There have been plenty of fads in the hair world. From the infamously layered “Rachel” to frosted tips and crimped hair held up by butterfly clips, we’ve seen plenty of popular hair moments that haven’t lasted long.
Side-swept bangs, however, are one of those classic, versatile styles made to withstand the test of time. These bangs can be worn at various lengths, by any hair type or texture, on any skin tone at any age. It’s no wonder this trend is recirculating and coming in by popular demand. Below, we gathered up a list of 25 ways to wear the chic and timeless side-swept bang with a few styling tips along the way.
Razor Cut Bangs
Rather than using shears, having your bangs cut or detailed with a feather razor can give it a soft, textured finish and an airy quality.
Effortlessly Cool
An imperfect parting and a lot of dry texture spray make these side-swept bangs effortlessly cool.
Lighten Your Load
Adding movement to the hair can keep things feeling lighter, no matter how heavy the section is or how thick the hair is. Use a 1″ iron to curl in alternating directions plus a generous amount of dry texture spray, and you’ll be left with loads of movement.
Keep It Soft
Sometimes keeping your bangs blunt (meaning: cut in a straight, clean line) can actually provide for a very soft finish. Make sure your hairstylist is taking your hair type into account when deciding which tool to use to cut your bangs. Finer hair will have a much softer, fuller result from blunt lines than thicker hair will.
Curly Bangs
We’re swooning over these curly side-swept bangs. This just serves as a reminder that texture and movement can only make a hairstyle better, especially when it’s all natural.
Use What You Have
With the extra long face framing bangs being such a hot ticket in this trend of side-sweeping styles, it leaves room to simply use what you have. If your front layers are a bit grown out, that shouldn’t stop you from letting them cascade down from an off-center or side parting and gracefully sweeping them across the face as seen here.
Lots of Movement
We love the way this movement begins at the roots and continues all the way down to the ends, bangs included.
Using a volumizing primer before you blow dry will help plump up your strands and give your style added longevity.
Added Height
Use an extra large round brush on long side parted bangs to give it a little extra height. Spray some Oribe dry texture spray on the roots of your bangs first and then blow dry it in to give a little extra hold.
Retro Crop
Undoing a hot roller set on a cropped ‘do will give it a very retro feel. To cheat the roller set, use a 1.5″ – 2″ barrel on your side bangs (curling in toward the face) and on your ends in alternate directions. No matter the method, always brush through your curls to soften the finish.
Side-Swept Split
Some partings are more stubborn than others and it can feel impossible to even attempt switching up your part. Instead of fighting against it, work with it. Cutting curtain bangs on both sides of your side part leaves room for a lot of styling versatility, including but not limited to a good side-sweep.
Audrey Bangs
A short micro bang can still be cut long enough to sweep them to the side for a classic Audrey Hepburn-esque look.
Cascading Side-Sweep
Add a little extra hair from behind the bangs for a heavier, cascading effect. Keep the section together by getting those ends through a single sweep of your favorite curling iron and you’ll be sporting this J.Lo side-sweep in no time.
Piecey Textured Pixie
A little bit of water and shine spray, when mixed together, can give your pixie and side-swept bangs a very fashion-forward, piece-y texture. This ultra-fine mist water bottle is great for easy, even distribution throughout the hair.
Air Dried
If you wear your hair naturally, ask your stylist to cut your bangs first and allow them to air dry while you carry on with the rest of your hair cut and treatment. None of us like when our hair is cut and styled one way in the salon and then we get home and wonder why we can’t make it look that way again. Cutting your hair in the state its normally worn in will help prevent that from happening.
Flip It Around
Having curtain bangs or shorter face framing layers along your natural center part doesn’t mean you need to do any further cutting to experience the side-swept bang—those short bits are already there and ready to be swept away. Simply flip your hair around to try on a new, side-swept look.
Push Your Parting
Pushing your parting over, even just a quarter of an inch will naturally create a side-swept look. Tuck everything behind the ears if you want your sweep to drape across your forehead, or keep it untucked for a more voluminous look like the one seen here.
Extra Long
The extra long side-sweep is particularly popular at the moment. Plenty of celebs have been caught rocking one long, thick section of hair in a side parting to guise as a face framing bang.
Faux Bangs
Fake bangs can look surprisingly natural and are ridiculously easy to apply. Gently backcomb the hair to give your clip something to grip onto and slide your clip-in bangs in place. If you purchase 100% human hair (also called Remy hair) you’ll be able to cut and heat style the bangs to your desired length and outcome without causing any damage or compromising their natural appearance. Synthetic hair, on the other hand, can’t have heat applied to it. If you do end up using synthetic bangs, make sure you’re buying them pre-styled the way you want to wear them.
Point-Cut Bob
We’re always on board for side-swept bangs and a bob, but are really loving the way this style has point-cut ends all around to give it a broken-in feel.
Over-Directed Curl
One long over-directed curl makes for a great side-swept bang situation. Simply roll your section into a hot roller or 1.25″ barrel and let it sit pinned up to cool. Then gently take it out and brush it down into your desired side-swept placement before securing with a little hairspray.
Different Textures
An easy way to keep your side-swept bangs distinguished is to play with different textures. As you can see here, a smoothed out side-sweep pairs beautifully with a full head of curls.
Wind Blown
To get the best side-sweeping effect, sometimes all you need is a little gust of wind.
Feathered Back
This retro Farrah Fawcett inspired ‘do is far from being outdated. A modern, feathered back hairstyle with side-swept bangs remains on-point and we’ve rounded out a list of 25 timeless ways to wear the 70s vibe.
Shorter Bangs
It only takes a pinch of pomade on shorter bangs to create a side-swept effect with long lasting stay. Rub a dab of pomade between two fingers and then gently pinch your ends together into little subsections curved toward your desired side.
A Swift Blend
Side-swept bangs can easily be blended into face framing layers, like this seamless cut seen here. They’re also easy to trim with a slide cutting technique at home — Just be sure you run it by your hairdresser to get a few pointers beforehand.
