Those are all well and good (and a great way to deal with that messy hair when you’re running 15 minutes late to class in the morning), but once I saw this French side braid, they all paled in comparison. I’m in LOVE. (In fact, I’m longing for lengthy locks so my own side braid will look better!)

This braid is just as simple as the rest, but the placement is a little different. So watch the vid and find out how it’s done!

Don’t get me wrong, I love my new ‘do -  I feel extra sheek and sassy, a little bohemian, and eyes seem to pop out more than Pamela Anderson’s boobies. But after prancing out of the hair salon, life happened and I was graced with the slightly annoying presence of my new bangs.

If you’re chewing on the idea of taking the fringe plunge, I give you a look into a world of bangs:

12:45 P.M. Now that the rest of my hair has been trimmed and styled, my hairstylist finally comes to the melodramatic point of cutting my bangs. I stop her for a moment, take a deep breath. Once I’m mentally ready, I give a slight nod and she comes at me with the scissors. I watch my life (full of good hair days) flash before my eyes as 4 inches of my former layers flutter away to their final resting place on top of my Ugg boot. I hold the arm rest tighter, trying not to make a scene. I make a mental note to Google image ‘celebs with bangs’ when I got home to make myself feel better about this hasty decision.

1:15 P.M. I play with my new hair a little bit in front of the mirror. I look left. I look right. I look at it from the back. “OK,” I think to myself. “It looks good.” I breathe a sigh of relief. After paying the girl at the front desk and hugging my stylist (“OMG thank you!”) I walk home. And look at my reflection in every reflective material: car windows, mirrors, spoons, phones, computer screens. I don’t look twelve, I don’t resemble Justin Bieber, and I have already forgotten to Google image ‘celebs with bangs.’ Things are looking up.

5:00 P.M. I am standing on the treadmill attempting to put my hair up for a much needed jaunt. I check my reflection in the TV:  I look like an adolescent boy with a bowl cut. It’s creepy, not at all cute, and unfair to all people attempting to have a workout free of silent giggles. I try a headband. Bad move; my bangs stick out the back like a Ricky Martin haircut. That would be fine if I was shaking my bon bon on stage for millions of adoring girls, but I’m not. Now I just look ridiculous.

7:00 P.M. My light workout (I lasted 10 minutes before I got frustrated and gave up) has sent my bangs into an uproar.  The pieces that are not sticking up everywhere are plastered to my forehead; I look like I just ran a marathon with Katie Holmes. It’s awful. “Am I going to have to shower ten times a day to make these puppies look presentable?” I have a mild meltdown in front of my mirror.

9:00 P.M. After much primping (and more priming), I am about ready to hit the town, and my bangs…look…good. Like, really good. Although they are hiding some very serious flat-iron burns on my forehead, I managed to put them together nicely. And they make my basic black top and jeans outfit look way more chic. “Yay bangs!”

10:00 P.M. While lurking around the bar awkwardly, I am stopped by many boys commenting on my bangs. Guys. It was quite the honor; I felt like I needed to give some kind of acceptance speech for being so awesome.  When was the last time men commented on anything besides my French Maid costume?  Yeah, they definitely went south once the dancing started (and by “south” I mean “wet, wavy and stuck to my face”), but I had a few emergency bobby pins on hand to fix the problem.

Despite the ups and downs (and one wasted trip to the treadmill), I say bangs are definitely a do. They won’t be easy, but they will definitely be worth it.

Besides, good or bad, you can always grow those suckers out.

[Ever see something you want but don’t have the money to buy? Ever get sick of studying/watching TV and have the urge to get crafty and make things on your own? We know! Us too! We just don’t know where to start, which is why we got some of CollegeCandy’s craftiest writers to share their favorite DIY projects with everyone. These things are easy, fun and a great way to save some serious cashola.]

I was always a bangs girl. And by always I mean long after it was socially acceptable to have them. I even remember the monumental day when I finally listened to my stylist and grew those bad boys out. Too bad it was like 3 months before they started showing up in fashion magazines as the new “it” hairstyle.

Now bangs are everywhere and they add so much fierceness that I just have to have them back. And I can do it…all by myself.

Cutting your own bangs seems totally scary, but if you are careful and do it right, you can have a salon look without paying the salon price. So, grab some scissors, get in front of the mirror and get chopping.

Tools:
Shears (Do not use whatever scissors you have lying around the house – those will most definitely leave you with some seriously botched bangs. Invest in a pair of hair shears for a precise cut.)
Mirror
Hair clips
A good friend for moral support

Snip Snip:
1. Make sure your hair is dry and styled how you normally wear it. If your hair is wet it will be weighed down and you will cut off more than you mean to!

2. Gather the hair in the front that you’d like to cut into bangs. This can be as thick or thin as you want. Pull back the rest of your hair and secure it in hair clips so as not to accidentally cut something you shouldn’t.

3. Comb the bangs down in the front so everything is where it should be.

4. Grab the to-be-bangs between your index and middle finger and pull down lightly, holding them away from your face.

5. Take your scissors and, pointing them up, trim in upward snips. (Do not cut straight across! That will leave you with a very unflattering straight line. By snipping upwards, you will have more texture to the bangs and they will look less severe).

6. Make your way across and check your progress. If they are too long, repeat step 5, taking off very little length. Repeat as necessary until your bangs are at the desired length.

Remember to keep those hands steady. You don’t want to end up lookin’ like this. Also, it’s better to snip too little than to hack too much, so take your time. I did and I’m super happy with the chic and fabulous results.