Bangs can be your best friend or your worst enemy when it comes to looking youthful. The wrong fringe style might accidentally add years to your appearance, while the right one can take them away. Similarly, choosing hairstyles that don’t complement your face shape can create imbalance and emphasize features you’d rather downplay. Let’s explore the common bang blunders and face-shape faux pas that might be aging you without you even realizing it.
1. Super-Straight Blunt Bangs
Razor-sharp, straight-across bangs create harsh lines that highlight forehead wrinkles rather than disguising them. The severe edge draws attention to aging skin and can make your face appear more angular.
Softer, slightly textured bangs create a more youthful appearance by adding movement and dimension.
2. Too-Short Micro Bangs
Extremely short baby bangs that barely cover the forehead can create an awkward, dated look. This style tends to emphasize facial proportions in unflattering ways and often appears more costume-like than chic.
Mid-length bangs typically offer more versatility and a more flattering frame.
3. Wispy, Sparse Bangs
Thin, see-through bangs lacking volume appear stringy and unkempt rather than intentional. As we age, hair naturally thins, so these sparse bangs can emphasize hair loss issues.
Fuller bangs with some texture create the illusion of thicker, healthier hair and a more youthful appearance.
4. Dated Side-Swept Curtains
Heavy, long side-swept bangs reminiscent of early 2000s styles can drag down your features. This dated look often appears as though you’re stuck in a time warp rather than embracing current trends.
Modern side-swept bangs are lighter, more textured, and blend seamlessly with the rest of your hair.
5. Helmet-Like Bowl Cut Bangs
Rounded, bowl-cut bangs that curve around the face create a helmet-like effect that appears juvenile yet aging simultaneously. This shape tends to close off the face rather than open it up.
Bangs with some angles or asymmetry create a more modern, face-flattering effect.
6. Overgrown, Eye-Covering Bangs
Bangs that hang directly into the eyes create a perpetually unkempt look. Constantly brushing hair from your face or peering out from under a curtain of hair adds years and suggests you’ve neglected your style.
Well-maintained bangs that sit just above or at the eyebrows create a more polished appearance.
7. Frizzy, Uncontrolled Bangs
Bangs with unmanaged frizz create an appearance of neglect that can add years. When bang hair texture differs drastically from the rest of your hair, it creates a disconnected, unflattering look.
Smooth, controlled bangs that match your overall hair texture create harmony and a more youthful appearance.
8. Too-Heavy, Thick Bangs
Extremely dense, thick bangs create a heavy curtain effect that can overwhelm smaller facial features. This solid wall of hair lacks movement and can make your style appear dated and severe.
Bangs with some texture and layering allow for movement and a lighter, more youthful appearance.
9. Stick-Straight Bangs on Curly Hair
Flat-ironed, straight bangs paired with curly or wavy hair create a disconnected, unnatural look. This stark texture contrast appears dated and can seem like you’re fighting against your natural hair type.
Bangs that complement your natural texture create harmony and a more modern, age-appropriate appearance.
10. Round Face With Super-Short Pixie
Very short pixie cuts on round faces can emphasize fullness rather than creating balance. Without enough length on top to add height, a round face can appear even rounder and more youthful in an unflattering way.
Pixies with longer tops create vertical lines that flatter round faces.
11. Square Face With Blunt Bob
Sharp-edged, one-length bobs on square faces amplify angular jawlines in an unflattering way. The parallel lines between the jaw and hair create a boxy, severe appearance that can age rather than flatter.
Softly layered bobs with side-swept elements help soften square face shapes.
12. Long Face With Horizontal Bangs
Straight-across horizontal bangs on long faces can make the face appear even longer. This style creates an optical illusion that stretches facial proportions in an unflattering way.
Side-swept or curtain bangs create diagonal lines that visually break up length in long faces.
13. Heart-Shaped Face With Chin-Length Cuts
Chin-length bobs on heart-shaped faces draw attention to a narrow chin and create imbalance. This length hits at the narrowest part of the face, emphasizing disproportion between the wider forehead and slimmer jawline.
Longer styles or pixies typically flatter heart shapes better.
14. Diamond Face With Volume at the Cheeks
Hairstyles with volume concentrated at cheek level on diamond faces emphasize the widest part of the face. This placement draws attention to angular cheekbones and creates an unbalanced, top-heavy appearance.
Styles with volume at the forehead and jaw create better proportion.
15. Oval Face With Center-Parted Curtains
Even oval faces can make mistakes! Severe center parts with long, face-covering curtains hide the balanced proportions that make oval faces naturally flattering. This style creates unnecessary symmetry on an already balanced face.
Oval faces can handle most styles but shine with some asymmetry.
16. Rectangle Face With One-Length Hair
Long, straight, one-length hair on rectangular faces emphasizes facial length without creating softness. The unbroken vertical lines of this style make a long face appear even longer and more angular.
Layers and face-framing pieces help break up length and add dimension to rectangular faces.