Growing Out the Baby Bangs

Amy,

I have a 16 month old son and I’m pregnant with a girl due in June. Six months after my pregnancy with my son, I lost a lot of hair, like most woman do. It started growing back and I developed what looks like baby bangs. At first I could deal with them, now they are too long and just get in the way. The bangs frame my face, so when I put my hair back they stick out. I use 4 bobby pins or clips to keep them down. I also use a head band. Because of my cowlick, I have a hard time with my hair when I leave it down, straightening them doesn’t work too well.

I’m a natural blond, long hair past my shoulders, “Haley Mills” cowlick, wavy hair that I blow dry and straighten. I don’t want to cut my hair and my husband does not like bangs, so those are not an option. However, I am willing to style my hair differently.

What do you suggest I do with growing out baby bangs? Especially since it looks like I will be doing this again in the near future. Thanks for your advice

A

P.S. The pictures attached are from Christmas, my bangs have grown out since then, but it gives you idea of what I’m dealing with. I’d rather not show them, unless you feel it is essential to answering my question. Cropping them further is OK with me.

Products I use: inexpensive shampoo and conditioner, usually Suave or Pantene. I usually blow dry my hair if I leave it down. When I straighten sometimes I use a leave in conditioner (Bed Head). One picture is it all “done up,” the other is Christmas morning before a shower.

How to Survive Growing Out Your Bangs

Well, when you want to grow out your bangs, there really isn’t much else to do other than…grow out your bangs. Patiently. Especially since: you don’t want to cut more bangs so we can’t camouflage them. You don’t want to cut your hair shorter so we can’t blend them in.

So you’re gonna have to toss me bone here (and HELP ME HELP YOU) by agreeing to at least a couple changes: upgrade your shampoo and conditioner and back away from the heat styling. Your hair could be lovely (and seriously, that’s your natural color? do you know how much women pay to get that shade of blonde? women like MEEEEE?), but it is FRIED, honey doll. It is stressed out, under-moisturized and breaking. And this breakage is going to make growing out the baby bangs a long, looooong and frustrating process. They gain a little length, then you work them over with the hot iron and zzzzzzz! Split ends and breakage undoes all that.

I would really encourage you to find a way to style it wavy and cut out the straightening. Save it for special occasions only, and make sure you’re using a really good quality ceramic iron, AND a heat protection spray. OMG, you must use a heat protection spray. But for as many days a week as possible, try to get by with just a blow dry — dry with an angled attachment aimed at your roots, and then pull and dry the rest with a round brush AFTER it’s about 90% dry. Or get some anti-frizz products and go with a scrunch and air-dry look.

Above all, though, your hair is screaming for more moisture. Pantene and Suave are not cutting it here. If budget is a big concern, you don’t have to go crazy — you’re starting at the bottom of the barrel there and almost anything would be an improvement. Matrix, Tigi, Dove, anything! Just buy something that says “deep moisturizing” or “damage repair” or “for heat-styled hair” on the bottle. And use that leave-in conditioner EVERY DAMN DAY. A weekly deep treatment (hot oil or avocado or something) also wouldn’t hurt.

Improving the overall health of your hair will really help with the baby bangs, I swear, lest you think I’ve forgotten the point of your original question. Moisturized, healthy hair is well-behaved hair, and it will be MUCH easier to add some products and tame those bangs down once you cut down on the dryness and frizz.

When you really want them to lie flat (like when your hair is up, for example), I would try a simple smoothing cream, like After Party by BedHead. When they get longer, you could graduate to a thicker cream or pomade, but I wouldn’t try anything heavier than a smoothing cream right now. Some spray shine (Head Rush, also by BedHead) would also give a very slight amount of weight to the bangs without making them oily or stringy. (Spray in on your HANDS, not your hair, and then lightly brush them over your hair.) Avoid stuff like hairspray or anything with a high alcohol content (will dry things out and frizz it up again).

More From Alpha Mom:

1. Postpartum Hair Regrowth of Weirdness
2. Post-Pregnancy Hair Changes
3. Hope for Heat-Damaged Hair
4. When Everybody Hates Your Hair — And You Love It