Freshen your fringe without redoing all your hair.
Wash oily roots, reshape a bend or pin it back.

Wash oily roots and reshape clean hair

Oil can leave the front pieces clumped together. Shampoo cleans that area. For a clean fringe bent by sleep or a hat, start with water instead. If the rest of your scalp also feels oily or dirty, give it a full wash.

Separate the front before washing or pinning

Clip side lengths away before wetting the front. For hair that simply falls into your eyes, a nearby pin or clip can hold it back without a wash. Choose a position the section reaches easily and release it if it pulls.

1. Separate the fringe

• Use your fingers to leave only the fringe and its roots loose at the front. Clip the side and back lengths away.
• Set a small cup or handheld sprayer, your usual shampoo and a soft towel within reach of the basin. Choose a position you can hold comfortably; stop if bending strains your neck or back.
• For the complete basin method, see washing only your fringe.

2. Wet only the front

• For a wash, lean over the basin and use comfortably warm water to wet the fringe and its roots. Keep the stream directed down into the basin, away from your eyes.
• For a clean bent fringe, use wet hands to dampen just the bent piece instead. Skip shampoo and rinsing, blot only if it drips, then go to step 6.

3. Shampoo the oily front roots

• Put the cup or sprayer down. Spread a small amount of your usual shampoo between your fingertips, then gently massage the scalp beneath the fringe with your finger pads.
• Use much less than for your whole head. Avoid scratching with your nails or piling the short hair into a knot. Keep shampoo out of your eyes.

4. Rinse the shampoo out

• Direct water through the front roots and down the fringe. Gently part the section with your free hand so water reaches underneath.
• Continue until no shampoo remains. If using rinse-out conditioner, apply it now as described below and rinse it out before blotting.

5. Press out drips with a towel

• Put the cup or sprayer down and turn off the water. Lightly press a soft towel around the wet fringe.
• Lift the towel away between presses. Avoid rubbing back and forth or twisting the short section; it can stay damp for shaping.

6. Arrange it, then leave it to dry

• Use your fingers to place a straight fringe in the direction you want it to fall. For waves or curls, keep the existing small groups of hair together rather than brushing them flat.
• Let the fringe air-dry without repeatedly touching it. Release the side clips once the front stops dripping, and check the shape when dry.
• For a curly fringe that needs more reshaping, use the linked wave and curl refresh method on just the front.

Your usual shampoo is enough

Use a shampoo that already works for your scalp and permits an ordinary rinse-out wash. A fringe needs only a small amount at the front roots. Follow its directions for amount, contact time and rinsing.

Browse cleansing products. The consultation uses your wash frequency and scalp concerns to recommend a shampoo.

Keep conditioner on the ends that need it

After shampooing, smooth a small amount of rinse-out conditioner onto rough fringe ends. Keep it off oily roots and away from your eyes. Rinse it out before towel-blotting. If your fringe easily falls flat, start with less conditioner.

Browse lightweight conditioners. For lighter conditioner options, share your hair details and what has worked before.

Reshape a wavy or curly fringe

For a few clean front curls that lost their shape, follow the water-only dampening and reshaping options. Cup and gently press the ends, then release them to dry. Use fingertips for sections too short to rest in your palms.