Growing Pains

A friend once told me not to get bangs because they’re such a pain to grow out. I did it anyway, ala Reese Witherspoon, and afterward thought: Why would I ever want to grow these out?!?  They gave my long, straight locks a “style,” and emphasized my brown eyes instead of my high forehead.

Two years after later and lo—I am trying to grow them out. What can I say? As with every haircut, I want what I don’t have. At present, that is Julia Robert’s boho-chic middle part and long, loose waves. Okay, so there’s a chance I want to be Julia Roberts, but that is neither here nor there. It also didn’t help that my husband recently asked, “Are bangs still fashionable?” For the record, they are (just ask What Not to Wear’s Nick Arrojo). For me, however, their time has come.

Before starting the painful process I enlisted the help of Gordon Nelson, International Creative Director for Regis Salons. He saved my hair earlier this year after a chop-job that left me looking a little too much like Pat Benatar (the things we do in the name of research). Gordon doesn’t usually cut hair but shared the following tips:

  • The easiest way to get through the “in-between” stage of growing out bangs is to make sure they’re not all one length but more graduated.
  • If you’ve got very thick bangs, take a very fine section at the hairline and shorten it. That way you’ll have two graduated steps instead of one.
  • Add layers around the face to soften bangs and lighten them up a bit.

My own stylist has already implemented these steps and I must admit, it’s been easier than I thought. Maybe what I need now is a bob . . .