I would suggest accessorizing - headbands, clips, anything that will take away from focusing on the hair itself. You can also experiment with conditioning treatments, oils and anything to help with health.

I have no advice about bangs except for pinning them back until they get to a manageable length.

Let us know how it turns out.

I did the EXACT same thing you did: grew my hair out from a pixie. It's now almost to my shoulders. Basically, you just have to come to terms with the fact that it's going to look weird for a while. I prolonged the process by cutting it every few weeks (literally, like every 2 weeks) into a new style, trying to get it to look good as it grew out. It won't. It's going to look like you are growing out a pixie. BUT keep going! I very recently almost cut all mine off again, but I wasn't allowed to because of a play I am in. Turned out to be a good thing, because the spell passed and I don't want it gone anymore!

Hang in there! Yes, use lots of headbands and clips, but be careful of clips with metal on them. They could break off your hair and you could have tons of frizzies as you grow out.