So you made the cut. You saw a photo of Alexa Chung, were inspired by Zooey Deschanel, and finally went to the salon to get yourself some fresh bangs.
And then, sometime down the road, it hits you. Whether it's due to bad styling or your need for a change, growing your bangs out is one of the most dreaded and tedious beauty decisions you can make. Here are 13 struggles anyone who has attempted to grow out their fringe can relate to, all too well.
1. Headbands -- actually any hair accessory, for that matter -- become your new best friends, regardless of how in or out of style they are.
2. There aren't enough bobby pins in the world to keep those babies down -- you can't go anywhere without at least two.
3. You attempt to do any new hairstyle that Pinterest users claim is the best way to hide your mid-length bangs.
4. Getting all your hair into a ponytail is your Everest. There is never an easy way to slick all your hairs back and out of your face.
5. Wind is the enemy. Strays will always appear.
6. Any attempted braids wind up with spikes of hair emerging from the twists.
7. You wind up trying to pull off hairstyles that were cool in middle school (like the poof and heavy side bangs).
8. You come to the realization that bangs seem to grow too quickly when you want to keep them, then too slowly when you're trying to grow them out.
9. You begin to anticipate the awkward ponytail nub that appears every. single. time.
10. Don't even bother trying to prep your hair for exercise. Those strands will be everywhere.
11. You struggle to figure out which side to part your hair on due to unsightly cowlicks.
12. You want to avoid all cameras and photos for the next few months until your hair is no longer in the "in between" phase.
13. Once they've grown out and reach a normal length, you want to cut your bangs all over again.