The two biggest commitments of my life, to date, have been kids and getting a fringe. When I was younger, cutting a fringe was a flippant decision (with very mixed results) but now it’s totally paralysing, super considered and with every detail is meticulously measured out.
In my youth, the good fringes I’ve had have happened by complete fluke and total star alignment. I would track down a nearby hairdresser at 5pm on a Sunday and arrive at the salon with full conviction and only pictures of A-list stars. I know I will never look like Kylie Minogue but in my mind I’m a step closer with bangs!
Each fringe I had was unique, and the odds were, at best, 50/50 as to whether it would suit me, work with my lifestyle, or withstand a British downpour. One early effort, cut too far back and incredibly thick, was a nightmare to style.
Later, I quickly learned that a short fringe is for life – or feels that way. Cut it too short and it will grow at snail pace. No amount of styling action can solve that. Only with time will it mellow and frame my round face. What no one tells you is that time will stand still!
Many such fringes have ruined my day, week and month because they simply didn’t suit my face shape. Even my makeup didn’t sit the same and clothes stopped flattering me like they used to. My spouse did notice my new ‘do but for all the wrong reasons! So I hit pause on my fringe benefits for a while.
Yet now, as I near my 40th birthday, the urge to get a fringe again is overwhelming. The thing is, a good fringe is life changing when it happens, and I am convinced that cutting in bangs will stop me from looking drab and harsh.
My fringe will hide a multitude of sins and honour me with youth.
I’ll be able to wave goodbye to the bump on my forehead (permanent reminder of the first time I wore heels and fell down a metal spiral staircase, refusing to admit defeat), my Shar-pai dog-like wrinkles and my hooded eyes. A fringe at this age will be like having plastic surgery, just far less expensive.
But I can’t trust just anyone to cut it. I’ve been burned multiple times before.
The only man that could deliver such precise dreams is Michael Douglas, not the actor but the main lead in my life for the next 30 mins! Michael is a top celebrity hairdresser, mdLondon hair brand founder, and the man behind the Davina McCall beautiful mane. (He also happens to be the husband of the nation’s favourite TV host!)
Davina’s soft curtain fringe is the hallmark of her look. That concave ‘shorter in the middle and longer by the sides’ look is a youthful, easy-to-blend style, and the upkeep is minimum fuss with all the sass.
Michael assures me that I can enjoy all those A-list benefits on my own head. My new fringe will tick everything on my wish-list. It will fall obediently to one side, and be brilliantly convenient and smart.
So I take the plunge and get it cut…boy am I glad I did, as the compliments keep piling up. People tell me it makes my eyes sparkle and makes my cheekbones pop. My partner thinks I look younger and more confident, with a spring in my step. We've been together for 16 years and we're as flirty as ever now! (I think I may love Michael almost as much as Davina does.)
Just as Michael promised, it really is easy to keep my fringe in check daily. I just follow his advice and always tuck my hair behind my ears as it dries – it cleverly encourages a bit of volume to come forward when my hair is fully dried.
He’s also given me some hacks to aid my ongoing quest to train my hair away from its middle parting. I’ve now got the knack of directing the hair one way with the dryer and then pushing it back in the opposite direction to create lift and flick.
To keep the fringe fresher for longer, I’ve also learned to spray on a smidge of dry shampoo as soon as it’s styled. This just absorbs the oils from the scalp, the constant touching and the extra dryer heat blast. (If I don’t have dry shampoo to hand, a quick wash of the fringe can easily revive the whole hair style. No need to pencil hair washing in the diary.)
For the full Michael Douglas zhuzh, I’ve treated my hair to a delightfully-scented miracle styling product from his new mdLondon The Number range. THE ONE Hair primer multi-tasks as hard as we women do: protecting from heat damage, adding oomph, and helping to lock in a well-behaved style. All that for £15 seems like a bargain.
Add in mdlondon Radial No 4 Hairbrush and my mornings are sorted. It lifts and shapes my fringe, then sets it within a minute. Simple.
This, basically, is the fringe I’ve waited for all my life. It’s easy to style, easy to live with, and I’ve never had a single moment of fringe regret where I’m battling to stop it flopping infuriatingly in my eyes. Michael has cut it at the perfect length and shape for my face, and contoured it thoughtfully so there will be no growing-out pains if I did decide to let it go.
I don’t think I will, though. This one is a keeper. My only complaint is that, unlike those terrible fringes of my youth, this one will grow too fast. Anyone know how to slow down time?
