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13 Bangs Trends To Help Frame Your Face Because You’re a Work of Art

 

They say that bangs are like a frame for the face. And any good art curator knows that you need to consider the masterpiece when choosing the frame. You wouldn't put the Mona Lisa in an industrial-steel black frame, would you? Or surround an Ansel Adams photograph in ornate gold filigree?

2024 bang trends are all about matching your personality and mood. If you're looking for romance this year (à la Degas and Monet), consider soft and feathery face-framing pieces. Or are you hoping to shake things up and buck tradition (like Picasso or Pollock)? Try a grungy, piece-y fringe or textured baby bangs. Maybe you want to stand out (similar to a Rothko or Lichtenstein) with carved, crisp bangs or big, bouncy ‘70s fringe. Or perhaps you simply have an appreciation for the classics (you’re vibing with Vermeer and Rembrandt) and timeless curtain bangs.

Whatever your particular genre, start with your face shape and go from there. "Many bone structures can be complemented by bangs," says Aaron Grenia, hairstylist and founder of IGK Hair Care. "You’ll want to determine what types of fringe look best with your face shape and avoid those that won’t.” You’ll also want to consider hairline and texture. Curlier hair may find baby bangs harder to style (though not impossible!) since the volume will take some wrangling and finessing. Thinner, straighter hair types may find a full, vintage pin-up bang hard to pull off without clip-ins (they’ll wind up with a wispy fringe instead of a bold curtain of hair).

Here, we've rounded up the best 2024 bang trends to help frame your face.

Meet the experts:

Devin Toth is a hairstylist at Salon SCK in New York City.
Amy Abramite is a hairstylist and creative director of Maxine Salon in Chicago.
Sanda Petrut is a hairstylist at Maxine Salon in Chicago.
Nunzio Saviano is a New York City-based hairstylist and owner of Nunzio Saviano Salon.
Aaron Grenia is a hairstylist in New York City and Miami and cofounder of IGK Hair.
Frédéric Fekkai is a New York City-based hairstylist and founder of Fekkai.
René Fris is a celebrity hairstylist at Salon SCK in New York City.
Fabian Lliguin is a New York City-based hairstylist and cofounder of Rahua.
Rodger Azadganian is a Seattle-based hairstylist and founder of äz Craft Luxury Haircare.
Travis Speck is a New York City-based hairstylist at Suite Caroline Salon.
Jason Hallman is the lead stylist and educator at Ouidad Salon in New York City.

 

Bushy bangs

Too much of a good thing is just a great thing, right? That's at least true when it comes to thick, bushy fringe — which looks especially rock ‘n roll on naturally thicker hair like Natasha Lyonne’s. "These long, busy bangs should cover up the forehead, eyebrows, and temples," says New York City-based hairstylist Devin Toth. "They're great on wavy or curly hair because there's no need to style with thermal styling tools." Your natural texture should do all the work for you, just get them into place and spray with a light-hold hairspray to keep them in check.

Wabi-Sabi

"Wabi-sabi is a Japanese term for finding beauty in imperfection," says Chicago-based hairstylist Amy Abramite. This choppy fringe is the epitome of the principal — embracing random (but balanced), razored lengths and chipped-out texture. Abramite recommends air drying this style and finishing with a leave-in conditioner like Oribe Priming Lotion Leave-In Conditioner.

Center part bangs

Toth expects the center part trend to extend from the top of the head and into the fringe in 2024. Any long bang style can play along (curtain bangs, blunt bangs, and even wispier cuts) with the right styling technique. Split your damp fringe in half down the center and then dry the hair with a round brush — pulling it back and to the sides — on each individual side to train the hair to stay put. Use a light hairspray for extra help if your hair keeps falling forward.

Rockabilly bangs

We've revisited just about every decade to borrow hair trends: '90s Pam Anderson up-dos, '80s shag mullets, and '70s disco curls. It's about time that we ventured into an even more distant era: the '50s. New York City-based hairstylist Travis Speck expects this vintage, pin-up style bang to make a comeback in 2024. The short and rounded fringe "opens up the face, creates a striking shape, and gives us drama thanks to the fullness and bounce," says Speck.

Not sure if this is the style for you? You can test the look out with clip-in bangs, like Megan Fox did at the 2021 Met Gala.

Side-swept bangs

Several of our experts predicted that side-swept bangs will be resurrected from the early aughts. But don't worry: These aren't the side-swept bangs you remember from MySpace. In 2024, side-swept bangs are long enough to blend into whatever side you push them to so you don't get short, greasy pieces falling into your eyes. Think more bombshell (like Kelly Rowland here) and less emo band groupie.

Curtain bangs

Are you an ingénue or a femme fatale? A winter or a summer? A Carrie or a Samantha? Curtain bangs like Camila Cabello's let you have a little bit of everything. They're bangs, but they're also not quite bangs. They're layers, but they're not just layers. "This type of fringe is versatile, flattering on many face shapes, and can be styled in various lengths," says hairstylist Frédéric Fekkai. "Ask your stylist to create your fringe in an inverted ‘V’ shape to frame the face on both sides." Depending on which features you want to highlight, you can either have them cut longer to accentuate the cheekbones or shorter to really frame the brow line, he adds.

Bottleneck bangs

No need to grade Halle Berry's bangs on a curve. (Uh, anyone?) These tried-and-true bottleneck bangs have all the expert bend and shape they need to make it to the head of the bangs class. "The top is narrow and then moves into a longer, wider ending, like a bottle, hence the name," says hairstylist Rodger Azadganian. “This type of bangs gives a ton of versatility because the outer fringe is longer and the middle can easily be swept to the sides for more of a curtain bang look.”

Carved and crisp

These carved, crisp bangs are an easy way to give your look a complete 180. Stylist Sanda Petrut says this style works especially well on thicker hair as the straight, blunt cut is made bolder by its full coverage (thinner hair types will wind up with a piecier version). Intimidated by the pristine edge? "The bangs can be softened by tapering the ends" if you want a happy medium, says Petrut, like Naomi Campbell has here.

Textured baby bangs

"Baby" bangs is kind of a misnomer, given how badass this cut actually is. "Punk rock don't-mess-with-me bangs" just doesn't roll off the tongue as well. New York City-based hairstylist René Fris expects to see more of these spiky, uber-short bangs in 2024, especially paired with shags and wolf cuts like Ursula Corbero did here. "Ask your hairstylist for straight, textured bangs that fall about an inch-and-a-half down from your hairline," says Fris. Wear them straight or use a texturizing paste to give them a messier, tousled look.

'70s buxom bangs

This ‘70s-inspired style on model Julia Zou is kind of like a sexy bowl cut for your bangs. The rounded, bouncy, voluptuous fringe is very Charlie's Angels and works especially well with longer hairstyles. "Seventies bangs look great on every face shape and any hair texture, regardless of the length," says New York City-based hairstylist Nunzio Saviano. “They're soft with a lot of movement.” To get that extra va-va-voom bounce, dry damp bangs using a large-barrel round brush and a volumizing product like JVN Embody Volumizing Hair Foam.

Feathery French bangs

This feathery fringe is the bangs equivalent of wearing a silk robe. It's soft, romantic, comfortable, and, paired with a glass of champagne (you know, the real kind from the real region), it's oh-so-French. "These bangs are usually longer than regular fringes and have lots of texture," says Fabian Lliguin, hairstylist and cofounder of Rahua, adding that these bangs can easily be air-dried for an undone look.

Speck recommends pulling the rest of the hair into a messy chignon or ponytail as Jenna Ortega has here. And when they get too long? Go with it. That's the beauty of this looser, bedhead-y fringe. "Letting bangs grow into something different is actually what makes them special," he says.

'80s grunge bangs

Speck expects to see these grungy, punk rock bangs make a comeback in 2024. It's very “I don't care about my hair, I just cut it with my kitchen shears,” and there’s something extremely, well, chic about that. Or did we just make it not chic by saying it was chic?

Speck recommends asking for your bangs to be cut with a razor in order to give them that DIY vibe. To get the messy separation that Rowan Blanchard has here, style them with a dab of texturizing cream like Bumble and bumble Bb Texture Hair (Un) Dressing Creme.

Curly fringe

Loose, sexy curls make for bombshell bangs, but they can also be a little tricky to wrangle. The advice here, says Ouidad lead stylist Jason Hallman, is to have a stylist take a look at your curl growth patterns and choose the length and shape that will cooperate naturally. (This brow-length fringe is a perfect fit for Alanna Arrington's looser curls, for example, while those with tighter coils may want a longer length.) Hallman recommends using a detangling brush, like a Wet Brush, to brush the bangs from underneath while they're damp, then shake them out to let your natural curls take shape.