A Cut Above

Denise Guerrero of Belanova rehearsing for the 2008 Billboard Latin Music Awards in Hollywood FL, April 7, 2008.

Photo: Courtesy of Gary I. Rothstein / NBC Universal

Denise Guerrero, the super-stylish lead singer from Mexican electro pop group Belanova, Spanish MC La Mala Rodriguez, and Janelle Martinez from Prima J have all been spotted rocking blunt-cut bangs. And it’s no wonder. It’s an easy and dramatic look to maintain. The only hard part is ponying up the money for pricey salon visits once a month for maintenance. To keep your blunt-cut bangs look on a budget, try trimming them yourself. Just follow these guidelines:

1. Cut your hair while it’s still dry, so you have a sense of the true length. Wet hair appears longer than straight.
2. Use your eyebrows as a guide. Don’t cut them too short!
3. Skip the office scissors for professional hair cutting shears. It’s a good investment and you can find them at a beauty supply store.
4. Instead of cutting straight across, try holding down your bangs with scissored fingers or a fine-toothed comb and snip across the line with your shears at a slight angle for a subtle zigzag effect. It’s a technique called point-cutting.
5. Or to keep it simple and severe, go ahead and cut straight across. Make sure you go longer then you think you want them.
6. If you need to soften the sides, layer the sides of the bangs that blend into your longer hair around your face by running the scissors along an angle.
7. Blow dry them straight with a round brush and finish with a spritz of hairspray to keep the look polished.

It takes practice, but it’ll be worth it!

—Serena Kim