3 Ways To Make Your Bang Grow-Out Less Terrible

Those bangs seemed like such a good idea a couple months ago, didn't they? Your friends and family told you how incredible you'd look with them — and you believed them. "I'll be somewhere between adorably gamine and downtown chic," you said. And then, somewhere around your seemingly millionth morning of waking up and wrestling those bad boys into shape, you realized: It's time to grow them out. The thought alone was enough to make you cringe in horror, wasn't it? It actually doesn't have to. Growing out your bangs can actually be (relatively) painless. But, we're not going to sugarcoat it — the steps for a seamless grow-out aren't exactly lazy-girl friendly. The inconvenient truth is, the process involves some intervening from your friendly neighborhood hairstylist.  The Center-Snip
"If you've got sort of '70s, softer, longer bangs [Ed note: Think Kate Moss], it's actually an easy fix," says celebrity hairstylist Jenny Cho. You can either start pushing them off to the side, and stick a bobby pin in there, or go for a snip. "Part your hair in the center, and then snip the center just a bit shorter, so it separates and looks like a face frame," Cho suggests. If the sides are a little longer, you can also ask to get them blended into the rest of your hair. As your mane grows, it will just look like a face frame. Alexa Chung is pretty skilled at this technique — she's done it a few times. It can be tricky for the curlier types out there, but it only requires a few extra minutes of styling attention.  Add Movement
If you have side-swept bangs, stylist Nicole Pascual, of Sally Hershberger in L.A., says you can ask your hairstylist to add some texture using special shears. "If you just use texture shears to add some movement to the fringe, it will make it easier for it to move about," she says. So, you'll be able to push it to the side, pull it back, or just leave it to hang. More movement equals more versatility, which is exactly what you want during the growing-out process. Out Of Sight, Out Of Mind
That said, some of us would rather forget the bang situation ever happened. Stylist Riawna Capri says there's even a way to mask them completely. "A good stylist can take a little hair behind the bang line, flip it over the fringe, and then cut it so that the piece is longer," she says. "It will hide your bangs as they grow." With this technique, it's important to always style your hair to hide that fringe. All three of the stylists we chatted with stress the importance of product to help your fringe from going haywire. They suggest a wax or pomade, like Redken Styling Water Wax. "It's just to make sure everything is where it's supposed to be," Capri says. "It's good for both side bangs and middle bangs." Work it into your mane wherever the short, wispy flyaways start to pop up.  Growing out your bangs isn't the easiest thing in the world. But, it's definitely not as painful as some a lot of people will tell you. Plus, most stylists will trim them for free, or at a heavily discounted rate. So, it's not even like you're blowing a ton of cash to get your mane back to its former bang-less self. Get ready for a chic transition in your hair's history.