Fringe Fever – 10 Bangs Inspiration To Change Your Look

READING TIME: 6 MINUTES

When it comes to fringes, people always have mixed feelings about them. They look so cool! But growing them out is a pain. They make you look young and sophisticated! But you have to trim them every two weeks. What’s the deal with the fringe?

Fringes (also known as bangs) have been around for a long time: besides the very well-known blunt bangs sported by ancient Egyptians, historians track this hairstyle back to Medieval Spain - where an influential Iraqi Renaissance musician, named Ziryab, introduced a variety of fashionable trends across Islamic Iberia, including bangs. According to scholar Al-Maqqari, before Ziryab, the men and women in the region were accustomed to wearing their hair long, parted in the middle, and hanging loose down to the shoulder. How grunge of them!

Discover more on hair extensions history in our The Hidden History Of Wigs And Hair Extensions, to find out how the great hair originated. 

Simply put, by definition a fringe is an ensemble of strands or locks of hair that fall over the scalp's front hairline to cover the forehead. Usually, a fringe stops just above the eyebrows, though it can range to various lengths and can be worn in different ways to frame a person’s face. A fringe can be curly, like the famous mall bangs that reached peak popularity during the 80s, light and wispy like Britney Spears’ at the beginning of her career or full and thick – like the one rocked by Brenda Walsh in the famous 90s tv show “Beverly Hills: 90210” – a look more suitable to deal with an annoying frontal cowlick, for example.

What if I told you that your fringe can, in fact, BE an extension itself? Hair Extensions are the ultimate trend to achieve a certain look for a night out, a special occasion, or even just for your day-to-day beauty experiments. If you’re uncertain about getting a fringe for good and chopping your hair off, you can play around with clip-in bangs before making a definitive decision!

There are many different hairstyles with fringe that can completely change the way you look, and with this celebrity fringes collection, I sincerely hope you’ll find the inspo (and courage) you need to embrace the change!

This trendy fringe hairstyle has been around for a long time, and it’s obvious why. With its versatility, it’s an easy, relatively low-maintenance style that goes well with any hair type and face shape out there. Hmm, versatile you say? Yes, because curtain bangs can be styled in so many ways, you’ll be surprised!

Classic curtain bangs are usually worn with a slight part down the middle, although you can always turn the volume up and achieve the big 90s blowout with your dreams (I’m looking at you, Matilda Djerf). When growing it out, you can also spread the fringe to the outer edges, perhaps paired with a messy bun for a long-lost artsy look. You can let it open for a beachy look over summer with a sea salt hair spray, and it’s a suitable look for any type of texture or layered haircut.

Wispy bangs can be the missing piece to that cute hairstyle you’ve been looking for a long time. Light and feathered, a wispy fringe turns your regular haircut into a youthful and sassy look, framing your face. Particularly indicated if you’re looking to soften a strong jawline or disguise a large forehed, you can pair this look with a layered, messy haircut for a sultry, sexy result.

This is the best fringe for people with long, even hair. Arched bangs have been around for a long time, and have been adopted by many celebrities too – including Sandra Bullock and Cher. In most cases, this hairstyle can be easily achieved by people with straight hair; but if you have thin, straight spaghetti-like strands you may want to use a round brush to blow-dry your bangs moving upwards.

If you’re looking for an extreme transformation, then baby bangs might be for you. Whilst traditionally fringes have been worn long enough to conceive most of your forehead and brush against your eyebrows, baby bangs have been created to achieve the opposite. If the upper part of your face is where you want to draw attention, this cool hairstyle will effortlessly do it for you – bringing all the focus on your forehead, eyebrows and cheekbones area. Baby bangs popularity peaked in the 1950’s, the pin-up era, with stars like Audrey Hepburn, Veronica Lake and Bettie Page sporting this flirty look.

This textured hairstyle is achieved by cutting the fringe a different length from one side to another, resulting in an often angled, uneven cut – unlike blunt or straight bangs.

A choppy fringe will be your best ally in balancing out a long and round face; it’s been worn by celebrities like actress Reese Witherspoon and singer Jennifer Lopez, and lately this hairstyle in particular seems to be what everyone is talking about. Choppy bangs add edginess (also depending on how chunky you make it!) and can be added to any hair length.

Although gen Z has banished the side part forever, some of us are still under the spell of the iconic 2000s hairstyle that defined the youth of thousands and thousands of millennials out there.

Side-swept bangs are what you get when you pair a fringe with a side part: slightly longer than straight-across bangs, this hairstyle can help in hiding fine lines and wrinkles around your eyes. Frequently sported on and off the red carpet by the many celebrities that have chosen this convenient and versatile hairstyle, side bangs can be paired with any length for a youthful, vibrant look.

Initially found in the depths of goth nightclubs, pointed bangs (also known as triangle bangs or V-shaped bangs), have been around for years. This edgy, fierce hairstyle is slowly rising from the dead and debuting on the internet as the next beauty craze. Perfect with an even bob, it can turn your average look into a futuristic, trendy vibe hard to forget.

A triangle fringe works best with crazy colours or a deep, sultry black shade.

A shaggy fringe is your bob’s best friend – period. Unless you’re crazy about the minimal, sleek, even style of course. But when your hairstyle is choppy, layered medium length bob with textured ends, shaggy bangs will add just the right amount of drama and make you look like a modern-day rockstar.

Worried about your face shape? Forget about it: this hairstyle is suitable for anyone.

If you’re looking to make an impact, then the asymmetrical fringe might be what you’re looking for. Edgy but without missing out on being incredibly chic, asymmetrical bangs are a cool alternative to the classic looks we previously mentioned, but without straying too far like perhaps a V-shaped fringe would do. An asymmetrical fringe would do its best with an extra short pixie cut – think of P!nk during her golden era – but works well with long hairstyles too. This refreshing hairstyle can be trimmed to suit any taste, leaving you fully in control.

There is something absolutely unique about the pin-up fringe especially when paired with long, romantic, soft curls. This retro look is usually obtained by cutting bluntly across the forehead, then styling with a round brush to create a voluptuous shape.

This, along with the wispy fringe, makes this hairstyle one of the best choices for people with thin hair. It’s the perfect hairstyle for those who are trying to achieve the perfect classic vintage set, or simply trying to spice up a long hairstyle that is starting to feel flat and boring.

Feel free to experiment and combine these styles to find the perfect one for you. If you’re feeling indecisive, team up with your hairdresser to style your clip-in fringe first and be amazed at the wonders it can work on your style!

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