Missbeauty: Trim Bangs

Bangs can be very sexy. Whether you want blunt-cut bangs or romantic fringe, it's helpful to know how to trim your own bangs.

Plenty of salons will offer to cut your bangs for free if you're a regular customer, but here's how to do it yourself. All you need are sharp scissors that are pointed and no longer than 5 inches (Tip: it's best to buy them a beauty supply store).

Difficulty: Easy

Time Required: 10 minutes

Here's How:

Always start with dry hair. You never want to cut your bangs while wet because they'll shrink when dry and look too short. If you usually blow-dry your bangs, apply styling gel then dry. If you usually wash & wear, then let them air dry.
Using a comb, precisely section off the hair you don't want to cut. You can put the other hair in a ponytail or pin it up with bobby pins. But only your bangs should be left loose.
Divide your bangs in half using a styling comb. (Styling combs have baby-fine teeth). Take one half and comb bangs down with the comb teeth facing out. Rest the comb on your browbone. Don't cut your bangs any shorter than where the comb hits your face.
Skip to step 5 if you have shaggy, face-framing bangs Start 'point-cutting' or snipping the hair at a 45-degree angle. Work slowly, doing a bit at a time. Never cuts bangs straight across since it's impossible to keep a perfectly straight line.
Important note If you have shaggy, face-framing bangs, skip the scissors & instead use a brand-new, disposable single-blade razor (double & triple blades will split hair). Celeb stylist Chris McMillan swears in the April 2006 issue of Allure magazine that razors work much better than scissors. To razor cut, pull bangs taut with your middle & index fingers. Slide fingers all the way down to end of hair & then razor cut the hair just above your fingers.
Repeat 'point-cutting' on the other half.
If your bangs are too dense, you can add layers. Simply take a portion of the bangs between 2 fingers & pulling the hair vertically above your head. Slide your hand up towards the ends, letting some hair fall. Lower your fingers an inch down the hair section and point-cut or razor cut (a half-inch at most) above your fingers.
If you have long, face-framing layers, check to make sure the length is even by pulling a piece of hair from either side of toward the center of your face -- they should be equidistant from the bridge of your nose, according to McMillan.

Tips:

You'll want to invest in a pair of sharp, high-quality scissors designed to cut hair. You can get these at beauty supply stores. Utility scissors that have been used to cut paper or cloth are too dull for cutting hair.
If you have long, shaggy, face-framing bangs, use a razor instead of scissors to trim bangs. Scissors can slip & cut hair unevenly, while a razor is more exact.