Just like a perfectly tailored blazer can instantly add extra impact and interest to an outfit, curtain bangs can give texture and dimension to hair in a few snips. Neither are “new” but their popularity endures because they are just so classic. So, it will surprise precisely no-one that they'll be sticking around for 2024 as one of the most covetable haircuts you can get.
The chop's appeal is in the swishy, sexy, volume it can add (which is one of the reasons it's perfect for strands that are prone to deflating throughout the day) and the full, thick and flicky ‘70s shape has dominated on TikTok, with over 3 billion views on the platform.
Word from top stylists is: it remains one of the most requested chops in the salon. “I’m predicting that curtain bangs [or curtain fringes] will continue to go strong throughout the year,” LA's coolest hair stylist and trendsetter, Sal Salcedo, told GLAMOUR. People are still bring endless curtain bang inspo to their salon appointments and putting their own stamp on them.
What are curtain bangs?
For the uninitiated, curtain bangs are the shaggy, effortless bangs that — as the name suggests — frames your face perfectly, much like a curtain does a window. The look has roots in the ’60s and ’70s (think Jane Birkin) and works across a range of textures and styles, from messy waves to curly shags, sleek blowouts and high ponytails.
As for anatomy, a curtain bang is a graduated fringe. It's usually worn centre-parted and starts shorter in the centre, then gets longer towards the perimeter of the face. “It should start mid-way between the eyebrows and the bridge of the nose, then have more length at the sides,” explains celebrity hair stylist and ColorWow international creative director, Dom Seeley.
Depending on how heavy you get it cut, it can feel ultra plush or barely there. And you should be able to tuck it back into the rest of your hair when it's up, or tease it forward when you want more volume. “It has a flowy vibe. It’s not a solid bang or fringe, but it’s also not just face framing. It’s somewhere in the middle and it suits the majority of hair lengths too,” says Dom.
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Are curtain bangs high maintenance?
As hairstyles go, this one's pretty chill. Curtain bangs are one of the most effortless fringe styles to wear since you can tailor them to you and your lifestyle. “Curtain bangs are the gateway to bangs, because they're super versatile,” says Emily Heser, stylist at Cutler Salon in New York City. “They're long enough to grow out or pin back if you want, but they can also be cut into a shorter look.” The style has steadily become both a celebrity and TikTok fave for its easy-going vibe.
