Curly Bangs Are The Coolest Hairstyle To Try In 2019

We’re officially dubbing 2019 the year of the curly bangs.

For too long, bangs have seemed like one of those hairstyles reserved for straight-haired people, or people with a lot of free time to blow-dry their bangs straight. But if stars like Natasha Lyonne and Sandra Oh have shown us anything over the past few months, it’s that curly bangs are downright cool.

“I think [it’s] because the contemporary woman doesn’t like spending a lot of time on [her hair],” said Marcel Dagenais, the hairstylist responsible for Lyonne’s “Russian Doll” tresses. “My experience working with women is that they want to embrace their natural texture so they’re not stuck under a blow-dryer or a slave to the flat iron. I think it’s just kind of embracing what you have in 2019.”

If you’re curious about trying the trend for yourself, there are a few things to keep in mind before you head to the salon.

According to Ted Gibson, the hairstylist who gave Oh her glorious bangs, it all starts with the consultation, which he said is “one of the most important things” in order to make sure you and your stylist are on the same page.

When you ask for curly bangs, Gibson said, tell your stylist “to not cut them blunt.”

“Make sure they have different lengths in them,” he said. “It should be more graduated or layered, not a blunt line across the face.”

Dagenais also recommended asking for fringe that’s a little bit on the longer side and hits below the brow.

“With curls, they do shrink up, and I think a big mistake a lot of hairstylists make is they cut them too short and then all of a sudden you have a little weird animal on your forehead,” he said, adding that keeping the hair a little longer allows it to actually curl.

The key for making the style work, he said, “is letting it completely air dry, and then you go in and detail with a curling iron or whatever.” You can also use a diffuser if you’re short on time, he said.

His go-to products for achieving the textured look are Oribe’s Super Shine Light moisturizing cream and Hairstory’s Hair Balm. He mixes equal amounts of each product to make about a quarter-sized dollop in his palm before applying it to the hair.

“You zhuzh that together and kind of scrunch it into your bangs and the rest of your hair,” he said. “The products will help your hair curl and settle into a nice curl pattern without being too frizzy.”

Both stylists agreed that pretty much anyone can rock the curly bang, regardless of face shape or hair texture, though Dagenais pointed out it will require quite a bit of styling if you have naturally straight hair. For those who are naturally curly, it’s definitely a little more low maintenance. That being said, you should expect to need trims every couple of weeks if you want to maintain the style, Gibson said.

If you’re still not totally sold, keep scrolling for some wonderful curly bang inspiration: