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Hairstyles for your face shape: seven shapes, one table
Hairstyles for your face shape come down to two moves: add or go easy. One table covers seven shapes. Find your shape free with one front photo.
Read the overview5 min read
Hairstyles by face shape
What to add and what to go easy on for each of the seven shapes, from long hair to bangs.
What this topic covers, and where to start
Choosing a hairstyle by face shape is usually presented as seven rulebooks, but it comes down to two moves: add something to the outline, or go easy on something. This topic is for anyone who wants to know what suits their face before a haircut or a new look. By the end you can find whether your widest part is the forehead, cheekbones or jaw and how much longer than wide your face is, and use that to decide where volume goes and where bangs and length stop. You will also know which advice is only hairdressers’ experience, which varies from guide to guide.
Start with hairstyles for your face shape, whose table of seven shapes is the overview of the whole topic. If you are not sure of your shape, check what is my face shape first. Then read the guide for yours: round, square, long, heart-shaped, diamond and pear-shaped faces each have one, and the oval guide is about choosing when nearly everything works. Another covers wide faces and starts with finding which level the width sits at. Finish by taking two photos the same way and comparing them, instead of trusting the rules alone.
Treat these suggestions as ideas worth trying first, not conclusions. The same cut behaves differently on different hair: straight hair falls close, curls spread out, fine hair goes flat and coarse hair can become one block. Think about your hair type before you read the advice.
Filter by face shape
Showing 11 guides
- Oval faceHairstyles for oval faces: how to choose when almost everything worksHairstyles for oval faces: almost every cut works, so choose by hair type, upkeep and the look you like. A seven-row table. Is yours oval? Check free.4 min read
- Round faceHairstyles for round faces: measure first, then test with two photosHairstyles for round faces: how hair changes your outline, cuts to try, then a test with two photos. Not sure you're round? A free face report shows.10 min read
- Square faceHairstyles for square faces: soften the corner of the jawHairstyles for square faces keep blunt, level edges off the jaw corner and lift volume above it. Long, short, bangs. Square or round? Check free.4 min read
- Long faceHairstyles for long faces: make the length read shorterHairstyles for long faces add width and break the vertical: bangs, side volume and a length table. Not sure it's long? Check your shape free.4 min read
- Heart-shaped faceHairstyles for heart-shaped faces: add weight to the lower faceHairstyles for heart-shaped faces put volume near the chin, with a parted fringe on top. Six cuts in one table. Not sure you're a heart? Check free.4 min read
- Diamond faceHairstyles for diamond faces: build width at the forehead and jawHairstyles for diamond faces add width at forehead and jaw, not cheekbones. Five cuts in one table. Diamond or oval? A free face report shows which.4 min read
- Pear-shaped faceHairstyles for pear-shaped faces: add weight to the upper halfHairstyles for pear-shaped faces carry volume high: crown lift, temple width, a lighter jaw. Pear or square? A free face report shows it.4 min read
- HairHairstyles for wide faces: first find where the width isHairstyles for wide faces start with where the width sits: forehead, cheekbones or jaw. A three-row table of what to try. Check your shape free.4 min read
- HairHow to style your hair in 5 minutes: the order, and where the volume goesHow to style your hair: towel-dry, roots first, cool air to set, a pea of product, and where volume goes. Not sure of your face shape? Check it free.8 min read
- HairHow to tell your barber what you want: four things to say, in numbersHow to tell your barber what you want: photos, lengths as numbers, parting, styling time, plus a script. Not sure of your face shape? Check it free.10 min read
FAQ
How do I choose a hairstyle for my face shape?
Look at two things: whether your face is widest at the forehead, cheekbones or jaw, and how much longer than wide it is. Volume makes the level where it sits wider, height on top lengthens the outline, and a blunt edge draws a line at the height where it stops.
What hairstyle works for round, square and long faces?
For a round face, add some height on top and keep blunt edges away from cheekbone and chin level; for a square face, avoid a straight edge that ends at the jaw corner and use curves and diagonals instead; for a long face, add width, use bangs to cover some forehead and let the ends stop between chin and shoulders.
Are hairstyle tips for face shapes backed by evidence?
Not by experiments. Most come from hairdressers’ practice and guides often differ on details, such as whether a heart-shaped face should wear straight-across bangs. Treat them as things worth trying: take two photos the same way and see whether the part you wanted to change really changed.