Many of us have tried cutting our own bangs before — sometimes successfully, other times catastrophically. But YouTube star Camila Bravo shocked the Internet with a video she posted to Instagram of her own unconventional technique — racking up nearly 20,000 likes and more than 3,000 comments.
In the 15-second video, she takes a small portion of hair at the front of her head and twists the section around until it’s a long, straight line. She then takes a pair of scissors and cuts straight across with one swift chop. The end result is long, side-swept bangs that look great on Bravo.
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But for those of us who are neither stylists nor self-made beauty gurus, would this technique work? Or would it send us to our hairdressers desperately begging for damage control?
Jeanie Syfu, lead stylist and spokesperson for TRESemmé, and New York Fashion Week veteran, says that if you’re going to cut your bangs at home, it’s better to stick to tried-and-true methods.
“You would get softer layering [Bravo’s] way, but it would also cause an over-correction in the hair because you’re twisting left or right. So you’d get layers that are shorter on one side,” she told TODAY.com. For an at-home trim, she recommends cutting vertically into the bangs to achieve an even, soft fringe.
"Sex and the City" hairstylist Sacha Quarles agrees, and cautioned against using Bravo’s technique at home.
“I prefer more precision work,” he wrote in an email to TODAY. He recommends working with damp hair and parting a semi-circle section at the front of the head. Comb the sectioned-off piece forward and down. Then, using the comb as a guide, cut straight across — but make sure the comb is straight. He also suggests starting with a smaller section and adding more if you see fit.
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“I never leave hard lines,” he added. “I prefer softer edges with more layering and texture, because they tend to soften facial features.”
Whether you decide to cut your hair at home or leave it to the professionals, the experts seem to agree that while Bravo’s method looks beautiful on her, it's a bit risky to try at home.
