Written by Gilad Goldstein (@myguiltycrown)
Cutting the perfect side bang can be both difficult and intimidating. The bangs are a sensitive area to begin with, as they are right in our clients’ faces and can either make or break a haircut, and they can either be too short, too long, or just plain wrong. Fear not, we're here to share some of our tips and techniques that have been tested and successful in achieving the perfect bangs for your clients.
Communicate with your client. This is THE MOST IMPORTANT STEP in achieving the perfect bang, because if you're not on the same page with your client and just cut a bang, the end result might not be what your client was expecting. Make sure to ask what kind of bang is desired, and listen to your clients’ answer carefully. Repeat back to your client what they asked from you to make sure you understood their request and can proceed with confidence.
Make professional recommendations. We learned about face shape and suitability back in beauty school, and it is our responsibility as professionals to share our knowledge with our clients on what will look best on their face shapes. For example, a guest with wide features may not know that a full horizontal fringe is going to accentuate the features they may actually want to camouflage. Try suggesting a longer, angled fringe to soften their features and highlight their best traits. Sharing your expertise with your clients is a part of what will set you apart as a true master hairdresser and will build you a loyal, trusting clientele.
Understand head shape. Have you ever seen a bang that extends way too far in to the sides of a haircut? The reason this happens is due to improper sectioning and understanding of head shape. When we cut a bang, a good general rule is to use the outer corners of the eyes as points of reference and connect these points of reference with a vertical parting to create a triangle shape section. This triangle is the hair that lives in the face and is where the bang should be cut. Any cutting outside of this triangle will start to cut in to the sides of the haircut, and we must understand this before moving beyond our initial bang section.
Use overdirection for easy side bangs. Overdirection is a movement in haircutting that throws weight and length in the opposite direction of the cut. When cutting a side bang, if we overdirect the hair back towards its side parting, we can cut a cut short-to-long line in one cut and create the movement so it pushes right into place when blow dried in natural fall. Try elevating the hair as we you overdirect to create soft layers that will enhance the movement and lighten up the texture. Below is a video demonstrating this technique, and you will love how easy it is to do!
Good or bad, the bang reminds your client of their salon experience with you every day. Understand how to cut the best bangs for you clients, and they will love and trust you as their hairstylist for years to come.
https://youtu.be/q4l_kIe5pAA