Even curly hair that hangs in smooth beautiful ringlets and appears to be more relaxed in its level of curl is deceptive, since the elongation of the curl is due largely to the
weight of the hair pulling on the natural curl. As long as the curl is exposed to this level of weight, the hair will appear to be relaxed and wavy, but if you remove even a small portion of the length (and therefore
the weight) the hair’s natural elasticity causes it to assume a curlier configuration. Because of this, any attempt to create a fringe in very curly hair should be carefully approached.
Solutions:
With curly hair, in order to create a fringe look, you want to make sure that the fringe is kept much longer than you initially think necessary. Remember, you can always remove
more length in a few seconds, but getting it back takes months. Your initial cut of the fringe should not involve shortening the hair by more than 20-25% of its total length.
In addition, you may want to consider taking a much wider fringe section (from temple to temple) and combing it forward into a vertical gathering, so that you can cut the fringe
in such a way that each side angles upward slightly. Just remember to remove the hair in small increments. As you get a feel for how the loss of length will affect the level of curl, you can decrease the length of the
fringe area and begin to generate the shape you desire.
Doing this will help you avoid unfortunate results and look your best while giving you the fringe look you want.
Coarse and Straight
Of course, very curly hair isn’t the only type that can be problematic when it comes to creating a fringe hairstyle. Even when the hair is stick straight, if it is very
coarse (having a thick diameter) removing weight from the hair will make the hair more likely to stand out rather than bend over and lie in the way you might want.
Therefore, just as with curly hair types, you must consider the amount of length being removed carefully so that the hair will hang as opposed to hovering above the forehead like
the brim of a cap.
Solutions:
In the case of coarse and straight hair, the key is also to remove the length in very small increments. You want to leave enough length that the weight of the hair will overcome
the hair’s rigidity. Sometimes, the added weight of various styling products can help make the hair lie in the direction you desire, but it’s best to use these to enhance a look rather than create one when it
comes to fringe.
It’s also important to remember not to over-texture the fringe in coarse and straight hair types. The process of texturing the hair will shorten the length of some of the hairs
and can make the resulting fringe appear frayed and messy, rather than soft and alluring (which is generally the goal).
Fine Hair
Fine hair has its own issues in that it will often behave in the opposite fashion of its coarser counterparts. Nothing is more frustrating than wanting to have a softly curving
fringe to drape over the forehead and ending up with a fringe that simply hangs limply against the face and easily becomes stringy-looking.
