How to Flatter Your Face Shape with Bangs

We’ve all seen our favorite celebrities rocking some serious bangs on the red carpet and on magazine covers. But becoming a fringe convert means finding the right style of bangs for your face shape, and for your lifestyle.

For advice, we turned to celebrity hair stylist David Babaii, whose clients include A-listers like Angelina Jolie, Nicole Kidman, Scarlett Johansson, Sarah Jessica Parker and Gwyneth Paltrow. Here’s how to tell which bangs will work best for you, and how to keep them looking slick no matter what your hair type.

Oval
“This is the perfect face shape that can wear any bang,” says Babaii. “This is where you can own your own style. My tip is to select a bang that complements the rest of your haircut.”
While Zooey Deschanel might be the poster child for bang coolness, we love the trendy blunt bangs of her New Girl co-star Hannah Simone.

Square
“Longer sides are the best to offset a square shape,” says Babaii, who also advises those with a square jawline to avoid center parted bangs and super blunt bangs cut straight across like a china doll.
Olivia Wilde pulls off the look perfectly with this fringe plus ponytail combo.

Heart
For gals with a heart-shaped face, Babaii recommends “long layers that frame the face or bangs straight across to the eyebrows.”
Taylor Swift is one heart-shaped beauty who has been sticking with the straight across bangs for a while now. We think it suits her and works either with straight or wavy hair

Round
For girls with rounder faces, Babaii says “a long wispy side swept bang is the best to break the roundness of a face shape.” He advises never to go for super short bangs, as they will emphasize the roundness of your face shape.
Kirsten Dunst's side swept layer accomplishes what bangs are meant to do — soften the face — while staying wisipy enough to complement her round face.

All Face Shapes

“The ‘heavy bang’ complements most face shapes. It provides a young, fresh look that women of any age can experiment with,” says Babaii.
Lea Michele's heavy bangs work well with her wavy hair's texture.

How to Style Your Bangs

To achieve a great bang, "blow dry with a round brush completely straight, then use your hands to style into place,” says Babaii.
For a more piece-y bang, he recommends using a hair product such as a paste to create separation, then, if necessary, spraying with an extra light styling spray to fix the look in place.
Finally, Babaii recommends getting bangs trimmed every 3-4 weeks to ensure they keep their style.

If your hair is frizz-prone...

Fear not, frizz-prone hair types can still wear bangs, they just may need to put in a little extra effort, says Babaii.
“Consider having a straightening treatment just for the bang area to control frizz, or ask your stylist for the right thermal products,” he advises. “Plus, a great flat iron can get rid of those frizzies.”

If your hair is thick...

“For coarse, thick hair, have your stylist texturize [bangs], removing some bulk, plus soften the ends to create a light airy finish,” says Babaii.