Sometimes a hair trend comes out of nowhere. Sometimes it’s cleverly planned by a celebrity’s team of publicists and beauty pros. And sometimes, it’s simply one badass woman who looks so cool, it feels impossible not to copy her. Such is the case in Los Angeles right now, where the latest style du jour tracks back to L.A.-based model Taylor LaShae.
"She is the chicest French girl you have ever seen — you just want to be her," celebrity hairstylist Chad Wood told me after he chopped Vanessa Hudgen’s hair to match LaShae’s crop. "Vanessa and I just mimic this girl, we're obsessed." (For the record, the French/Columbian model was raised in Texas, not France, but you get the idea.)
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Jen Atkin, hairstylist to Chrissy Teigen and the Kardashian/Jenner clan agrees: Yesterday she posted a photo of LaShae in her current haircut moodboard, sealing the chop’s fate. Sal Salcedo, the hairstylist who gave LaShae the chop you see in this picture, told R29 it’s exploded at his brand new salon, Nova Arts. While a bob with bangs is far from novel, it is an unexpected moment for a city obsessed with loose beach waves and big, bouncy curls and coils.
Convinced you need it, too? We certainly are, so we compiled the details of this chop to make mastering it easy. Keep reading, because it involves a bit more than just taking the photo to your stylist.
What To Ask For
Salcedo says to ask for a classic bob cut right to the lips with bangs cut above the eyebrows, slightly longer at the temples, and blended into the length.
Salcedo says to ask for a classic bob cut right to the lips with bangs cut above the eyebrows, slightly longer at the temples, and blended into the length.
The trick to the bangs is simple: "The fringe should be above the eyebrows and get slightly longer at the temples so that it blends right into the length." This chop is for the risk-takers among us, he admits. "It's daring, it's a strong statement, and it shows that the person wearing it is confident and that that their idea of femininity is not necessarily having long hair."
Wood recommends a totally blunt cut that's even when your chin is raised, then very lightly point-cut so the ends get that enviable curl. "You have to take the corner off or it just becomes a normal bob, which can be a bit harsh" Wood explains. "That little curl in the front, that is where it becomes French." As far as the bangs, they should hit right at the brows.
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Customizing Is Key
Sal stresses that it’s important to always ask for a cut that is tailored to your unique hair texture. Which means that those with straight and wavy hair can abide by the advice above, but people with thick hair might need to add invisible layers to lose some bulk. Those with curly hair will want to leave it a little longer to allow it the weight it needs to hang in the right shape.
How To Style It
Salcedo is an advocate for air-drying, which makes adapting this cut to your natural texture even more important. Air dry as you normally would, then use a curling or flat iron to define or straighten your bangs. You'll want to keep a mini one, like T3's SinglePass Iron, on hand to manipulate those flips and smooth any frizzy areas. Or, you could make like LaShae and air-dry your bangs with a beret. (Does it get any more French-girl than that?)
Salcedo is an advocate for air-drying, which makes adapting this cut to your natural texture even more important. Air dry as you normally would, then use a curling or flat iron to define or straighten your bangs. You'll want to keep a mini one, like T3's SinglePass Iron, on hand to manipulate those flips and smooth any frizzy areas. Or, you could make like LaShae and air-dry your bangs with a beret. (Does it get any more French-girl than that?)
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