How to Style Curly Bangs

Styling Bangs With Natural Curls

Wash or wet your hair. Styling curly bangs goes best when your hair is completely wet. Either wash your hair like you normally would in the shower, or use a spray bottle to spray your bangs until they’re dripping wet. In general, it’s always a good idea to style curly hair when it’s wet.

Apply a curl-enhancing cream. Curl creams moisturize your curls and also weigh down your bangs a bit, so they won’t be super poofy. Use about a dime-sized amount of your product, then run it through your bangs with your fingers. Curling creams are great for people with thick, very curly hair. If you have fine wavy hair, you can skip curling cream.

Use a Denman brush to brush your bangs forward. Denman brushes are brushes with plastic bristles that help define curls and cut down on frizz. Hold the brush with the bristles facing upward, and start brushing from underneath your bangs. Brush your bangs forward and away from your face to give them volume and lift before you start styling. If you have blunt or straight across bangs, brush them upwards to give them volume at the roots as they rest on your forehead. If you have curtain or swooped bangs, brush them to the side while still brushing upwards at the root for extra volume.

Twist or coil your bangs to enhance the curl. Grab a 1 in (2.5 cm) wide section of your bangs, then twist the curl around your finger, following the natural curl direction. Gently squeeze the curl into shape and scrunch it, then do the same thing with the rest of your bangs. Finger coiling is optional, but it’s a great way to define your curls (especially if you’re trying to fight frizz). Keep in mind that you’re trying to encourage the natural curl that’s already in your bangs. If your curls are larger or looser, feel free to grab larger sections of hair.

Add a lightweight gel for extra hold. Styling gels help keep your curls in place all day. Squeeze a dime-sized amount of lightweight gel into your hands, then gently scrunch the gel into your curls. In general, try to style your bangs the same way that you style the rest of your hair when it’s curly. If you use gel on your hair normally, add it to your bangs—but if you don’t use gel, you don’t have to put it in your bangs.

Air dry or diffuse your bangs. If you’re short on time, put a diffuser attachment on your hairdryer and flip your head upside down. Diffuse your bangs and the rest of your hair until it’s fully dry. If you’d like to air dry your bangs, simply leave your hair in place and go about your day like normal. If you used a gel in your bangs, they may dry slightly crunchy. This is a good sign—it means the gel created a “cast” to hold your curls in place. Whenever your bangs are dry, simply give them a few scrunches with your hand to make them soft and fluffy again.

Straightening Curly Bangs

Wash or wet your hair. If you have wavy or not super curly hair, you may want to blow out your bangs instead of leaving them natural. If that’s the case, either wash your hair like normal or use a spray bottle to wet your bangs until they’re dripping wet. Blowing out your bangs also helps keep them in place, especially if you have a particularly unruly cowlick that you’re trying to tame.

Brush your bangs to one side. While your bangs are still wet, roughly brush them to one side of your forehead, just using your hands. Brushing them to one side helps them meet in the middle to avoid that dreaded part that tends to happen with new bangs. Even if you have curtain bangs that are supposed to part in the middle, pushing them to one side to start will help give them volume and bounce.

Point your hair dryer downward to start drying. Position your hair dryer above your bangs, pointing down on top of your head. Use a brush to gently brush through your bangs and separate the hair strands to get them to dry faster. Brushing your bangs while drying them also helps smooth out your curls and make them straighter, if that’s the look you’re going for.

Brush your bangs to the other side as you dry. With the hair dryer still on your bangs, use a brush to brush your bangs to the other side of your forehead. Going back and forth like this will give your bangs volume and promote bounciness so they don’t get slicked to your forehead. Try to switch sides every 5 to 10 seconds.

Finish drying with a round brush for volume. When your bangs are almost fully dry, grab a round brush and brush up underneath your bangs. Point your hair dryer down at your bangs as you brush through to give your bangs more volume. If your bangs are frizzy, smooth them down with some hair oil. You can either let the rest of your hair air dry, or you can dry your hair curly with a diffuser attachment. EXPERT TIP Martha Ellen Mabry Martha Ellen Mabry Hairstylist & Salon Owner Martha Ellen Mabry is a Hairstylist and the founder of Headchop Hair Studio in Brooklyn, New York. Martha Ellen founded Headchop in 2011 and has been providing high-quality hair styling services in New York ever since. In 2023, Martha Ellen expanded her business to include Lil’ Chop, an express version of Headchop focused on quick and easy in-and-out hair styling. In addition to running two businesses, Martha Ellen's specialties include dry cutting, natural curl and texture, extensions, brow microblading, lamination, freckle tattooing, as well as wedding and event styling. Martha Ellen works exclusively with Great Lengths extensions specializing in changes for length, density, and chemical-free color. Martha Ellen Mabry Martha Ellen Mabry Hairstylist & Salon Owner Use a round brush and concentrator nozzle to style wavy bangs. When styling wavy curtain bangs, use a blow dryer with a concentrator nozzle and a round brush that fits the size of your hair. Something like the Dyson Airwrap or a similar 2-in-1 dryer/brush makes this easier since it combines the dryer and brush. These kinds of tools make styling less tiring on your arms.