How to Style Side-Swept Layered Bangs

The side-swept layered bang seems to be a favorite of many grown women who want the face-framing that a bang can offer without the girlish appearance that a straight bang often lends to the wearer. While upon initial assessment it may seem that the side-swept layered bang could only be worn as cut by your hairstylist, this is not the case. Depending on your mood and your personal grooming requirements for the day, the bang can be styled in several ways.

Give It Some Curl, Girl!

Take a wide-barrel curling iron and small, one-inch sections of your bangs and use the curling iron to give them a subtle sweep to the underside. Typically, the wearer of layered bangs uses a hair dryer and a styling tool to accentuate the cut of the layers, but the curling iron takes this one step further and adds a girlish charm to the cut. If you wanted to go really flirty and youthful, just give the iron an extra twist to create a style that is a bit more ringlet than curl.

The Subtle Pinned Sweep

On days when you are going to be leaning over a lot, such as cleaning days or days when you are working on a detailed project, it can be cumbersome to deal with your side-swept bangs. They are lovely when your head is mostly operating in a vertical plane, but when you start looking down the style can cause a lot of hair tucking. If you don't want to look fidgety or train your hair to stay behind your ear, then use bobby pins or a basic clip to give them a loose home at the side of your part.

Make sure your bangs are parted neatly and then gently pull the front pieces to the side. Do not pull the hair tight at the root if you want the look to be subtle. Secure the hair near the tip of the shortest layer to prevent the tips from sticking out and being too conspicuous. A bobby pin or a subtle clip will work nicely.

The Double Play

While the basic appeal of side-swept and layered bangs is that they are perfectly layered masterpieces that fall precisely in a somewhat angled line along your face, you can play off this basic style when you want to look a little edgier. When people are used to seeing your hair a certain way, a subtle change is as good as a drastic cut. Take your bangs and do a basket-weave part, which takes your part from a straight line to a zigzag. This will leave your layers falling at odd intervals compared to their usual style and will give you more than one double take from your day to day companions!

Have fun with your side-swept bangs and remember that the cut is just a jumping off point to more styling!