19 Curly Bangs Hairstyles and Which Curl Types Suit Each One

Curly bangs are the one fringe that changes shape between the salon chair and your front door. Curls shrink as they dry, so a bang that looks right wet can spring up an inch shorter by the time you get home. That is why the good ones get cut dry and left longer than you think you want, one curl at a time. Get the length right and the curl does the rest. It gives the fringe body and bounce that straight bangs need heat to fake. The fullest version is the one most women start with.

Jump to:

Full Curly Bangs With Long Curls

A thick fringe of springy curls sitting across the forehead, with long curls falling past the shoulders behind it. The bang is cut full so it holds its own against all that length instead of disappearing into it.

This works best on 3A to 3C curls with real density. Fine curls make a thin fringe here.

Scrunch a little curl cream into the bang while wet and let it air-dry or diffuse. Refresh with a mist of water and a twist around your finger.

Curly Curtain Bangs

Soft and open, this is the curly bang for anyone who does not want hair sitting on the forehead all day. The fringe parts in the middle and each side curls outward toward the temples, so the face stays framed without being covered.

The part does not have to be perfect. Curls hide a crooked line better than straight hair ever could.

Push each side away from the face with your fingers while the hair is damp, then leave it alone. Brushing breaks the curl.

Curly Bob With Bangs

Women with curls who are tired of the pyramid shape often end up here. A bob cut at the jaw, with the layers shaped so the curls stack instead of spreading, and a curly bang across the forehead to balance the width at the bottom.

The bang matters more than usual on a curly bob. Without it, all the volume sits low and the top looks flat.

Ask for the cut to be done dry. Diffuse upside down for lift at the roots.

Curly Shag With Bangs

The shag was built for curls in the seventies, and it has never really left. Short layers on top and longer ones underneath let each curl sit in its own space, and the bang is just the shortest layer, curling loosely around the brow.

The look is deliberately messy. Nothing is meant to line up.

Style with mousse and let it air-dry. Once it is dry, shake it out at the roots with your fingers for more volume at the crown.

Wash and Go With Curly Bangs

Tight, glossy coils framing the whole head, with a bang of the same coils sitting right above the brows. On 4A and 4B hair the bang shrinks a lot, so it is cut to reach the cheekbones stretched and lands at the brow dry.

Black women with coily hair often keep this bang as part of a wash and go because the gel that defines the rest defines the bang too.

Apply gel to the bang in small sections and coil each piece.

High Puff With Curly Bangs

There is something bold about all that hair pulled up into one round puff while the bang stays down.

The puff sits high at the crown, full and rounded, and the curly bang softens the front so the face is not fully exposed.

Pull the hair up with a stretchy band rather than an elastic to protect the edges. Leave the bang out before you tighten it.

Smooth the sides with a little gel and a soft brush, then coil the bang with your fingers.

Curly Lob With Bangs

Anyone who wants a cut without giving up the length to tie back lands on the curly lob. It ends around the collarbone, with layers cut in so the curls spring rather than drag, and a curly bang at the front that gives the cut a face. The bang keeps the length from looking like hair that is growing out.

Diffuse it with your head tipped to one side for volume. A light cream on the bang keeps frizz down without flattening the curl.

Knotless Braids With Curly Bangs

Long knotless braids down the back with a fringe of loose curls falling across the forehead, the curls matched to the braid color so the two look like one head of hair. The bang is usually curly extension hair added at the front, or your own leave-out.

Black women wear this for the protection of braids without a bare forehead.

Ask the braider to keep the bang light and seal the curl ends so they do not unravel. Refresh the curls with a little mousse.

Curly Side Swept Bangs

Swept to one side, the curls fall across the forehead in a soft diagonal rather than straight down. The longest pieces reach the cheekbone and blend in, so it looks more like a deep side part than a fringe.

This is the easiest curly bang to grow out.

Part the hair off center while it is wet and push the bang across with your fingers. A bobby pin behind the ear holds the longest pieces when the curl wants to spring back.

Curly Pixie With Bangs

Curls cropped close at the back and sides, with a longer fringe of curls tumbling over the forehead. The bang is the whole personality of the cut. It is what keeps a curly pixie from looking severe.

This suits 3A to 4A textures that hold a curl at short lengths. Looser waves tend to go flat once they are cut this short.

Work a little curl cream through the top while damp and scrunch. Trim every six weeks or the fringe takes over.

Wispy Curly Bangs

Loose, thin curls drifting across the forehead with the skin showing through, more a hint of a bang than a full one. This is the version for 2C and 3A hair, where the curl is soft enough to look wispy without being cut thin on purpose.

Because the bang is light, it dries fast and does not need much product. A little mousse and a twist of each piece around your finger is enough. Let it air-dry, since diffusing wispy curls blows them into frizz.

Short Curly Bangs

This one is for women whose curls are tight enough to hold a shape above the eyebrows. The bang stops well above the brow and curls back on itself, so the forehead shows and the eyes are completely clear.

On 3C to 4C hair the short length looks right, since the coils sit up rather than hanging down. On looser curls it can stick out sideways instead.

Have it cut dry and expect trims every three to four weeks to keep the shape.

Sleek Bun With Curly Bangs

Hair slicked back smooth and glossy into a bun, with a few springy curls left out across the forehead. The contrast is the point. Everything behind the hairline is flat, and the bang is loose and bouncy.

Black women wear this from work to weddings because it stays neat all day and still shows the curl.

Brush the hair back with gel and tie it low, then define the bang with mousse and your fingers. A scarf over the edges for ten minutes sets them.

Half-Up Curls With Bangs

The top section twisted back and clipped while the rest of the curls stay down, with the bang left out over the forehead. It lifts the hair off the face and leaves the length showing, which is a useful middle ground on days the curls are too big to leave down and too good to hide.

A claw clip does the job.

Pull the bang out afterward and refresh it with water and a little cream so it matches the definition of the rest.

Twist-Out With Curly Bangs

Defined, elongated curls with a soft wave pattern all the way through, and a fluffy fringe that matches. The twist-out stretches coily hair so the bang hangs lower than a wash and go would, which suits 4A and 4B hair that wants length without heat.

Twist the bang in a few small sections along with the rest of the hair, then unravel everything once it is dry.

Separate the pieces gently with your fingers. Too much separating turns the definition into frizz.

Honey Highlights With Curly Bangs

Warm honey streaks running through dark curls, with the bang picking up the lightest pieces so the color sits right at the face.

Highlights show up better on curls because each curl catches the light from a different angle. The bang gets the most attention, so keep the pieces there a shade or two lighter than the rest, not bleached out.

A color-safe leave-in keeps the lightened curls from drying out, and the bang needs it most since it gets restyled more often.

Head Wrap With Curly Bangs

A patterned wrap covering everything from the hairline back, with a full curly bang left out in front. The wrap does the work of a whole style in a minute and hides a bad wash day, while the bang keeps the look soft.

Black women wear this with a wash and go bang or finger coils at the front. Tie the wrap snug but not tight, and pull the bang out afterward so the curls are not crushed. A little oil adds shine.

Curly Ponytail With Bangs

There is a lot of bounce in a high ponytail made of curls, and a curly bang at the front doubles it. The curls spill from the crown in one thick fall, and the fringe curls forward to frame the face.

This works on 3A to 3C hair with enough length to reach the crown.

Gather the hair with your head tipped back so the sides stay smooth, and use a soft scrunchie rather than a thin elastic to avoid a dent in the curl.

Silver Curls With Bangs

Silver curls have a shine that dyed hair rarely matches, and a curly bang puts that shine right at the front.

The bang softens the forehead and keeps the face framed, which many women over sixty want once the hair is worn shorter.

Keep it long enough to graze the brow. Very short silver bangs can look sparse.

A purple shampoo every week or two keeps the silver clear, and a light curl cream stops the coarser texture that comes with gray from looking dry.