Which type of bangs should you wear?
You might not realize it yet, but you love bangs. Well, at least you love how they look on your favorite celebrities.
Zooey Deschanel, Reese Witherspoon, Ariana Grande: these trend-setting celebrities all rock bangs that define and accentuate the most beautiful features on their faces, and you can, too.
Now, you might be thinking, “I’ve never had bangs before, and they might look terrible on me,” which is true...if you don’t know how to pick the right bang style for your face shape.
Bangs are just like regular hairstyles, not all shapes and sizes look good on every person. To find the right bangs for your face shape, you need to know what shape your face is.
Not sure which face shape you have? Read this post to figure it out.
Already know what your face shape is? Let’s talk bangs.
How to Achieve Bangs With Hair Additions
There are three ways to get bangs with wigs, toppers, and hair additions:
- Buying bangs as a hair piece
- Cutting a topper or wig
- Buying a wig with bangs
If you buy bangs…
Buy your bangs from the same company you bought your original hair piece from and with the same type of hair fiber (synthetic, heat-friendly synthetic, or human hair). If you decide to go with a different brand or fiber for your bangs, more likely than not, you won’t be able to find an exact color match for your bangs and your hair will look mismatched.
Also, you should be extra careful when attaching your bangs while wearing a wig. Never attach bangs to the wig cap, attach them to a wig cap liner instead. If you attach your bangs to your wig cap, the cap could rip, ruining your wings.
While we love adding bangs to a wig look, we don’t love them enough to ruin the wig.
If you cut your wig or topper to create bangs…
Make sure that you’re definitely ready to transition to bangs. Wigs don’t grow back like bio hair does (obviously) and once you’ve cut your wig or topper, you can’t return it. If you’re feeling wishy-washy about getting bangs, go for a bang addition or a less expensive synthetic wig.
When you cut the bangs, place the wig or topper on a mannequin or stand, not your head. This will give you the most exact cut as you won’t be turning back and forth in the mirror to figure out if you’ve got the right cut and shape.
Not confident cutting bangs on your own? Go see a stylist instead.
A bang cut is cheap (typically less than $10) and that money more than covers the piece of mind that comes with knowing your bangs aren’t lopsided.
If you’re buying a wig with bangs…
Buy a cheaper synthetic option if it’s your first time wearing wigs. Picking a bang style that flatters your face shape is a good start, but it isn’t a guarantee you’ll love your bangs. You’re better off dropping more money on a human hair wig with bangs after you find a bang style you love.
Face Shapes & the Bangs to Match
A good hairdo should do two things: accentuate your favorite facial features (say that 10x fast) and help you look and feel beautiful.
Here are the bang styles we recommend for the five most common face shapes: round, oval, square, heart, and long.
Bangs for Round Faces
Baby Bangs
Baby bangs - barely there bangs cut an inch or two above your eyebrow line - are making a comeback this year, and it’s not just because of 90s nostalgia.
Baby bangs look great on people with round faces because they create the illusion of a larger, longer forehead. Make sure the baby bangs are cut at a slight curve dipping towards your temples, like the top of a circle, otherwise it will look like you put square bangs on top of a round face.
Not a good look.
Side Swept Bangs
Side swept bangs are the worst kept secret in hair. Why? Because everyone knows that side swept bangs look good on almost everyone.
Luckily for women with round shaped faces who wish their faces had a few more angles, side swept bangs can give them a totally new face.
The angles of side swept bangs elongate softer, round faces, giving the appearance of defined cheekbones and a longer face.
How’s that for a win/win bang look?
Bangs for Oval Faces
Softened Blunt Bangs
When your hairstylist talks to you about finding a hairstyle that matches your face shape, what they’re really saying is that you should find a hairstyle that creates the illusion of an oval shaped face.
Oval shaped faces are defined by large eyes and a small, soft chin, and are generally the envy of any person with any other face shape. If you’re lucky enough to have been born with an oval face shape, consider yourself very lucky, you can wear almost any hair or bang style and always look good.
Go for a unique style like softened blunt bangs. Softened, blunt bangs flatter oval faces because they accentuate the great facial structure people with oval faces already have, with the added bonus of drawing attention away from your chin if you think it’s a little too long. Ask your stylist to cut them at or just below above your eyebrow line.
Medium Bangs
Since oval faced people can get away with almost any bang style (congrats again, oval faced humans), you may as well go for an off-the-beaten-path style, like medium bangs, that stands out.
Medium bangs - as the name implies - fall between where micro bangs (bangs cut almost at the hairline) and full bangs (bangs cut at the eyebrow line) would fall: right in the middle of your forehead.
Medium bangs look retro and modern at the same time and will give you a one-of-a-kind look.
Bangs for Square Faces
Long, Layered Bangs
Two words: Zooey. Deschanel.
Besides being an overall style inspiration, Zooey is the queen of long, layered bangs. For a good reason, too. Her bangs make her square face look rounder and more aesthetically pleasing.
People with square jawlines and forehead’s like Zooey’s benefit from long, layered bangs because they soften and balance the angles of your face on top and bottom.
A-Shaped Bangs
A-Shaped bangs are great for people with square faces who want to look a little less angular.
Think of A-Shaped bangs as curtains for your face, they part near the center or just off the center of your forehead and are angled away from the face. The tapered ends of A-shaped bangs create soft angles that tone down your hairline and jawline and draw attention to your beautiful eyes.
Bangs for Heart Faces
Feathery Baby Bangs
Heart shaped faces, like oval faces, are another enviable face shape. Heart shaped faces are defined by soft but prominent cheekbones and soft, small mouth. If you’re lucky enough to have this face shape, show it off with baby bangs.
Baby bangs should fall just between where the centerline of your forehead and your hairline. Soften them up by asking your stylist to ‘feather’ them, i.e., cut in tiny layers.
Crescent Bangs
Crescent bangs are by far the most common bang shape, and that’s because they’re the most universally flattering.
The shortest point of crescent bangs fall in the center, and they are cut at an angle in long layers towards your temples from there. Stock up on your dry shampoo if you’re going for this look because crescent bangs are all about volume and lightness.
Bangs for Long Faces
Angled Side Swept Bangs
Not all side swept bangs are created equal. If you have a long face, side-swept bangs cut in a straight line won’t do much to change the shape of your face. Really, they’ll just make your face look lopsided.
People with long faces should opt for piecey side swept bangs. Piecey layers will create a softer, oval-shaped face.
Because these piecey angled bangs won’t easily tuck behind your ears, make sure you invest in some good wig hairspray to keep everything in place.
Grown Out Bangs
Women with bio hair hesitate to style their hair with grown out bangs because they can go from just right to in-your-eyes overnight. However, if you’re wearing bang additions or wigs, you don’t have to worry about it - your bangs aren’t going to grow out!
Cropped bangs will elongate a long face. Instead, choose grown out bangs cut just below your eyebrow level. Make sure your stylist cuts enough hair for this style, grown out bangs need to be heavy. Otherwise it will look like your hair is thinning out.
Need more styling advice? Read our posts about putting your wig in a ponytail or wig maintenance.
Do you love to rock a style of bangs we didn’t mention in our post? Leave us a note in the comments.
