Fast Ways to Braid Bangs

Actress Jennifer Aniston wears her bangs pinned back in a braid.

Braiding bangs is a modern styling technique akin to pinning bangs straight back or to the side, to keep hair off the face. Several celebrities have adopted the style, Jennifer Aniston and Lauren Conrad among them. The style is quick and simple to execute. It can complement daytime or nighttime hairstyles, with informal or formal aesthetics. It is dynamic, flattering and practical since you can create it so quickly.

General Concept

Braided bangs inherently have a casual, relaxed appearance, though they are often incorporated into formal styles, as well. It is a practical styling technique, especially for women who are trying to grow their bangs out and are in the awkward middle stage of the process. Beginning at the hairline, either at the middle or off-center, the wearer braids a plait of hair, orienting it in a horizontal line across the hairline. She secures it with an elastic and pinned or arranged to the side. Technically, the hair braided does not have to be short and fringed like bangs. Braiding any section of hair from the middle of the hairline would constitute this style.

Casual Styles

The technique is most often employed with casual hairstyling. The wearer begins the braid at one end of the forehead, braids across horizontally and secures the end. She tucks the end under hair worn down or by pulling the tail of the braid back with other hair for a ponytail. Braiding the hair in a single plait just several inches in length takes just a few moments provided the wearer knows how to execute a standard three-part braid.

Formal Styles

Jennifer Aniston attended the 2010 Academy Awards in a formal gown, her hair worn down, with braided bangs tucked into her casual, loose mane. The style would have been just as suitable for a day at the beach. However, you can also add the feature to an up-do for formal events. It would pair well with a simple, tousled chignon -- a loose pony-tail wound around its own base and pinned into place.

Styling long braids

Wearers may also use the technique as a foundation for more elaborate detailing. Instead of tucking the braid to the side, obscuring the end under other hair, the braid may be made longer, ending in the back of the head encircling half of the crown in the process. Arranging hair this way would require the inclusion of long hair, in addition to short, fringed bangs. Though the resulting style is more complex in appearance, it would still be quick to create and no less casual for the added length.

References

• A Little Girl Talk: Bang Braids