Beauty How To: Cut Your Own Bangs—If You Dare

Bangs can be pesky. They grow out quickly. Without experience, taking matters into your own hands isn’t the best idea. (Case in point: My dad once decided to cut my bangs when I was 7. I was left with a straight-edged tuft of hair three inches above my eyebrows. I still haven’t recovered). Yet, with a bit of training, doing a trim yourself isn’t too hard. After the jump, some tips from Annamarie Tendler, a Vidal Sassoon-trained hairstylist and makeup artist.

1. Section out your bangs from the rest of your hair and pull hair back into a ponytail (so you don’t cut more than you want).
2. Make sure bangs are dry and styled how you would normally wear them. If you cut your bangs when they are wet, you will most definitely end up cutting more hair than you intended.
3. Comb bangs so all the hair is lying flat and straight.
4. For straight across bangs, comb through with a fine tooth comb and hold the comb just slightly above where you want your bangs to fall.
5. Using the comb as your guide cut hair straight across and parallel to the comb. (Sometimes it frames your face nicely to have your bangs slightly longer on the sides, while more tapered in the middle. If you do this, make sure to cut on a smooth angle to the center so it blends together.)
6. If your hair is thick, make the cut in two sections. Section out the top half of your bangs, and cut the underneath section first. Then cut the top section ever so slightly longer than the underneath section. This will ensure that your bangs lay flat instead of curling outward.
7. For sweeping, angled bangs, follow the instructions for straight across bangs first, but cut the hair to just below the eyes.
8. Sweep your bangs to the side with your hands or the comb, so they fall to the side on an angle. If you want more of an angle, cut the shortest side to the length you desire and then trim on an angle until you get to the longer side.
9. Whether you cut straight across or at an angle, after you’re finished hold your bangs straight between your fingers and cut up into them (so you’re holding the scissors parallel to your nose) just along the edge to soften the hard line.