Abergel recommends keeping the length “just above the eyes [as in, pupils] but just below the brows” and with a little less of a pronounced peak than curtain bangs. But more risk-averse types might opt for keeping the length closer to the tip of the nose.
The cut can also be adapted to straight or wavy hair. (My hair is wavy, and on days when the barometer simply isn’t cooperating and my bangs won’t lie flat on my face, I brush them away from my forehead where they blend right into the rest of my curls.) If your hair is tightly coiled, “you’ll want the bangs to be a little longer since they will shrink up,” Kimble says.
How to style mid-face bangs
If you’ve been hesitant to cut any type of bangs in the past because of cowlicks, it’s time to pull out your big-girl hairdryer and follow this advice from Abergel:
“Make sure the roots of your bangs are very wet before blowdrying. Then, use a Denman brush [with nylon bristles] or comb to direct the bangs tightly across the forehead, from one side to the other, as you’re blowing them dry. This takes away cowlicks and makes them fall as naturally as possible,” he says. Unless you’re going for a really pronounced curled-under look, “you shouldn’t use a big round brush while blowing bangs dry,” Abergel says. In fact, the famous stylist Vidal Sasoon never used a round brush to style hair, only a Denman brush or a comb to smooth it, he adds.
If your hair is fine and thin and you want a bit of extra volume throughout your bangs, consider sprinkling in a bit of dry shampoo, such as The Rootist Clarify Dry Shampoo Powder, or spritzing in a volumizer, such as Virtue Volumizing Primer, while you’re blow drying. If your hair is really thick, you may want to hit your bangs with a flat iron after drying to ensure they don’t get puffy, Kimble says. And if you’re wearing your mid-face bangs curly or wavy, prime them with a moisturizing cream, such as Kim Kimble Signature Selection Curl Cream, then let them air dry, for a piece-y effect.
Another must when styling mid-face bangs? Creaseless clips. “I like to clip them in right at the root while they’re still cooling from the heat of the dryer to help lock them down,” John D says.
