Choosing to get bangs has never been an easy decision. After butchering my first DIY cut, I bought clip-in bangs before working up the courage to try the style again. My love-hate relationship with bangs has taught me how to style long hair with bangs using products that actually work. Of course the first thing you’ll want to make sure you don’t do is give yourself bangs with craft scissors like I did — it was an absolute disaster that was just about impossible to recover from. After avoiding that misstep, the right products and tools for bangs are really what make all the difference.
With long hair and shorter bangs, you have a subtle case of “business in the front, party in the back”, so I’ve learned (through trial and error) that you’ll need products and tools that pull double duty. Take this styling balm for example: run in through your hair pre-blow out and it’ll add moisture and body to your long hair while providing your bangs with touchable hold to avoid bang that fall flat. This handy mini heat tool is another multi-tasker that curls and straightens, so you can touch up your bangs and the rest of your hair. If you’re hesitant about making the chop, read on for some of the best tools and products for styling bangs with long hair.
1. Use A Round Bristle Brush To Create Body For Long Hair With Bangs
If you can't get your bangs to cooperate with the rest of your hairstyle, you're going to need something to give it some lift.
SUPRENT Natural Boar Bristle Round Hair Brush, $12, Amazon
Long hair tends to go limp under its own weight, and the same goes for long hair with long bangs. To create lasting body, give yourself a blowout with a round bristle brush like this one. It has boar bristles and plastic bristles to grab on to each strand of hair, even the shorter pieces of your bangs.
2. Use A Styling Balm To Moisturize, Protect Hair And Hold Shape
Its A 10 Miracle Whipped Styling Balm, $15, Amazon
To further keep your long hair and bangs looking voluminous, use a styling balm like this one — it does everything! Use is post-wash and pre-blowdry to act as a softening heat protectant (thanks to sunflower seed oil and Ginko Biloba leaf extract!) that smooths hair, adds shine and maintains the body and movement of your blowout and bangs.
3. Give Your Long Bangs Some Personality With A Texturizing Spray
Who doesn't want hair that moves like Beyoncé's? I mean, seriously.
blowpro Textstyle Dry Texture Spray, $20, Amazon
To create her piece-y look that still moves, a texturizing spray is the easiest product to use. Reviewers are saying that it's the perfect balance between a hair spray and a gentle dry shampoo that adds texture to hair. One reviewer, Barbara, said she first tried it at her salon, but now uses it daily: "I'm not as talented as my hair stylist, but even I can get great results with this product."
4. Extend Your Hairstyle And Refresh Limp Bangs With A Dry Shampoo
Eva NYC Freshen Up Dry Shampoo, $12, Amazon
Because bangs come in contact with your face more than the rest of your hair, they'll tend to get oily and limp fast. Instead of washing your hair all over again and ruining your second-day hairstyle, refresh bangs with this dry shampoo to prolong your look until you're ready to wash. Eva NYC is my personal favorite because of the light but clean fragrance and the residue-free oil absorption.
5. Create Voluminous Hair & Mod Bangs Overnight With These Flexirods
Brigitte Bardot is the queen of big, wavy mod hair with bangs. If you want to get her look (without heat damage!) try flexirods.
Tifara Beauty 42-pack 7" Flexible Curling Rods, $11, Amazon
Curls and waves make long hair with bangs look instantly more full, so they're my favorite way to play with voluminous style. This flexirod set has smaller rods you can use to give your bangs shape, while using the larger ones to make more defined curls for your long hair. Plus, this is a great heat-free option that you can use to set hair overnight!
6. Let Your Hair Grow Out & Maintain Your Own Bangs With This Lifesaving Kit
Every girl with bangs knows this moment, but with this kit it's totally avoidable.
Hair Cutting Thinning Shears +Bangs Haircut Toolkit, $17, Amazon
If you're in the middle of the awkward "letting your hair grow out" phase and are anti-hair cuts, maintaining bangs can be tricky. Let the rest of your grow to Rapunzel-like lengths while keeping your bangs looking fresh with this DIY bang trimming kit — reviewers swear by it!
8. Tame Flyaway Bangs With A Lightweight Serum That Nourishes Hair
Aveda Smooth Infusion Style-Prep Smoother, $34, Amazon
Whenever I've made the bold decision to get bangs, I always love them — until I get flyaways. The wispy hairs refuse to stay in place, so I'd always end up carrying a light smoothing serum like this one to keep them in check. Plus, reviewers are raving about using it all over after washing as a great nourishing leave-in, one even said: "I love that a product so healthy for my hair is also fantastic at smoothing my hair before I style it. I've never used a styling product that was this good...No frizziness or flyaways, not too heavy, they are the best products out there!"
9. For Quick Touch-Ups, This Dual Flat Iron & Curling Iron Is Your Best Friend
2-in-1 Mini Hair Straightener Travel Flat Iron/Curling Iron, $27, Amazon
If you want more immediate control over bangs with a mind of their own, heat tools will whip them into shape. This handy mini styler is small enough to smooth or add a subtle bump to your face framing bangs, but because it's both a curling iron and flat iron, you can use it curl the rest of your hair for a fun hairstyle switch up.
Images: Fotolia (1); Amazon (9); GIPHY (4)
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