We're always down for a makeover, so when Cosmo's Beauty Director Leah Wyar told us she wanted to switch up her hairstyle and get bangs, we had to go along for the ride.
We headed to Sally Hershberger's downtown salon to meet up with her stylist Matt Fugate—and the hair games began. Before the first cut, Leah told us that she was most nervous about how she was going to style her bangs everyday since they're usually high-maintenance.
So what motivated her to make a bold move? "I feel like I've had the same haircut for a year and Matt and I have been working really hard to get it to a place that I love, but now I'm a little bored with it. And while I'd love to go for a more dramatic look—I'm obsessed with Miley's current haircut—I don't want to lose any length. So by adding bangs, I feel like I can get an entirely different look but still keep my hair long. Plus, since everyone seems to be getting bangs like Kim Kardashian and Michelle Obama, it gave me that push to want to go for it."
In the chair, Leah's last words before the first big cut were, "Before, my hair was crazily layered and now it's more one-length with blunt ends and the texture is good, so we don't want to change that, we just want to enhance my haircut with blunt bangs. Plus, there is a huge trend right now in hair that's more wide than it is sleek and straight, so we're going for that effect."
Matt worked his magic and cut an edgy fringe that was customized to frame her face. And since she voiced that she was nervous about styling them, especially since she has a cowlick that's hard to tame, he gave us pearls of hair wisdom along the way, including:
- "Never apply product to your bangs—it makes your forehead break out and your fringe get greasier faster."
- "To style your bangs, use the roundedness of your forehead, instead of a round brush, and gently pull downward on your ends while your dryer is on low air and high heat. This will give you a sleek, flat finish instead of tell-tale 80's bangs. The same tecnique also helps breakdown annoying cowlicks. Then, after they're dry, hold your hand on the root of your bangs and blow the ends to the left and right for added texture and movement."
- "If you don't have time to use your blow dryer to style your bangs, throw on your winter hat, which will smash your bangs down against your forehead, again allowing the roundedness of it to shape them."
A few other cool things we learned from Matt about bangs: "Not only do they make you look more badass and edgy, but they also instantly make your eyes the focal point. Plus, they make you look younger!" Leah's take: "It's natural botox, in my opinion!"
So, what do you think of Leah's new fringe? And has she inspired you to take the blunt bang plunge?
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