Justine Pierre hair by Jesse Scavone at Salon Evol, Stroudsburg Pa.

570-421-3865

Barbara Stanwyck , The Queen, a versatile actress whose acting career has spanned for over 59 years beginning as a chorus girl on Broadway in 1934.  Her attitude is as famous as her hair, easy going and elegant.  And her infamous faux bangs can be emulated easily, especially for you long haired ladies out there looking for a little change in your life without the sacrifice of cutting your hair.

We all know our own hair best.  We just need to learn to work with it to make our styles true to life.  If you’ve found yourself in a position where you may be indecisive about cutting your locks for the sake of bangs please don’t fret. You can create the look without the scissors.  Just follow these tips to create faux bangs as glamorous as Barbara Stanwyck’s.

Create this look:

Tools:

comb

Hair tie(s) and Bobby pins

Hair Spray

gel or molding paste

Hair Rollers or a curling iron

To create Barbara’s faux bangs begin by sectioning off an even amount of hair near the crown of your head with a comb.  You can use a roller by setting the hair in a roller by extending the section of the hair outward and placing the roller underneath the hair followed by rolling the roller toward your forehead.  Apply heat from your hair dryer and spritz lightly with some hairspray.  Or you can use a curling iron by following the same method as the roller, minus the dryer.  Remember to curl the hair underneath and toward your forehead.

Next apply a very small amount of molding paste or light gel to the sectioned off hair.  Pull the hair strand away from your forehead, and begin curling inward using your fingertips.  Secure one side of the curl with a bobby pin.  Carefully spread the curl across your forehead with your fingertips horizontally.  Secure the other side with a bobby pin, and finish with a spritz of hairspray.  

To finish the complete look above.  Use a comb to section off one side of you hair.  Comb or brush the hair toward the far top of your head and secure with a bobby pin.  Repeat on the other side.

Tools:

comb

Hair tie(s) and Bobby pins

Hair Spray

Small barrel curling iron

To create Barbara’s faux curly bangs start by sectioning off a large square of your hair from the crown to the middle of your head.  Use the edge of your eyes as a starting point for where to begin the sectioning.  Once you have your hair secured with a tie or pin, follow by pulling the unused hair into a low pony tail to keep it out of the way while you set your curls.  Next, you need to begin to section out the pieces inside the square. Think of it as a grid.  If you feel it is necessary you can pin each small section before you begin curling the faux bangs.

To curl the bangs take the small sections of hair and use a small barrel curling iron to curl the hair under. Hold the strand of hair outward and curl the hair under toward the scalp.  Spray lightly with hairspary while the hair is being heated by the iron, then carefully undo the the curling iron from the hair.  Secure with a bobby pin, and repeat until all the hair has been curled inside the square.  Next carefully separate the curls to your liking and finish with a spritz of light hair spray.

To finish the complete look above.  Use a comb to section off one side of you hair.  Comb or brush the hair toward the far top of your head and secure with a bobby pin.  Repeat on the other side.  Or secure all the hair with a hair tie.

Remember Practice makes Perfect ladies.  

Sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don’t, and this is the sole reason why you should never, ever trim your own bangs.  It doesn’t take an artist or stylist to spot a homemade haircut!  Most, if not all, salons give complimentary bang trims to their clients.  If you were not aware of this-you seriously need to take advantage.  Let’s put this all into perspective here

First off, you and your hair are representing your stylist.  So, honestly by you coming in for a bang trim to keep your look up is benefitting your stylist as well.  Most stylists main form of advertisement is word-of-mouth from their clients.  You are their beacon of income.  If you don’t look good, they don’t look good.  How many times has someone complimented your look, and you’ve given them the number for your stylist?

Second, you are not a trained stylist.  Stylist scissors are held in a unique way, not like the ordinary paper cutting scissor. Cutting hair is about approach.  You need to have technique.  Your stylist can approach your hair from a different perspective and is able to see your hair as an object, to shape and mold.  Your stylist also has a license for a reason, and is paid for this reason.  Clemente Javier, stylist and blogger, agrees that it’s nearly impossible to do the correct cut to your hair yourself.  Next time you go in for a haircut observe how your stylist is cutting your hair.  Do yo think you could just do that in front of a mirror and acquire the same results?  I highly doubt you could even turn your wrists in the same way!

Please do not go twisting your bangs and hacking at them with some scissors you bought at Sally’s.  The damage you’ll do to your hair, is much much worse than the $5 you may pay for a bang trim at any old salon.  Do yourself a favor and call your stylist, it will only take a minute compared to a few weeks for your awful bangs to grow back in that you cut yourself.