I’ve always had a thing for fringe bangs. When I was young and wore my hair straight, I usually always had some sort of fringe going on. Now as a full fledged curly girl, I’ve been secretly wanting to cut curly bangs since the beginning of the year. So over a week ago I took out my hair shears and snipped away!
I sectioned off my hair parting a triangular shape in the very front which was to be cut. This triangular front section of my hair has always been cut in very subtle face framing layers, yet this time I would be taking off over six inches of hair to create sweet fringe bangs. I cut my curly hair dry of course and also curl by curl versus cutting my hair stretched in one straight line. I also cut my fringe in a slight horseshoe shape which I prefer over having my hair cut straight across.
After washing and styling my hair, I was then able to see how my curls were falling, and then decide what needed to be snipped some more to create the overall shape I wanted. Tightly curly hair can be a bit tricky, so I took my time cutting only a little bit each time. I probably spent at least three different cutting sessions altering the shape.
I’ve been reshaping my hair ever so slightly every few months as it grows out. Every time I cut my own hair I get a little bit better. I have also learned how to change the shape without losing length as it continues to grow. With curly bangs I feel that maintaining an actual hair style/shape will be easier. With bangs you can also see how tiny my curls are since there is no length to weigh down this shorter portion of hair. It has taken me some time to get used to having a curly fringe, yet I absolutely love it!
Fringe bangs are a great way to change your overall look without having to cut a lot of hair to do it.
(Images by Dawn Michelle)
Paula (@saints09chick) says
November 26, 2013 at 4:10 pmI love it! I think you look sassy if you don’t mind me saying 🙂
Dawn Michelle says
November 26, 2013 at 5:47 pmThank you Paula <3
luka says
November 26, 2013 at 5:54 pmYou look nice with bangs! It frames your face perfectly! have you tried Coconut Butter for hair?
Dawn Michelle says
November 26, 2013 at 6:55 pmThanks Luka! And yes I have tried coconut butter for hair as a deep conditioner a long time ago. I wrote about it here. I prefer to use coconut milk though.
Lana says
November 26, 2013 at 11:59 pmYEEEEEEEEES! THANK YOU, you are an inspiration to all of us curly girls! I am showing this to my stylist. You look totally amazing. LOVE.
Dawn Michelle says
November 27, 2013 at 12:01 amWow! Thank you so much Lana! <3
Cynthia says
November 27, 2013 at 11:36 amLove it! You look fabulous!
Dawn Michelle says
November 27, 2013 at 11:38 amThank you Cynthia! So appreciated!
keisha says
November 29, 2013 at 8:23 amhow cute!!! love it!!!
Dawn Michelle says
November 29, 2013 at 2:27 pmThanks Keisha!
Daisha says
November 30, 2013 at 4:13 pmLove your bangs! They look fabulous on you! I’ve been following your blog for quite some time & I’ve learned a lot. I’m currently trying to go chemical-free with my hair products & have recently starting trying new things. I remember you stating in one of your articles about your hair going through a transition stage while you were weaning it of the products with chemicals. Can you tell me a little more about what you experienced?
I live in an area with hard water so I took your advice and purchased a shower filter just the other day. The first time I washed my hair I couldn’t believe how soft it was! I know our water has a lot of chlorine in it & is probably the reason for my hair being so dry. I didn’t use shampoo for this cleansing session, instead I mixed bentonite clay with acv, aloe vera juice & honey. My hair was super soft but not spongy. It felt clean but not stripped. It felt stronger & thicker.
The problem is how to retain moisture. My hair does not seem to like ANYTHING I put on it now except water. After my cleansing session I mixed avocado, banana, honey, glycerin & a little bit of slippery elm to make a deep conditioner. I sat under the hooded dryer & then proceeded to wash this mixture off. It rinsed off well enough but did not have any slip & I was extremely disappointed that it left my hair feeling a bit matted & like straw. Everything I’ve read on the internet says that these are moisturizing products, yet they feel like protein to my hair.
I then poured an herbal rinse over it that included acv, rosemary, nettle, burdock root & cocoa nibs. This brought back the softness but I still don’t know what to use to retain moisture now.
Sorry for the long post but any advice you can give me would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Dawn Michelle says
November 30, 2013 at 7:26 pmHi Daisha,
I wrote all about my experience transitioning to 100% natural hair care here. Also you don’t have to do a cleansing, deep conditioning, and herbal rinse all in one hair care session. You can do them based on what your hair needs. I noticed also that you are not using a leave-in of any type. You can try a light oil to seal in the moisture from water, or even aloe vera or shea butter. I wrote about different natural leave-ins here.
Best wishes!
sandy says
November 30, 2013 at 5:50 pmIt’s cute on you. Love it <3
Dawn Michelle says
November 30, 2013 at 7:26 pmThanks so much Sandy!
Daisha says
December 1, 2013 at 6:13 amThank you so much for the advice and links to the articles. One more question? Did you experience itchy scalp during your transition? I just want to know if this should be expected for a time or if the itchiness I’m experiencing could be attributed to some of the herbs or essential oils I’m using.
Dawn Michelle says
December 1, 2013 at 6:06 pmHi Daisha,
I usually only experience an itchy scalp when I put something on my scalp which could be oils, butters, etc. I do think that it can take some time for your scalp to become balanced especially if you were using stripping shampoos or products that contained pore clogging ingredients or alcohol. If that is the case your scalp will experience a transition just like if you changed your skin care regimen.
Aloe vera and herbal water infusions usually never bothered my scalp. They actually helped to soothe my scalp if it was itchy. If you are concerned or curious about an ingredient in particular you can always do a patch test.
Best wishes!
Lana says
December 14, 2013 at 12:31 pmHi Dawn Michelle, just wanted to give an update that my stylist gave me a bit of curly fringe too! It’s not as thick as yours is (mostly because I have finer, thinner hair, more like 3B or 3C I suppose and my stylist wanted to start off with less to see how it went). I love it though, and I’ve been getting compliments on it and random smiles from strangers on the street! Hee hee.
Although, any tips on how to refresh them in the morning? I hesitate to spray water because my hair usually just gets more frizzy the more I touch it. I tried just patting them back into place today…?
Also, any tips on how to separate them from the rest of the hair when styling? I’ve been trying the Ice Queen curly method and that helps a bit, but you know what I mean, you clean and/or condition and it’s like, where did those little guys go…
Thank you! 🙂
Dawn Michelle says
December 15, 2013 at 9:09 pmHi Lana,
I’m glad you’re loving your bangs too! I’m so happy I finally cut mine. To refresh them I do spritz with water or aloe juice in the morning and add a bit of shea butter.
Because it just got much colder in LA in the past week, the weather is so confusing here, I’ve also been playing around with braid outs again so I don’t go out with wet hair. I tend to jump back and forth between wash and gos and braid outs so much depending upon my mood. Surprisingly braid outs are still working even with bangs. If you have a natural hair cream/lotion or natural gel like aloe vera gel that you like, you can use that to keep your hair frizz free.
Also I’m going to look up the Ice Queen Curly Method. I hadn’t heard of it until you mentioned it.
Best wishes!
Aidan says
December 14, 2013 at 8:46 pmWOW! You are gorgeous. Lovely hair and skin.
Dawn Michelle says
December 15, 2013 at 9:18 pmThank you so much Aidan! You’re too sweet <3
Marita says
February 10, 2014 at 4:16 pmHiya! Hope all is well 🙂 I am thinking about an angled fringe…I’m working on the courage. I did buy shears and started cutting my hair little by little to remove the blonde/brown ends, I cut 1/4″. As I embark on the healthier hair journey I have noticed that my ends are the problem…not only is it the oldest part of my hair…but it is also chemically treated, they get so tangled and much like straw, even after a trim. I tried a mixture of AVJ and water and it worked wonders at smoothing and shining. I have done two cassia treatments to date and I am seeing some benefit. I think I am going to do black henna next. Morocco Method has a sale till 11:59pm and so far I like their henna. I am just afraid of not being able to do lighter henna or how it will look when it grows out. What has been your experience with black henna and growing it out?
Dawn Michelle says
March 6, 2014 at 10:05 amHi Marita,
You can always do a simple BAQ henna treatment first before using indigo also referred to as black henna. There are premixed treatments with henna and indigo that are a brown color so you do have options. I have also heard of others lightening their hair with honey which I talk about here. I hope that gives you some options to think about.
Have a beautiful day!
Jo says
July 6, 2014 at 8:10 amWow – I love your bangs, i found your site a couple of days ago and I’ve been binging since, i love you recipes, and I always felt like a weirdo for cutting my own hair until I read that you and a lot of your readers do it too! I have been thinking about getting bangs for months but i coward every time, it seems so final when it’s the 1st time you do it, like if you mess up it will be a long wait growing them long again. But anyway, I love your site and think your fringe is wicked, you’re a ballsy lady Ms Dawn.
All the best x
Dawn Michelle says
July 6, 2014 at 2:19 pmHi Jo,
Thanks so much! I actually prefer cutting my own hair as I’ve had to fix haircuts by stylists more than a few times. I’ve also cut my hair is various different methods to figure out what looks best for my hair and my preferences. Bangs are a commitment since they don’t grow back super fast, but they have been a wonderful change that I still love. All the best to you too <3