You’re here because you’re like, what’s the best hairstyle for my face shape?… right?
I mean… it is kinda important. You don’t want a hairstyle that looks absolutely dreadful on you… one that puts your least desireable features on display… do you?
No way! You want something that makes you feel good… something that gets people to shower you with compliments. You want a hairstyle that accentuates your best features and conceals the not-so-great ones.
In other words, you want a hairstyle that fits your face.
So, what do you say we talk about the different face shapes and how you can find the perfect hairstyle for your unique face shape? It will make a world of difference in your overall look!
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What shape is your face?
The first thing to do is to determine what shape you have, using my face shape finder tool.
- If your face is slightly longer than it is wide, and your cheekbones are wider than the rest of your face, you have an oval face.
- If the width of your jawline, forehead, and cheeks are roughly equal, you have a square face.
- A thin face that’s roughly 1.5 times longer than the width? You have a rectangle or oblong face.
- If the width of your cheekbones is about the same length of your face, and you have soft angles, you have a round face.
- If your forehead is about the same width as your cheekbones, and your chin tapers, you have a heart-shaped face.
- Now let’s say that your forehead is much wider than the rest of your face. You have a triangular face shape.
- Last, but not least, if you have broad cheekbones that taper into an equally narrow jaw and forehead, your face is shaped like a diamond.
Oval is known as the perfect face shape, and it’s the most versatile when it comes to choosing a hairstyle. But don’t worry if that’s not what you have… all face shapes are beautiful.
It’s just that we want to make each face shape look more oval with the use of highlighting, shading, and perspective.
The Oval Face Shape
Congratulations! This is the most versatile face shape and can pull off almost any hairstyle.
The general rule of thumb is that you want to stick to soft layers around your cheekbones, chin, or lips… depending on what you want to accentuate.
Why do you think that Jennifer Aniston has had the same (ish) hairstyle for a million years? Because it works… and looks amazing on her!
Best Hairstyles For Oval Faces:
- Face-Framing Layers
- Wavy Lob
- Short Pixie Haircut
- Long Beachy Waves
- Asymmetrical Bob
The Round Face Shape
The objective here is to deflect away from the roundness. Long hair works wonders on round faces; it draws the face out and makes it appear longer. Similarly, adding height to the crown creates the same effect.
It’s also worth noting that soft waves add texture that draws attention away from the roundness. And be wary of shorter layers… they tend to add body to the wrong places and can make the face seem rounder.
Best Hairstyles For Round Faces:
- Long beach waves
- Side-swept bangs
- Textured bob
- Fauxhawk
- High ponytail/ballerina bun
The square Face Shape
Did you know that they say people with square faces take the absolute best photographs? Seriously. Some of the most beautiful people in the world have this face shape.
But people with square faces tend to have really strong jawlines… so you’ll want to choose a hairstyle that softens those lines and makes the face appear more feminine.
This shape can get away with long hair better than any other face shape, especially if the hairstyle has soft layers. But if you want short hair, be sure to keep it really soft and layered.
Stay away from hairstyles that add weight to your jawline (like blunt bobs that fall at the chin). Similarly, middle parts and blunt bangs add to the square shape and harden the face.
Best Hairstyles For Square Faces:
- Modern Shag Haircut
- Long, loose waves
- Hairstyles with a side-part
- Textured long bob
- Long heavy bangs
The Rectangular Face Shape
Rectangular faces are similar to square but longer… and like rectangular faces, the main objective is to soften the sharp jawline. This can be done with texture and soft layers around the chin.
However, you should stay away from hairstyles that make the face look longer than it is. Super long hair does not work well with this face shape, but if you want longer hair, try adding horizontal volume with big waves or layers.
Oblong faces are similar to the rectangle face shape but tend to have softer angles. The same principles apply to an oblong face, but there is less need to soften the jawline.
Best Hairstyles For Rectangular Faces:
- Mid-length hair with thick bangs
- Layered haircuts
- Curtain bangs
- A-line haircut
- Modern wedge haircut
The Heart-Shaped Face
Heart-shaped faces look good with most hairstyles. Reese Witherspoon is well-known for her heart-shaped face, and she’s been able to pull off everything from a short bob to long wavy hair.
The main objective is to add length to the face and create width around the narrow chin.
Side-swept bangs and deep side parts work well with heart-shaped faces. Actually, any types of bangs look good on a heart-shaped face, as they can bring balance to the wider forehead.
This face shape is similar to an inverted triangle… the main difference is that a heart-shaped face may have a widow’s peak, while the inverted triangle does not.
Best Hairstyles For Heart Faces:
- Long bobs
- Side-parted hairstyles/side-swept bangs
- Face-framing layers
- Textured pixie cut
- Shoulder-length layers
The Triangle Face Shape:
The triangle or pear face shape has a wider chin that tapers up into a narrow forehead. Therefore, the objective is to narrow the chin and widen the forehead.
Short hairstyles look the best on people with triangular-shaped faces. The shorter, the better.
Light layers, especially at the jawline, will flatter this face shape. You also want to avoid anything that draws attention to the jawline… like blunt bobs and face-framing.
Best Hairstyles For Triangular Faces:
- Short layers in the crown
- Soft angled bobs
- Heavy bangs
- Short textured bangs
- Big bouncy waves
The Diamond Face Shape
Diamond face shapes have wide cheeks that taper into a more narrow forehead and pointed chin. The objective is to add width to the forehead and chin while slimming the cheek area.
Best Hairstyles for Diamond Faces:
- Short, textured lobs
- Face-framing layers
- Short pixie cut
- Side-swept bangs
- Side-parted wavy hairstyles
General FAQ
Oval is said to be the most desirable face shape. Contouring and hairstyles can be used to make other face shapes look more like an oval.
Certain face shapes have distinct features that should be concealed and/or widened. For instance, triangular face shapes should choose hairstyles that soften and narrow the jawline, while adding width to the forehead.
The most common face shapes are round, oval, square, oblong/rectangular, triangle, heart, and diamond.
An oblong face is similar to the rectangular face shape but has softer angles. It’s longer than it is wide, and hairstyles that don’t add length should be chosen for this face shape.
Final Thoughts
Choosing the perfect hairstyle for your face shape is so much more important than you know! It highlights your good features, covers up the bad ones, and just makes you look better overall.
With this guide, I’m confident that you’ll be looking like a superstar in no time.
Until next time,
Your Turn: Can you think of any particular hairstyles that look good for certain face shapes? I’d love to keep this discussion going in the comments section below…
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