Tutorial Tuesday~ Blending Bangs

I often have to blend my bangs with the rest of my hair, in order to achieve a certain style. It would, of course, be easier for me to do more styles if I grew my bangs out and opted for a 'faux fringe' when the mood struck. But I actually prefer bangs for most of my every-day looks. I'm used to them and I'm used to hiding them when the need arises. But many of you have been having difficulty with this aspect of styling and therefore, today's tutorial is dedicated to you. Once you get the hang of it, you'll be surprised how versatile a a 'Betty Page' bang can be, even if you keep yours shorter than mine.

I will say, however, that in order to make this a true success, planning is required. You'll need to know from the moment you step out of the shower weather you plan to wear your bangs or not. Once you've made that difficult decision, the following products will definitely help:

Hair Gel-the gel needs to be of good quality. I don't recommend 'Dep' or similar gels since the hold is too strong and will usually flake, once the hair is dry. These gels also result in some serious crunch, which is not what we're looking for here. A flexible hold gel is best. I personally use Hawleywood's High Performance Hair gel, which is for sale here in my shop.

Grooming Spray-Grooming Sprays are seriously underrated. They provide a good hold for heated sets and a bit of volume as well. Unfortunately, there are very few of them on the market. They're applied to wet hair and will give some extra 'oomph' to after-styling products. I use HW's Grooming Spray (also available here on my shop)but you can also use a mousse or other prepping product, for similar results.

Hair Spray, Pomade, and Thermal Protectant-After hair is dry, these items help, not only with blending bangs, but also with all vintage styles. Use the heat protectant before rolling individual sections of hair and also as a 'setting spray' when the setting is complete. Hair Spray is great for finishing off a style, as is pomade.

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To Blend Bangs:
1. Part wet hair in whichever direction the style requires, combing out the tangles as you do so. I usually use a leave-in conditioner for this stage, to assist in releasing the tangles.

2. Aim bangs back with hair gel.

3. Spray hair all over with grooming spray or apply your mousse.

4. Comb through again.

5. Blow hair dry or allow to air dry...making sure to shape and assist the bangs as you go. Finger combing usually is all that is required.

6. Curl bangs w/ a small barrel iron, in the direction you'd like them to fall. Use a bobby pin to temporarily keep them back. Set hair however you like, using dry pincurls, hot rollers, or Hot sticks. If you're using a cold set...skip this step and instead, roll the bangs with rollers or pincurl in the direction you want them to fall.

7. When hair is set, style it by allowing the longer crown hair to fall over the area you have pinned. You can also remove the pin and brush the crown/bangs together, forming w/ your fingers as you go. Spray and use pomade to set.
If you choose a front roll or barrel curl, simply place it over the area that you have pinned, using longer top hair.