Airam’s Ultimate Guide to Fringes
April 25th, 2010
It is now eleven days since I got a fringe (or bangs, if you prefer the American term), and I must say it has been an interesting transition. I don’t regret it at all, in fact, I’m really glad I did it, but it has taken some getting used to. I thought I’d share my experience with you, in case somebody out there is considering a fringe but is still on the fence.
Articles and such always talk about how it’s important to find a style to suit your face. That is important, of course, but I think it’s by far more important to find a good hairdresser. You see, there are lots of ways to cut a simple, blunt fringe like the one I’ve got (not to mention all other kinds of fringes), and different cutting techniques suit different kinds of hair.
When it comes to what will suit your face, I never thought a blunt bang would look good combined with my quite round face. I’ve read my share of hair magazines (“Perfect Hair” being my favourite), and some of them have these drawings of faces with a “suitable” bang for each type of face. These rules aren’t written in stone, though, and what will suit you also depends on the placement of your features (especially the eyes), the condition and structure of your hair, and your personality. I mostly chose my fringe based on what kinds of bangs I normally think look cool. Zooey Deschanel and my little sister Cookie have the most fabulous blunt fringes, so I knew I liked the concept of that particular style. I then booked an appointment with the only hairdresser I trust (Therese at Hårny in Harstad, if you were wondering), and told her about my concerns.
I expected her to say “yes, you can have a fringe, but let’s stay away from the heaviest kinds”, as this is what I’ve been previously told – I’ve always suspected it was because of my “round face”. But no, Therese suggested a quite long, heavy fringe that starts almost at the very top of my head – you can see it in the picture above. This was so clever as it makes the fringe pretty heavy, thus preventing it from becoming thin strands that look greasy simply because it’s not one even layer of hair. No previous hairdresser have ever understood my hair (each hair is rather thin, but there are lots of them!) properly, which is probably why no previous fringes have looked flattering.
This is how I style mine (I’ve partly copied Cookie’s routine, as she is my fringe-idol).
After shower: dry hair with towel (squeeze the water out, don’t rub vigorously), add some volumizing mousse (preferably one with heat protection). Make sure to get it into the roots – I didn’t do this before as I was afraid it would make them greasy, but I’ve realized not that this is pretty much what causes the volumizing effect. Silly me. Blowdry fringe from crown (the top of your head) and down towards the front, until it’s dry. Then blowdry a little bit from beneath, so the air is directed almost up your forehead. This will give the fringe some lift (thank you, Cookie!), but if I do it too long I end up with weird kinks at the ends. Experiment with what works with your hair. Then brush, and use a straightening iron to slightly curve the fringe so it goes away from the top of your forehead, and in again towards your brows. This takes some practice to avoid kinks where you clamp down the iron, and to get the right curve, but it’s so worth the effort!
Without showering: I don’t wash my hair daily, but the fringe seems to need some freshing up pretty much every day. In the beginning I used to simply wash it in the sink (tie the rest of the hair into a high knot or away with hair clips so it won’t get wet), but that requires more blowdrying and straightening/curving, which seemed damaging and like a lot of job. Maja tipped me off about Batiste Brunette Dry Shampoo, which works like a charm. Spray into fringe, leave it in while putting on makeup, then rub with fingers or a towel and brush. It looks almost better than when it’s freshly washed, and it takes very little time. Ss they have a brunette version it doesn’t turn greyish, and it doesn’t make the hair sticky or brittle at all, either. I’d feared it would be a little like when using Dust It and such powders, but the hair stays nice and soft. They have it in non-Brunette versions too, of course – and right now it seems to be on sale at Vita, by the way.
What I found most important – and fun! – about my fringe, is discovering new ways to style my hair. Pulling all my hair up into a high bun, which used to be my emergency hairstyle, doesn’t work without using hairpins to keep the fringe back, but I haven’t felt the need to do this. The dry shampoo makes a greasy fringe a non-issue, huzzah! I’m still working on how updos look with a fringe. I find it rather exciting, as I usually struggled with how to style my long, sideswept bangs in combination with an updo, but that’s not a problem any more.
The thing I love the most about my fringe, though, is how it has changed my general look. Not only does it bring out my eyes in a wonderful way, but it also gives me an edge, a touch of devil-may-care. And that, my darlings, is always a good thing.
Filed under: fashion, Hair, How-to-Guides, Text-heavy, Tutorials
Posted in: Utvalgte moteblogger
