How to Choose The Best Hairstyles For Your Face Shape?
When it comes to selecting a new haircut, one of the most crucial elements to consider is your facial shape. After all, even if you choose the most beautiful new haircut, if it doesn’t compliment your features, it won’t be everything you hoped for. So, instead of going with the latest fad, choose a style that flatters your face shape. Whatever shape your face is (rectangle, oval, square, circle, triangle, heart, or diamond), the appropriate cut will elegantly frame and balance it while highlighting your best features for a pleasing and complimenting appearance. Interested? Here’s how to select the greatest haircuts for your face shape.
How to Determine Your Face Shape?
Many people have a distinct face shape. They are classified into six shapes: oval, long, square, round, diamond, and heart. If you can’t determine what shape you are by glancing in the mirror, there is a method to measure the face that can put you on the right path.
The determining factors tend to be your forehead, cheekbones, and jaw:
- Long: When the width of the forehead, cheeks, and jawline are nearly the same, or the distance from forehead to chin is a bit longer than distance from ear to ear.
- Oval: Usually the length of your face is more than the width, with the forehead being the widest part of the face. This shape is usually considered the most desirable face shape.
- Square: The length to width is nearly one to one, equal lengths horizontally and vertically, with a strong angled jaw, and minimal curve at the chin.
- Heart: Pointed Chin with a wider forehead and slimmer chin, usually in the shape of an inverted triangle.
- Diamond: Usually defined by high cheekbones, a pointy chin, and a narrower forehead
- Round: The length and width ratio is about equal. Soft and rounded features, with flatter cheekbones, and the cheeks stand out as the widest part of the face. Similar to a square face shape with softer angles.
Highlighting The Best Features For Your Face Shape
It may be difficult to know where to begin because there will be various hairstyles that fit your facial shape. The basic rule of finding a great haircut for your face shape is to highlight your best features. According to the “rules,” there are a few features to look for:
- Heart-Shaped Face: Try to draw attention to your eyes and cheekbones with bangs or volume along the sides.
- Long Face: The longer your hair is, the longer it will make your face look. It’s often best to go with shorter styles or those that have plenty of volumes. Bangs are great as well.
- Oval Face: Nearly every hairstyle flatters this shape.
- Round Face: Some of the better options include haircuts that are below your chin. With curly or wavy hair, going too short may add more width to the cheek area. Short styles that add volume on top can elongate your face.
- Square Face: You may want to play down a strong, angular jaw. Texture, in the form of curls or choppy ends, does a brilliant job at this.
Your Best Cut According to Face Shape
1. Oval Face
Oval face shapes can wear almost any style. When choosing the right hairstyle for your oval face, the main goal is to avoid elongating your face. If you’re looking to go shorter, try a “Blunt bob with face-framing pieces” that clear the shoulder. Otherwise, choose “a shoulder-length cut with subtle layers” to add volume and keep your hair from falling flat. If you’re looking to keep your hair long, a simple part change can make all the difference. Try “side-swept bangs”, which look great on oval faces to frame your face and achieve a balancing effect without having to cut your hair.
Remember, the best hairstyles for oval faces are styles that keep your hair away from your face, exposing your balanced features. If you’re wearing your hair down, be sure to have either one or both sides of your hair tucked behind your ear showing off your cheekbones.
2. Heart-Shaped Faces
When choosing a hairstyle for your heart-shaped face, you can either choose to accentuate your tapered face shape or to balance it out by making the bottom half of your face appear wider. If you choose to accentuate your face’s heart shape, pull your hair up into “a high top knot”, or “slicked-back high ponytail”. Otherwise, opt for “a lob” that just clears the shoulder to add wideness around your jawline. If you would like to keep your hair longer, try “a deep side part with loose waves” that break at the collarbone to draw attention away from the forehead.
With heart-shaped face shapes, shoulder-length hair tends to look best, as this adds volume around the bottom of your face, creating the illusion of a wider jawline.
3. Square Faces
When choosing a hairstyle for a square-shaped face, you can either choose to accentuate the squareness of your face or soften your strong jawline. If you’d like to enhance your face shape, go for some “blunt bangs” or “a short bob” to really show off that strong jawline. If you’d like to de-enhance the squareness, try some soft, wispy bangs falling to the side to create diagonal lines and soften the lines on your face, or wear your hair straight and long with layers that start a few inches from the end to draw the eyes down and add length to your face. If you’re brave enough to try bangs, go for shorter, subtler bangs that hit the cheekbone to highlight.
4. Long Faces
Long face shapes take a similar approach to square faces. The main goal for long face shapes is to make your face appear wider than it is to balance out the longer length, so “curls” are an excellent option for you.
“Flat-iron waves” are a great way to achieve loose curls and waves for a widening effect. You want the widest part of your waves to hit around the area of your cheekbone, to create the illusion of a wider face, so start curling the hair closer to the root to achieve this. Whatever hairstyle you go for, remember you're looking for width rather than length.
5. Round Faces
When styling a round face, your main goal is to elongate the face and make it appear more oval. A quick trick to doing this is to always leave a little piece of hair untucked on one side of your face. This will visually shorten the width of your face and tricks the eye into thinking your face is narrower.
Short hair is particularly flattering on round faces, if parted and styled the right way, so go ahead and make the chop to that “trendy lob”. Try “a deep side part” to also create more angles to a round face, or pull your hair up into “a high pony” to elongate the face. If you’re feeling especially daring, “a short pixie cut with volume at the top” looks fabulous on round face shapes, as it adds texture and angles, without looking harsh.
6. Diamond Faces
Diamond face shapes are coveted because they are symmetrical and balanced, so your main objective is to accentuate your elegant face shape, rather than balance anything out. Opt for long, “side-swept bangs” to highlight your cheekbones with long layers, or go short with “a textured lob”. As well, try out a sleek middle part with your hair tucked behind your ears or a sleek high ponytail to show off your bone structure.
