When we hear the words side bangs we instantly think of Hollywood starlets with cascading fringes that frame their eyes and faces so beautifully. Side bangs are a stylish haircut that can have you looking a million dollars in seconds. Unless you were blessed with Farrah Fawcett’s voluminous hair you will need to take time to style your side bangs to give them that little bit of oomph. This guide is here to help you and teach you how you can style your side bangs using different techniques and tools without needing to spend hours mastering your skills.
What are Side Bangs?
If you imagine a fringe as a curtain, side bangs are as though you split the curtains 75% to one side and 25% to the other. When getting your haircut you can ask your hairdresser to cut side bangs into your hair. They will be able to advise what type of side bangs would suit you, as the thickness and overall shape will be unique to your face shape and the thickness of your hair. Side bangs can be used as a tool to highlight certain parts of your face, like your eyes, or to cover your face to make it seem slimmer or shorter. Side bangs can be styled into any hairstyle on thin or thick hair, wavy or straight.
5 Recommended Tools for Styling Side Bangs:
Like anything, once you have the right tools you can achieve anything. The below list is compiled of 6 things we couldn’t be without when it comes to styling side bangs, in order of necessity. Depending on your hair you may not need all of these but if you plan on playing with different styles and want to get the most out of your bangs try out the below.
- Rollers – rollers can be bought in velcro, foam, or heated. They also can be bought in different sizes. We recommend a larger-sized roller for side bangs as you will be using them to achieve volume in your bangs. If you would like a curly finish then size down in your rollers. Rollers can be used all over the head and are a fantastic way of adding volume to the hair while also giving that freshly blow-dried look.
- Rounded brush and hairdryer – a rounded hairbrush is another cheat for achieving a more voluminous finish to your hair. Rounded brushes can be bought with different styles of teeth on them. Bristle round brushes are great as they allow the hot air from your hairdryer to diffuse through to prevent any burning.
- Hair Products – it is important to have the right products to protect and maintain your hair. Heat Protectant spray is a great way to protect your hair while also preventing any fly-aways and adding a shine to your hair. This product should be applied to wet hair before blow drying. Mousse & hairspray are fantastic ways of helping your hair to hold a style. If you have thin hair, mousse helps to give your hair extra grip while also adding volume. Mousse is often believed to only be suitable for curly hairstyles but in fact it is perfect to use on both curly and straight hair. Brush mousse into your hair before applying heat or rollers for the best results. After you have styled your hair a spritz of hairspray can help your hair to stay in shape for the rest of the day. It is another useful product for preventing fly-aways or flattening any that pop out over the course of the day.
- Straightener – this hair tool is one of the most versatile and the easiest to use. Using a straightener you can tame unruly hair and bend and shape your hair into whatever shape you want. You can use different techniques with hair straighteners to achieve more volume, curls, waves, and even turn out the edges of your bangs to get an effortlessly elegant look.
- Curling Tongs – again, depending on the look you are going for curling tongs could be useful. Curling tongs can be used to add volume or to add a flick to the end of your bangs so they are not hanging in your eyes.
Related: How to blow dry curtain bangs
Ways to Style your Side Bangs off your Face:
As much as we may love our bangs, there may be days when we want to change things up a bit and with the right accessories, this can easily be done. You don’t need to have serious hairdressing skills to change up your look with the huge array of accessories that are available to buy.
Clip Back
A bobby pin is a long-haired person’s best friend. If you want to hide your clip we suggest buying a pack that is closest to your hair color. Take your bangs and sweep them back onto your head on the same side they usually fall on. Take a bobby pin and secure the hair. If you want to have more fun with this style play with different colors and types of clips.
Hairband
Hair Bands are a fantastic way of styling back your bangs while also hiding unwashed hair or elevating your look. Hairbands can be found in every pattern you could imagine and also in different styles, such as thin bands, thick bands, and embellished bands also.
Bang Tie-Backs
Depending on the length of your bun you can tie your bangs back in small pigtails for a cute and fun look. This look is particularly popular at music festivals. Small elastic bands are available from most stores in the beauty aisle.
Now that you know all of the many things that you can do to style side bangs they may seem more enticing than ever. It is always worthwhile speaking with your hairdresser to ensure you get a style that suits your hair and face. Don’t be afraid to bring pictures of what you like and don’t like to help your stylist see your vision so that they can give you your dream haircut and you can live your best side bangs life. Happy styling!