A Guide to the Many Different Types of Bangs

Also called “half-moon” or “bottleneck” bangs, arched bangs are a face-framing style cut in – you guessed it – an arch shape. Meant to mirror the curves of your face, the longer layers extend on each side of your face while the center skims just above your eyebrows.

First popularized by burlesque dancer Bettie Page in the 1950s, this supershort fringe falls somewhere between the hairline and the brows. Another perk? Baby bangs also look especially flattering on rounder face shapes. “Soft, short bangs can actually open up the face and elongate it,” says Devin Toth, a hairstylist at NYC’s Salon SCK.

Inspired by Jane Birkin’s go-to fringe, this type of bang lands firmly between “blunt” and “wispy” (more on both of those later). The biggest point of differentiation is that this style tends to extend a bit longer than the others, grazing somewhere below the eyebrows and just above the eyelashes. If you have a heart or oval face shape, consider this cut; the feather-y texture can help soften any angular features.

Blunt bangs are typically cut straight across from the outside corner of each eye. “You can also make [fringe] heavy or soft,” John Barrett stylist Dhiran Mistry says. “You can make it softer by cutting more into it and using a smaller section, so it’s less hair falling in the face.”

Because the horizontal line with these bangs tends to span the entire forehead, double check with your stylist that the cut will accentuate – not shorten – your face shape.

Chunky beads or not, braided bangs are the perfect addition to your protective style – just ask your stylist to cut the hair straight across the forehead. If you do add any additional accessories, just note that you’ll want them to snip above the lashes so the fringe doesn’t interfere with your eyesight.

Looking for a more low-maintenance twist on the style? It doesn’t get more noncommittal than curtain bangs, which are split right down the middle and swept to each side. The best part? This fringe looks great on every face shape – round, square, rectangle, and everything in between.

Bangs look great on any hair type – and this is especially true with curls. The only difference is how your stylist cuts them. No matter your curl pattern, most hairstylists will leave the hair a little longer across the forehead to account for any shrinkage.

The best way to dip your toe in the bang water: experiment with long, face-framing layers before taking the plunge. Like curtain bangs, only less pronounced, this fringe tends to feature longer, piece-y layers on either side of the face.

Not to be confused with baby bangs, micro bangs are about as short as the style can get. Ask your stylist to cut one to two inches from the tip of your forehead for the shortest length, with choppy ends for some piece-y texture.

Name a sexier bang than the pinup. This retro look is typically cut bluntly across the forehead, but styled with a round brush or pin curls to create that voluminous shape – making it a great choice for people with fine or thin hair.

“The style involves a very blunt chop almost one length all the way across and often much shorter than you’re used to seeing,” says Toth. “It is reminiscent of Bettie Page’s iconic look, but the blunter cut makes this style modern and edgy.”

Have you heard? Shag haircuts are everywhere – and people are bringing those same shaggy layers to bangs. “A more modern twist on [the curtain bangs hairstyle] would be to make the bangs a little shorter and textured in the center, so they can also be worn as a full textured fringe on days you want to change it up,” says Michael Bowman, a stylist at NYC’s Rob Peetoom salon. “This will also make it easier to grow out when the next trend hits.”

Also known as side-swept bangs, swoop bangs are cut from a side part at a downward angle. Like an exaggerated side bang, the swoop also works on any hair length and “looks great with short to long layers,” says César DeLeön Ramîrez, celebrity hairstylist and Unite stylist.

Like with curls, wavy bangs are typically cut a little below the eyebrows. This way you can air-dry with ease, allowing for that perfectly undone texture.

Wispy, undone, and downright sexy – this is when you’re after a straight-from-bed bangs look. “You want it to feel light and fall naturally,” says Kathy Benghanem, a hairstylist at NYC’s Gemini 14. She added that wispy bangs work best on someone who has at least a three-inch-long forehead, but it’s not a total dealbreaker if yours is a little shorter.