I’ve gone through many different hair transformations over the years, but no matter what, one thing has always remained true: I’m a middle-part stan. When the Gen Z and millenial debate about middle parts versus side parts was going strong, although I’m a millennial, I was firmly in the middle-part camp. Last year, I even wrote a love letter to my middle part. I mean, let’s be real: certain things only make sense with a middle part, like slicked-back buns and face-framing highlights.
So, when I heard a “middle-part filter” created by mechanical engineer Konnie Wells was going viral on TikTok, I didn’t think much of it. I mean, I already had a middle part. Right? Wrong. Very, very wrong.
When I started seeing people using the filter on the app and realizing that theirs was way off, I got a little nervous. Although I was originally confident that my middle part was smack dab in the center, watching so many people be proven wrong made me second-guess myself, so I knew I needed to try it out, once and for all.
The filter is simple to use – all I had to do was open the TikTok app, navigate to the “search” tab, and type in “middle-part filter.” I located it under the “effects” tab, then I placed my phone on my tripod (I found it was best to use the filter hands-free).
What popped up was a dashed-pink line that ran from the top of my head down the middle of my nose. If I turned my head too far to the left or right, the pink line showed green. Wells noted in her initial video that to ensure your part is straight, you only want to see pink. To see whether or not my part was correct, I tilted my head down until the line was straight and I couldn’t see any green.
At first glance, it was immediately apparent that my middle part was more than a little off-center. To fix it, I wasted no time and immediately grabbed a tail comb and got to work. With the filter guiding me, I brushed the top of my hair back then divided it down the real middle using the comb. After I got it perfectly centered using the filter, I stepped back and took a look in the mirror.
Although the change wasn’t drastic, it definitely made a noticeable difference to me. I’m planning on using this filter every time I want to divide my hair down the middle, especially after washing it – or at the very least until my hair gets used to its new positioning.
If you’ve been looking for an easy way to part your hair down the middle, or if you want to check and see if what you’re working with is actually a middle part, give this TikTok filter a try. Like Wells says in her original TikTok video, “Hopefully this will help us have the most middle-est part ever, amen.” Amen is right, Wells. Amen is right.
