Selena Gomez unveils summer's biggest hair trend 'bottleneck bangs'
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Singer and actress Selena Gomez debuted a new hairstyle on her social media accounts on Thursday.
The 29-year-old posted a series of videos teasing her new fringe hairstyle on her TikTok account, seemingly poking fun at her own love life, before posting a professional-looking snap of the new style on her Instagram account.
The ‘Lose You To Love Me’ singer – who launched her own beauty line Rare in the UK in February – revealed a bob haircut with a soft fringe at the front. Posting the selfie with the caption: “New hair who dis?”.
The ‘Come & Get It’ singer and Only Murders in the Building actress was seen in a silken black outfit by Celine, with Jennifer Fisher earrings beneath her wavy bob, styled by Kate Young.
Celebrity hair guru Orlando Pita was responsible for Gomez's hair transformation, commenting on her post: "🖤🔥🖤🔥".
The hybrid style between curtain bangs and a full fringe is one that a number of celebrities – including Margot Robbie, Alexa Chunge, Kirsten Stewart, Lily Collins and Dakota Johnson, to name a few – have opted for over the past few months and is set to take over hair trends in the coming months.
The soft fringe style has come to be known as “Bottleneck Bangs”. Never heard of it before? Here’s everything you need to know about the summer’s hottest new hair trend.
What are "bottleneck bangs"?
Bottleneck bangs – or a bottleneck fringe if you’re on this side of the Atlantic – is a style that’s gaining traction on TikTok and is set to be one of the biggest hair trends of 2022.
As the name suggests, the fringe style is inspired by the shape of a bottle, where it's slimmer towards the roots where it's shorter, and fans out towards the brows and ears with slightly longer lengths.
It's a look that’s essentially the follow-up to curtain bangs; a hybrid of the full fringe and the grown-out curtain fringe.
“Bottleneck bangs offer a face-framing look and it’s a good option for those that don’t want the full commitment of a fringe or are on the fence about trying a fringe,” says editorial and celebrity hairstylist Neil Moodie.
“It has a shorter section in the centre - just above the eyebrow, tapering out longer towards the edges and this frames the cheekbone area, just like the neck of a bottle gets wider.”
The best part about the bottleneck Fringe? It's very low-maintenance, says celebrity hair stylist Jason Collier.
“It's becoming more popular due to the versatile style as you can wear this fringe in different ways, day to night,” says Collier. “This hair is low upkeep as it's already grown out and can keep its shape for a longer time.”
How to get bottleneck bangs
“To achieve this look, ask your stylist to create a longer fringe that skims your cheekbones at an angle that’s flattering for your face shape and which curves around to create a layer that sits somewhere between your eyebrows and jaw,” says Moodie.
The best bit is, the style tends to suit nearly any face shape. “Anybody can wear bottleneck bangs; you just need to determine what is the best length around your face,” adds Moodie.
“If you have a longer more oval shaped face, I’d suggest creating a heavier shorter section around the eyebrows to help balance out your face shape.”
When you’re at the hairdresser, “ask for bangs that are shorter at the front and wispy towards the ends,” says Saivo Ierna, hairstylist at The Bohemians Salon in London.
“This can be done by first determining the desired shortest central length and longest lengths, then cut into bangs that flatter your face shape," adds Ierna, "the stylist will be able to curve the longer layers so it suits the face shape and can be choppier or softer depending on the natural texture.”
How to style bottleneck bangs
One of the advantages of the bottleneck styles is that it has longer sides, giving a more ‘lived-in' look, says Ierna. However even though the style “has a little bit of a 'grown out' look and doesn't need the upkeep of shorter bangs, regular trims are also key to keeping the shape.”
When blow-drying, give the fringe a slight curve by using a round brush or keep them sleek with mini straighteners. Moodie suggests using Biolage All in One Coconut Infusion layered with Matrix High Amplify Wonder Boost Root Lifter, for heat protection and volume.
First blowdry forward onto the face getting root lift, then blow dry the ends away from the face. Finish with Sam McKnight’s Cool Girl Barely There Texture Mist for that effortless texture.
Watch: Selena Gomez presents award barefoot
