Hairstylists reveal the simple equation that can help work out if bangs will be flattering for your face shape

Have you ever considered getting a fringe cut but are too nervous to take the plunge?

Bangs can be quite scary and if they are cut crooked or unevenly they can ruin your face. Luckily, chic French hairstylists have a mathematical formula that can help you determine whether or not bangs are right for you.

And it’s perhaps no coincidence that some of France’s most famous women over the years have also sported perfect bangs, including Hermès icon Jane Birkin, actress Brigitte Bardot and model Caroline De Maigret, to name a few.

According to FashionThe comparison will tell you which face shape suits bangs best, in just three easy steps.

The first thing you should do, the outlet explained, is measure the height of your forehead with your fingers.

If you can fit three fingers on your forehead, write that as “1.” If your forehead is four fingers high, write that as “2.” And if your forehead is five fingers high, write that as “3.”

Next, according to the outlet, you need to figure out which part of your face is the widest. If it’s your chin, write “1,” if it’s your cheeks, write “2,” and for your chin, “3.”

Finally, you will find out whether the distance between your eyebrows is larger or smaller in relation to the width of one of your eyes.

If it is smaller, write ‘2’, and if it is larger, write ‘1’.

So, in the end, you should have a three-digit number in your hands that will be the key to you deciding whether or not to take the plunge.

According to Vogue, the numbers ‘111, 121, 221 or 231’ mean bangs might not be right for you.

People with ‘131, 112, 122, 132, 232, 311, 331 or 332’ may consider ‘curtain bangs’, a type of fringe that frames the face on both sides.

And for those lucky few who have the numbers ‘222, 321, 312, 212 or 322’, this is the perfect choice for a plain Jane Birkin style pony.

But Vogue isn’t the only one who has debunked this method.

In a video posted to TikTok in 2022, beauty influencer Juju Benne shared a similar trick and used celebrity examples to emphasize the width of the forehead.

However, her measurements differed in that for step two she measured the cheekbones along with the upper lip and forehead.

If your forehead is at its widest, write ‘1’, but if it is your upper lip, write ‘3’.

Her equation for getting a pony was a little different because of this. She said that if you have the numbers ‘111, 121, 221 and 231’ you should not get a pony.

If you have numbers 131, 112, 122, 132, 232, 311, 331, or 332, you may want to consider a pony.

Finally, for those with ‘212, 222, 321, 312 and 322,’ Benne joked that you should ‘get a pony and change your life.’

In the comments on her video, many users admitted that they had tried the comparison themselves and shared their results with others.

‘NOOOOOOO 221 I WANTED A PAIR SO BADLY,’ someone typed.

Another agreed: “As a 121-year-old, this is a fair, worse decision.”

“No, I wanted a pony but I’m a size 221,” someone else typed.

Others, however, disagreed with the comparison. They said that according to the numbers, they shouldn’t have gotten bangs, but they did anyway. They felt that it suited their face shape just fine.

“I’m a 231 but I look amazing with bangs,” one TikTok user admitted.

Another agreed: ‘221 and a pony helped me personally!! You don’t have to listen, because you have to do what makes you feel beautiful.’