Here’s How to Style Curtain Bangs, TikTok’s Hottest Hair Trend
Celebrities like J. Lo, Hilary Duff, and Dakota Johnson are already fans.
It’s a question we’ve all faced at least once in our lives: should we get bangs? After sitting on it, some meditation, and making a pros and cons list, the answer to that is oftentimes no. But thanks to TikTok and Insta, a ‘70s hair trend has found its way back into our lives — and we’re considering bangs all over again. Say hello to curtain bangs.
From seeing it on our favorite TV heroines (@Mariannesbangs deserve just as much recognition as @connellschain IMO) to our fave celebs like Jennifer Lopez, Dakota Johnson, and Hilary Duff. Curtain bangs are everywhere. The hashtag alone has almost 170 million views on TikTok and over 53,000 posts on Instagram, making it super hard not to become intrigued by this viral beauty trend.
But first, what even are curtain bangs? How does one style them? Can anyone pull them off? We talked to celebrity hairstylist and author of “All Hair Is Good Hair,” Annagjid “Kee” Taylor, and celebrity hairstylist Andrew Fitzsimmons to break down everything you need to know about the bangs everyone is raving about. Read on to learn more.
What are curtain bangs?
Taylor says that curtain bangs are basically fringe bangs that are parted down the middle to frame your face. (“Just like curtains!” she says). She explains that curtain bangs are typically longer than standard bangs and have wispy ends that blend into the rest of your hair. She says that they’re much softer than blunt bangs and less dramatic than side-swept bangs.
Can anyone pull off curtain bangs?
It might be a bold statement, but we’re going to make it anyway—curtain bangs are universal. “The beauty of curtain bangs is that it is suitable for all hair types and lengths,” says Fitzsimmons. “What works best is really understanding your hair’s texture and cutting face-framing layers that suit your face shape.”
Taylor agrees. “Because curtain bangs are cut in a way that blends them with the rest of your hair, you do want a little bit of length to go along with them,” she says. “That said, you can definitely rock curtain bangs with hair as short as a pixie; just make sure your stylist leaves some length in the sideburn areas.”
She also says they’re super easy to maintain and are a lot more forgiving than other styles of bangs. “After what we’ve all gone through in 2020 and all the uncertainty of not knowing if we’re going to be away from our hairstylists again, it’s a great option for a low maintenance look,” she says.
How do you style curtain bangs?
As for styling them, Fitzsimmons likes to use a big round brush on damp hair to give it a nice blowout. (We love using a round brush like the T3 Volume Round Brush). He says you want a voluminous look with minimal frizz so adding a leave-in conditioner before drying will also do the trick. After that, you can pretty much do whatever you want.
“The signature of the curtain bangs is that middle part. Beyond that, you can rock them with just about any style,” he says. “They look great when your hair is down or for half-up, half-down styles. For updos, they look great when you pull some of the hair just behind the bangs down to create that face-framing effect.”
Styling curtain bangs is pretty simple. First, part your hair down the middle. Then blow-dry your bangs away from your face, wrapped around a round brush. Twist the brush through your bangs all the way at the end so it feathers out and then style the rest of your hair however you please.