period that lasts at least four to six weeks, says Josh. The key is to get them to blend into the sides of your hair, which can be accomplished with periodic salon trims. “You’re not cutting the length, just thinning it out so the bangs are not so blocky as they grow out,” Josh says. Accessorizing with clips is another option: “Make a deep side part and insert a clip at the hairline, just above one eyebrow,” says hairstylist Serge Normant. "It’s a surprisingly sexy look.” Once the bangs are long enough to pull over your eyes, pull them straight back and anchor them at the crown with the help of a bobby pin.
How Slick Hair Became the Supermodel’s Answer to Beach Waves
There’s hardly a better signifier of a sunny day well spent than a finger-combed mess of windswept waves, but leave it to the street style set to spark a party-ready hair trend that adds a bit of polished yin to all that beachy summer yang: slicked-back hair that conjures up lazy poolside chic and ’80s-inspired power glamour in equal measure—while requiring little more than a fine-toothed comb and a dollop of gel to perfect.
It all began with Kendall Jenner and Joan Smalls, whose minimalist hair at Canneslast month looked like they had taken a quick dip in the Riviera before diving into their gowns, while Toni Garrn recently took the style into hard-edged Helmut Newton territory with a liquid off-the-shoulder dress in Monaco.
But for all its ocean-fresh appeal, the clean sweep feels just as right for an evening in the city: Josephine Skriver and Stella Maxwell wore the style on the red carpet in Manhattan this week, proving the look pairs just as nicely with clean skin and a floor-length dress as a smudge of eyeliner and an androgynous tux.
Just in time for a steamy Saturday night, here’s to summer’s coolest shortcuts to high-impact hair.
JUNE 11, 2016 8:00 AM by SOPHIE SCHULTE-HILLEN
The History of Flower Crowns and the Women Who Wore Them: From Frida Kahlo to Kate Moss
Few accessories have aroused such commentary, for and against, than the flower crown, so trendy of late among the neo-hippie festival crowd. Despite detractors, these decorative headpieces, whose history in mythology and art can be traced back to ancient civilizations, show no signs of fading from favor. Not only was actress Fan Bingbing a flower-crowned vision on the red carpet at Cannes this week, but, thanks to a new exhibit at the New York Botanical Garden, Fridamania (appreciation of the Mexican painter Frida Kahlo, who often wore flowers in her hair) is raging.
It’s a look that has roots. In agrarian societies, tied to the land and the seasons, flower crowns had great symbolic meaning. Worn for practical and ceremonial reasons, they could illustrate status and accomplishment (Olympic olive wreaths). The language of flowers and herbs was well-known, with each carrying its own meaning (“There’s rosemary, that’s for remembering. Please remember, love. And there are pansies, they’re for thoughts,” says Ophelia in Hamlet.) Full of significance, floral headdresses were woven into the social and dress traditions of places as distant as Russia and Hawaii.
With increasing industrialization the flower crown became a romantic sign of the simple “country” life (longed for, in a stylized version, by Marie Antoinette) and increasingly appreciated for its decorative value. While brides continued the ceremonial traditions of flower-wearing, it was the earth-mother hippies who have most influenced the accessory’s current incarnation. Finding themselves partying rather than plowing, these flower children would truss their slept-in hair with wildflowers to signify their connection to nature.
How often should you really wash your hair?
Once a week, every day – there always seem to be conflicting advice on how often we should be washing our hair. When it comes to answering this age-old beauty question, we turned to celebrity hairstylist Maranda whose client list includes Olivia Munn and Catherine Zeta Jones. "On a general note, it’s not good to wash your hair too often because you remove too much of the hair's natural oils,” she explains. “Hair will eventually get used to not being washed as often - it almost starts cleaning itself!” So how much is too much? Here’s what you need to know for you and your hair type.
Fine Hair
Many people tend to wash their fine hair quite often since it can get very oily and limp. However, Maranda suggests that it’s better to wash it every 2 to 3 days. To control that oil in-between washes, use a dry shampoo on your roots.
TIMOTHY'S SUGGESTION: Densite Shampoo paired with Lait Vital Conditioner (Kerastase)
Thick, Curly and Coarse Hair
Maranda gives the same recommendation for these hair types as well. Curly and coarse hair has a propensity for dryness and washing them too much can just make that problem worse. Besides, curls tend to get better a few days after washing.
TIMOTHY'S SUGGESTION: Discipline Shampoo & Masque (Kerastase)
Colored Hair
This hair type definitely dries out with too much shampooing so Maranda suggests limiting your wash sessions to once a week. “Just give it a rinse and apply some conditioner,” she says. “This will help preserve the hair color and prevent it from drying out.”
TIMOTHY'S SUGGESTION: Full Shimmer Shampoo & Conditioner (Shu Uemura)
5 Foods for Healthier Hair
We all know hair products are a quick solution for damaged hair, but if you really want to improve the health of your hair, it may be time to change up your diet. Here are the best foods to eat for stronger, healthier hair.
Dark Green Vegetables
Dark green vegetables like broccoli, kale and spinach are high in vitamins A and C, which help produce healthy oils in your hair that strengthen and add shine, basically like a natural conditioner.
Walnuts
If you have dry hair, add walnuts to your diet. They’re high in omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin E that help hydrate your hair from the inside out.
Bean Sprouts
If your hair breaks easily, add some bean sprouts to your diet. They contain silica, which strengthens your hair and also prevents breakage.
Carrots
This root vegtable contains beta carotine, which can help your scalp produce hair-sustaining oil.
Eggs
Not only are they delicious, but eggs can help combat thinning hair because they contain sulfur, which promotes hair growth and improves blood circulation to the scalp. Plus, they contain other healthy hair vitamins like biotin and B12.