How to Trim Your Bangs at Home — and Other Burning Quarantine Haircut Questions Answered

In our increasingly sobering new quarantine reality, there are certain things we’ve had to terms with. Not chief among them (but certainly still valid) is the state of our hair. And while some sheltering at home can afford to let their mane grow beyond its optimal length, a select group of people have a truly difficult decision on their hands — a decision that could haunt them for months on end if made too hastily. Those people, of course, have bangs.

The choice to cut your bangs at home should not be made lightly. Thankfully, one of Dallas’ top hairstylists has stepped up to help our friends with fringe. Beau Bollinger, owner of Hairstory Dallas on Henderson Avenue (the innovative brand’s first extension out of New York City), announced yesterday that he would make virtual house calls to guide people through the process of trimming their bangs. He’ll be doing this free of charge, regardless of whether you’ve been a past client or not, but donations are appreciated.

Here, Bollinger was kind enough to offer a little at-home hair guidance.

Are there scissors you recommend ordering online for at-home trims?
Actually, a guarded razor is much easier to trim fringe with. They are relatively inexpensive and make it easier to work both directions regardless of which hand you cut with. Most people are going to cut one side really well and the other not so great based upon which hand is the cutting hand. The razor helps with that a bit. You can get them here.

Sectioning the hair so that you don’t cut into the hairline is probably the most important part of prepping. If you already have fringe, simply pull your hair up. If they were cut well previously, they should fall out in the appropriate section ready to be cut.

As far as wet or dry, I tend to trim fringe dry. When the hair is wet, it isn’t very honest — it will dry differently. But dirty or clean hair — that doesn’t matter. Just make sure you don’t have any weird kinks from booby pins or headbands. If so, dampen the hair and blow dry forward and down to smooth before starting.

Cutting straight across seems like the obvious move but probably not the right one. Is there a trimming technique you’ll be able to teach during your video chats?  
It all depends on the desired end result. Most fringe right now is soft with a “V” shape (aka curtain bang) that moves from short to long. This is usually achieved with a razor, or what we call point cutting with the scissors. Point cutting is done by cutting vertically into the hair which keeps the visual line soft and minimizes errors. Cutting across the hair is risky. It’s a one-and-done type of thing. If you don’t nail it the first go, it would be hard to fix at home.

What’s the worst thing you can do when trimming your bangs at home?
Drinking while you do it. Oh, and if my answer above didn’t scare you enough, cutting straight across.

Not every guy wants to grow hair long enough for a man bun. Any tips for keeping up with male cuts?
The guys (and gals with short hair) are going to be struggling during all this. Unfortunately the shorter the cut, the more quickly it “feels” grown out. Unless you are wanting to clipper it down, I wouldn’t advise cutting at home for now. I’m way over due, and although I will eventually cut my own hair, I’ve been putting it off because it’s very difficult.

Is there any other circumstance you can imagine allowing your clients to cut their bangs at home?
Honestly, I have no idea. I have always included free trims on bangs and encourage my clients to drop in just to prevent trims at home. I would never have imagined I would be talking clients through bang trims virtually, but here we are. It’s quite amazing how a quick bang trim can refresh the whole cut and that can make a huge difference in how someone feels. If a 30-minute video chat can help with improving the quality of life for a minute, I’m all about it.

What’s the first thing you’ll do once it’s safe to go out into the world again?
Get a haircut, then get to cutting. I’m grateful to know that I have an overwhelming amount of business waiting for me when this is all over.  I cant wait to be with my team, at the studio, working again.