How to Get Dakota Johnson's Signature Bangs
Hairstylist Mark Townsend breaks down how to get Dakota Johnson bangs for yourself.
Loose beach waves, a warm brown tone, and Dakota Johnson's signature bangs—effortlessly elegant, perfectly styled, and classically chic curtain bangs—make up the actress' widely envied hair look. Spotted everywhere from your Pinterest board to the red carpet, Johnson's famous fringe has been the talk of celebrity stylists and TikTok alike, especially as the curtain bang style has skyrocketed in popularity throughout the past few years.
To understand Johnson's lived-in, yet artfully styled bangs, L'OFFICIEL went straight to the source—Johnson's longtime hair stylist, Mark Townsend, who has worked with the actress for over 10 years. Townsend often draws inspiration from voluminous '60s-'70s bangs looks, but prioritizes wearability, classic elegance, and above all, achieving a look that is quintessentially Dakota.
Speaking to L'OFFICIEL, Townsend broke down exactly how he achieved Johnson's look for her March 2024 cover shoot, how to get "Dakota Johnson bangs" at home, and what hairstyles he is rooting for heading into spring.
L’OFFICIEL: What was the thought process behind Dakota's look for this shoot? Did you plan the hair around the outfits or did you have something in mind going in?
Mark Townsend: The first thing we always do is look at the clothes just to get inspiration. A lot of times there are high necks, low necks, sequins—things to think about with a hairstyle. But when we started the shoot, we had our creative meeting and it was very much about like, Let's keep this Dakota. We didn't want to do anything very different. We wanted to keep it like her classic style. So we really just did the editorial version of Dakota, which is just a little fuller, a little bigger. We cut her bangs a little shorter that day. I mean, those things are iconic. They're a hairstyle all on their own.
L’O: I heard about cutting Dakota's bangs on set that day. What’s the secret to getting those perfect face-framing bangs like hers?
MT: She has a very heart-shaped face. Her forehead is much wider than her jaw. Heart-shaped faces call out for bangs. We do all these little changes here and there, sometimes she likes them above her eyebrows. My favorite is when they're between the brow and the lash which is a very tiny amount of space so I have to see her every two weeks to cut her bangs when we keep them there. But the day of this shoot, she had been on vacation and she trims them herself while she's away sometimes. She doesn't do a bad job, but we definitely needed to even them out a little bit. She only does the middle. She doesn't get into trying to cut the sides. We always like a little bit of a connection into the sides of her bangs into her face-framing layers.
On that day, she wanted something new and I have been requesting shorter bangs. We did them the first time and then she was like, “Let's go shorter.” So there were like two big trims on the day of the shoot. And I think it worked out perfectly with everything she was wearing because again, it's very Dakota but just Dakota elevated.
Once I cut those and then did the sides, she blow dries them herself. The real key to them being so perfect is that after I've done everything on her hair, then she goes into the bathroom, soaks her bangs to completely wet, and she blow dries them straight down with a flat brush to get rid of her cowlick. Then she uses the round brush to flick out the sides. She has it down to science. There are so many Old Hollywood stories like Joan Crawford always did her own brows. Dakota always does her own bangs.
L'O: Do you have any tips for people who want to do their own bang maintenance?
MT: I mean, the real key is that you want to blow dry them from wet, because the hairs on our hairline have the most tendency to go in different directions which is why so many people have cowlicks on their hairline. She has a doozy of a strong one, and hers is just slightly on her right side. The real commitment here is that you have to style your bangs. It's very rare that someone can fully air dry their bangs and them be flattering. As long as you spend five to 10 minutes on your bangs, you're gonna have a hairstyle. And bang trims—I certainly don't recommend people cut them themselves, even trims, so talk to your hairstylist. I have clients come in every two weeks just for a quick bang trim when I'm already in the salon and I'm sure a lot of hair stylists will do that.
L'O: Do you have any tips for people switching up their hairstyle this spring? Is there a style that you want to see more of this season?
MT: After watching the beginning of awards season, I am living for the lob. I mean, we're seeing them everywhere. Emma Stone looked like spring in a dress [at the Golden Globes]. I loved it so much. That vibrant red hair blown out to perfection and shine, and then that flick—it makes me so happy as a hairdresser. So many people are afraid of a lob, but it's so versatile. You can wear it down, you can wear it up, you can go very sleek. It's long enough to put cool texture in it if you want that look. So I think that now we're seeing so many people doing such great lobs and bobs. I'm such a long hair hairdresser but we might be losing some length on a lot of people this season. Carey Mulligan and America Ferrera, their bobs are so chic.