How to Cut Curtain Bangs for Curly Hair

Curtain bangs are arguably one of the coolest haircuts for self-declared indecisive queens. You can cut them long and wispy like JLo’s for some face-framing action or short and full à la Dakota Johnson to camouflage a wide forehead. While getting the chop at a salon is your best bet, the insatiable urge to DIY may be too strong to resist. If you decide to take matters into your own hands, here’s a complete guide on how to cut curtain bangs on curly locks.

Getting the curtain bangs of your dreams takes precision and professional hair shears. If you don’t have the latter, grab the sharpest scissors you can find. A clean cut is essential to prevent split ends.

As for the techniques, they slightly differ depending on your natural hair texture. For example, curly bangs are all about length and shape, whereas straight hair requires lots of layering.

Let’s break down the steps.

When it comes to cutting wavy or curly hair, you need to keep shrinkage in mind. Start with clean and fully dried strands. Otherwise, you’d risk cutting the bangs too short for your liking.

Do your hair wash routine and prep as usual. Keep your mane moisturized with some cream and oil. Then, use a hair diffuser to dry and enhance the curl formation. The more defined your ringlets, the easier your job will be.

Before picking up the scissors, separate your fringe from the rest of the hair. First, lay a comb flat on top of your head. Look in the mirror to see where the hair starts to slope down. This is the starting point of your curtain bangs. From here, create a triangle-shaped section. If you want wispy bangs, the triangle should be narrower.

The golden rule of cutting curtain bangs is to make it short in the middle and longer on the sides. It should look like an arch. To perfect the shape, divide the strands into two parts: the middle and the sides.

Begin with the middle part and take a tiny clump of hair. Decide how long you want your bangs to be. Cut them one to two inches longer than desired. You can always trim more later, but you can’t grow your hair back overnight. Once you’re happy with the length, hold your scissors horizontally and snip right in the middle of the C-shaped curl pattern. If you have wavy hair, cut the ends vertically to soften the lines.

For the sides, do the same technique. You want to ensure that the hair gets gradually longer towards the perimeter of the face.

You might be tempted to cut more or even thin out the hair, but giving in to this impulse will cause irreversible mistakes. Since your curls are now shorter, they become springier and tend to bounce up. To see the true shape of your new ‘do, re-touch with a curl cream and leave-in conditioner. Then, finger coil each curl and defuse to dry. You may see that your bangs are now even shorter than before.

Hold two middle pieces together to see if they are the same length. Repeat the same step with the side pieces. Use this opportunity to correct any uneven cuts. And if you want the bangs to be shorter, trim the strands slowly but be careful not to get too scissor-happy.

Now that you’ve mastered how to cut curtain bangs, it’s time to learn to style them. While this haircut is known to be low-maintenance, especially for curly hair, it still demands effort. Give coarse hair that is prone to drying out some TLC with Cream Silk Triple Keratin Rescue Ultimate Straight Ultra Conditioner. It combines three benefits of keratin: minimizing frizz, softening the curls, and helping reduce breakage. The conditioner will make your bangs more manageable.

Proper maintenance is another way to keep your cheek-grazing bangs on point. Air-drying your hair might seem like the safer option, but it can stiffen your locks. Try to use a microfiber towel to wick excess water and dry the strands with a diffuser.

Apply TRESemmé Keratin Smooth Shine Serum right after to loosen the texture, lock in moisture, detangle knots, and boost shine. This hair serum also works great for finer strands, thanks to its lightweight formula.

Many hairstyles pair nicely with your new fringe, from a lob to shag. So go ahead and experiment with these tips on how to cut curtain bangs that perfectly complement your curls. If your creation needs some fine-tuning, your hairdresser is only one call away.