Let’s be honest: Your best bet would really be to not cut bangs until mid-October. Summer is an impractical time to have bangs. But it is also easy to convince yourself otherwise. In my case, all it takes is two hours watching Anna Karina in Pierrot Le Fou before I’m leaning over the bathroom sink with a pair of tiny scissors. And I’m full of regret at the beach a few hours later. Since I can’t be the only one who’s on the verge of a momentous commitment right now—even after years of trial and error—I’m mentally very prepared to walk you through six steps of summer bang maintenance, in spite of your better judgement. Read this before you do something you’ll regret. You’ll need....
A reliable daily shampoo
Even if you're not going to wash the rest of your hair every day, your bangs are going to need it this summer. Use a tiny bit of shampoo (I use a Rahua one) and rinse out those little baby hairs so you don't grease up your forehead any more than necessary. Clean bangs are key.
A medicated face wash
Still, you'll need to be thoroughly cleaning your face more than you would otherwise. An acne-preventing cleanser (like my favorite: La Roche-Posay Effaclar Medicated Gel Cleanser) will be your best bet. Spend a little extra time on your forehead. Obviously.
Hair clips/headbands/barrettes
To get your bangs off your face when you're washing it. Or, when they're just really starting to bother you. Or when you finally decide to give up altogether and grow them back out.
Oil-free facial products
In order to minimize the levels of grease you add to your face; your hair is inevitably going to take over that position on behalf of your other products. For this reason, and make sure your masks, serums, moisturizers, sunscreens are all non-comedogenic.
A blowdryer with a cool setting
Since it's too hot to actually blowdry your hair the normal way, use a regular one on "Cool" to help get your bangs into their proper position.
A good hairdresser, and your own shears
A) Finding someone who cuts your bangs the way you actually want them to look is nearly impossible; and B) the upkeep is out of control, so there's no realistic way to go into the salon as often as you need it during summer. The solution is: Jay Braff at Spoke & Weal (or whoever you personally decide to trust), and investing in your own pair of shears so you can trim them yourself. I do mine... every single day. Told you they were a pain.
—Anna Jube
Photo by Tom Newton.
