All You Need to Know about French-Girl Bangs (Including Styling Inspo)

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Classic & romantic French bangs could be perfect for you

Co-authored by Jasmin Todd

Last Updated: November 18, 2024 Fact Checked

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What are French Bangs?

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French Bangs Variations & Styles

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Getting French Bangs

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Styling Tips

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Should you get them?

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FAQs

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The French are known for many things: fashion, food, and–of course–women with bangs. Similar to curtain-style bangs, French bangs have multiple varieties and are said to look great on nearly everyone. Get ready to be transported to Paris and find out all the details on this popular hair trend, along with how to ask for French bangs at the salon. Ahead are plenty of inspiring style choices to have you going “ooh la la” every time you look in the mirror.

French Bangs: Quick Style Overview

French bangs can be textured, straight-across, or side-swept, but tend to feature soft, tapered layers that blend with the rest of your hair. They appear effortless but often require more frequent trims to maintain the look. There are several variations to French bangs, which makes them ideal for almost every face shape, hair texture, or style need.

Section 1 of 6:

What are French Bangs?

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French bangs feature soft layers that taper downward. According to Master Hair Stylist Jasmine Todd, French bangs are "thicker and longer than a traditional straight-across bang. [They're] meant to have a softer, more flirtatious look around the eyes, with a natural flow around the eyebrows and temples. Unlike a blunt cut bang, a French bang has wispy ends and is usually cut with a razor to create a softer, more textured look. It is a popular choice for those looking for a more relaxed and effortless hairstyle."
- Wherever you look on TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook, tutorials on French bangs have reimagined our fascination with Parisian chic thanks to guides on cutting your own, before and afters at the salon, and styling tips.

Section 2 of 6:

French Bangs Variations & Styles

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French bangs with wispy layers. Style the bangs so they fall into your face or toward the side of your face. Your stylist can include as few or as many layers as you like; they can blend into the rest of the hair or frame your face in a more accented fashion.
- You can also have a stylist blend soft-cut bangs into neat cascading layers reminiscent of the 1990s “Rachel from Friends” haircut (with added bangs).
A more blunt set of bangs blends into longer layers of hair, ideal for those with thicker hair texture. This style works for uneven lengths or mostly one-length bangs, especially when side-swept into equally chunky longer layers for a dramatic look.
French bangs that hit the top of the eyes look like they’ve been growing out for a while, proving that French bangs look great at any stage. Style your bangs into pieces or let a natural wave achieve this carefree look for you.
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French bangs without bangs. If you prefer a “barely there” bang, let most or all of the center wisps gently blend into longer side layers so the forehead appears mostly visible.
- This option fits well with a center part that gently tapers to the sides for a youthful style every time.
Who says French bangs have to be styled straight? Cut them to highlight naturally wavy hair for a look that screams vintage all the way. Those with curly hair will love styling their bangs shorter in the center only to have them more shaggy as they meet the longer layers of hair.
Your stylist can cut a French fringe on the short side (reminiscent of baby bangs)—they'll look just as soft and romantic as their longer counterparts. For those who love their short pixie cut, simply get short baby bangs in a wispy style that blends in with the rest of this whimsical hairstyle.
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French bangs with an updo. They’ll frame the face for a formal yet natural look. When paired with a high ponytail, French bangs can soften your forehead with layers placed near the hairline.
- French bangs also match perfectly to a French twist for a hairstyle that’s 100% French.
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French bangs with a mullet. Take advantage of the trendy mullet style which your stylist can build on with endless layers of fringe to frame your face!
- French bangs have layers that also move well with other trending cuts, like butterfly or jellyfish hairdos.
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Clip-on French bangs. Make sure the color matches up and you clip the hair behind the hairline for a seamless finish.
- You can also have clip-on bangs trimmed at the salon for an even more personalized look.^{[1]
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This take on a 1970s look features flipped-up curtain bangs that blend into longer flipped-up layers for a fun, playful style that has stood the test of time.^{[2]
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Section 3 of 6:

Getting French Bangs

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Ask your stylist for long, wispy, effortless fringe. Let them know you'd like your bangs to fall just below your eyebrows. How thin or thick your French bangs should be often depends on your hair part and how much the layers blend into the rest of your hair.^{[3]
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- Take a photograph of your favorite French bangs style with you, so your stylist knows what you’re going for. Listen to their advice, since they may want to tweak your desired style to suit your face shape or hair texture better. If you want low-maintenance bangs, they may recommend an amount of layering that works for you.

Section 4 of 6:

How to Style French Bangs

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Blow dry your bangs with a round brush and finish with a texture spray. Follow just a few basic steps to help your bangs reach French girl status in no time. You can build on or alter these basic steps to best fit the style of French bangs you have.
- Start by blow-drying your hair until it’s nearly dry. Create a middle part and section the front of your hair (whatever hits the forehead) to prepare it for styling. If you’re worried about drying out your hair, you can apply a protection spray to your hair before blow-drying.
- Next, blow dry your separated front section of hair at a 90-degree angle while holding it with a round brush. At the same time, pull the hair up and away from your face to give it a boost of volume. Do this until your bangs are completely dry.
- Repeat the above step with the sectioned-off hair on each side of your face. This may take longer, depending on how many layers your fringe has.
- Finish by using a texture spray so your hair stays fabulous all day long.^{[4]
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Section 5 of 6:

Should you get them?

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Get French bangs if you want a chic, effortless look. The French use a very specific equation for getting bangs. Grab your calculator or a paper and pencil for a little basic math!
- First, measure your forehead by placing your fingers horizontally between your forehead and the top of your eyes. If the height equals 3 fingers, it equals 1. Four fingers equal a 2, and 5 fingers equal a 3.
- Then, figure out which part of your face is the widest. If your forehead is the widest part of your face, it equals 1. Your cheeks equal 2, while your chin equals 3. Now, is the distance between your eyebrows larger or smaller than the width of one eye? Larger equals 1, while smaller equals 2.
- The three-digit number you end up with determines the equation. Your face may not be well-suited for bangs if your number equals 111, 121, 221, or 231. Resulting numbers of 222, 321, 312, 212, or 322 may work well with bangs. Ending up with 131, 112, 122, 132, 232, 311, 331, or 332 usually means you’re destined for curtain bangs.^{[5]
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Section 6 of 6:

French Bangs FAQs

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Some credit French bangs with actress and 1960s icon Brigitte Bardot. Her long, shaggy bangs were sometimes referred to as curtain bangs.^{[6]
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Research source} English actress Jane Birkin’s similar style also warranted the title of “Birkin Bangs.”^{[7]
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Brigitte Bardot’s 1960s bangs are often called curtain bangs. They are typically longer at the side and curl or flip outwards toward the sides of the face.^{[8]
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Research source} While curtain bangs are considered a variation of French bangs, French bangs are a more general term for a wispy, non-blunt-fringe that features a variety of layers. They can part in the center, be side-swept, or fall mostly to the sides of the forehead.^{[9]
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Hair texture and the type of bangs you have often determine how easy it’ll be to grow out your bangs. Those with curly hair or a blunt set of bangs may need longer to grow out. One way to make the process as pain-free as possible is to trim your bangs every few weeks so they skip the most awkward phases. Once you’re able to, pinning back your long bangs is another way to keep the growing-out period looking smooth ^{[10]
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