Two Ways To Trim Your Own Bangs (Or Your Kid's Bangs) At-Home

While most of us are shut inside our houses for the foreseeable future to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, many resources such as remote learning, fitness classes and virtual field trips have been made available. But with hair salons and barbershops closing down, we will also be forced trim our hair and our kids’ hair at home. Bangs in particular can seemingly grow long overnight.

To some, this is a piece of cake. But for others, trimming bangs at home can be daunting. We’ve got your backs – our beauty expert has shared tips on ways to trim your bangs or your child’s bangs at home.

How to trim bangs at home:

Step One:

Before we get started, you’re going to want to make sure your hair is as clean and as straight as possible, but not bone dry. I recommend washing your bangs (or your entire head if that’s easier) to get your strands as fresh and smooth as can be. Next, blow-out your bangs with a big round brush until they’re about 90% dry or rough dry them for a bit and give a single pass with the flat iron. To get a more accurate, salon-style cut, you’ll want to make sure your bangs are partially, almost dry (versus fully dry).

Step Two:

Next, section off the top and side layers you do not want to be cut. Sectioning your hair securely and tightly at the root will also allow for a more precise cut, at the desired length. To guarantee the cleanest lines while sectioning, you can lightly mist hair at the root and use a professional stylist’s sectioning comb and salon-worthy shears to get the smoothest cut.

Step three:

Now it’s time for the trim. There are two hacks you can easily repeat—one requires a twist and the other, a piece of tape.

For the twist hack: Gather your bangs in the middle of your forehead and twist them from root to ends so they form one section of hair. Next, snip gently at the ends to create a wispy fringe. Remember to start trimming only a small section of hair at a time (focus on just the tip of your bangs) to avoid cutting your bangs too short.

For the tape hack: Place regular scotch tape, or hair tape, straight across or angled across your bangs. You will be cutting at the strands that reside at the bottom of the tape so be cautious with the amount of hair you set aside to trim. To avoid cutting too much hair, work in small strokes and sections. You can always go back and trim strands shorter. It’s better to cut in smaller sections to avoid going too short. If you’re worried at tugging at your hair, opt for hair tape or stick the scotch tape along your arm several times to make the sticky side less grippy. Opt for the frosted version of scotch tape (versus the clear variety) as it’s not as sticky and less likely to damage strands.

Note: When you trim your child’s bangs at home, using an iPad or turning on their favorite show is an easy way to get them to sit still while you cut. Heck, even offer them a lollipop or a piece of candy as a reward for sitting still just like they do at kid’s salons.