For some, a fringe is a lifelong love affair. For others, it’s a fleeting romance. Nicole Kidman appears to fall into the latter, now appearing to be in the process of growing out her iconic ‘breakup fringe’.
While it can be tempting to just pin back the remnants of a growing-out fringe with a few clips, Nicole Kidman took a different approach at the Lioness premiere in New York last night, letting her overgrown fringe blend with the rest of her hair. She looked incredible – but even celebrities aren’t immune to a fringe having a mind of its own.
‘You can see how one side sits better than the other,’ says Sam McKnight lead stylist Val Benavides. ‘When you have a long, growing-out fringe, you want it to sweep back and away from your face. That’s happening on her right side [left as you look at the picture], and it’s more flattering because it opens up the face and creates a more lifted look.’
She notes that the other side of Nicole’s fringe seems to be misbehaving. ‘It’s bending so it’s falling on to her cheek. This hides her gorgeous cheekbones and creates a more square face shape.’
A stubborn fringe is almost a rite of passage when you’re growing it out – but all is not lost.
‘To create that face-opening shape, you want to wrap and roll the hair away from the face,’ adds Valerie. ‘To fix it in place, I’d use a product like Save the Do, which has heat protection, too. That’s vital when you’re heat-styling a fringe because the hair around your face is weaker than anywhere else.
Hair By Sam McKnight Save The Do Heat Protection Spray
Hair By Sam McKnight Save The Do Heat Protection Spray 150ml
When you’re bending a long fringe to your will, you need two key tools, says Marc Trinder, award-winning hairdresser and Trinder Hair Studios founder. ‘You simply need to refresh the fringe with a large barrel brush and hairdryer, the key is the little flicks at the ends,’ he tells GH.
He explains, ‘Wrap the fringe section horizontally around the brush and blast with heat. Use dry shampoo at the root to give added volume, then when you release the brush, the fringe should simply flick naturally.’ If your hair is especially stubborn, he tells us a straightener can also be used to create that flicked effect.
While growing out a fringe is often described as an ‘awkward’ phase, Marc says that these longer face-framing layers can actually be incredibly flattering. ‘I am a big fan of long face-framing layers for mature women – the movement makes it feel really youthful.’
Marc says choosing a clever cut in the first place will save a lot of trouble. ‘Get your hairdresser to cut your fringe into the shape that you want it to grow into, sometimes it’s not about length, it’s about shape,’ he explains.
The growing-out phase may test your patience but, with the right tricks, there’s no reason you can’t enjoy plenty of good fringe days along the way.
