Figure 7.--Cutting bangs is an involved process.

Cutting Bangs

One problem with bangs are they are not easy to cut. They take a bit of effort to cut and then have to be maintained. This is one factor to consider when assessing the popularity of these hair fashions. It affected who could wear some of these styles. Mothers with largev families could not afford to chose hard to cut and maintain hair styles unless they were an affluenbt family. One father provided the following guidelines as to an easy way of cutting a boys' bangs:

Before You Start

If you don't own a pair of hair cutting scissors, purchase a pair from a beauty supply store. You can buy a good pair of scissors for around $25.00. It's well worth the investment. (Don't use them for cutting anything but hair or you'll risk ruining them.) Shampoo and blo-dry the hair before you start. Work at eye level. Sometimes sitting a child on a kitchen counter works well or stack a few phone books (preferably New York or some other big city) on a chair. Keep in mind that hair can be itchy. Brush or blow off any hair that falls on the face. Have patience. Sometimes the best results is achieved the second time. If your child has trouble sitting still, do your trim in two sessions.

Getting Started

Comb the hair in place. If your child wears a part, part the hair. Secure a towel or cape around the shoulders.

Find The Natural Fall

By placing a comb on the top of the head you can locate the natural fall of the hair. This is the spot where the comb and the head meet. Place your finger on the spot where they meet.

Parting Off The Bangs: Part the hair from the spot you found to the outside of the eyebrow on each side. This will form a triangle shape that is called the bang area.

Clipping

Not to be confused with cutting, take your clips and clip the hair on either side of the triangle out of the way.

The Guideline

With the comb slice a section of hair about 1/4" thick out of the triangle and comb it down. Twist and clip the rest of the triangle back. This 1/4" section is your guideline. It's the test area. The place mistakes are made and corrected.


Figure 8.--The end result.

Cutting The Guideline

With scissors in trembling hand cut the guideline without holding the hair. Cut as straight as possible but don't panic if you make a mistake. This hair is under the rest of the bangs and won't even be seen. The guideline is what you follow. It's like a pattern. Don't continue until you have a straight line.

The Next Section

Once you have a guideline, part off another 1/8" to 1/4" section of hair and comb it down over the guideline.

Cut To Guideline

With the comb take both the guideline and the new section and comb it together holding it between your index and middle finger. With practice this gets easier. Cut the new section a tiny bit longer than the guideline. Comb it down and check for any hair you may have missed.

What Next

Continue taking 1/8" to 1/4" sections and repeating the last two steps until you've cut the last section.

Finalé

Take two steps back and admire your handiwork. (Take your child off the counter first.) Get out the camera, snap a few pictures and enjoy your newfound talent. I need to give credit, where credit is due, and thank my son for his patience and interest in my work. He truly adds a bright star in my sky.










Christopher Wagner







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Created: May 5, 1998
Last edited: May 20, 2000