How To Choose The Right Hairstyle For Your Face Shape

When looking for the perfect hairstyle if you are not considering your face shape, you are doing you and your hair a big disservice. If you ever left a hair salon thinking, “why do the same haircut and style that looked amazing on her look so bad on me!?,” I can tell you why–Not every haircut or hairstyle is made for everybody.  Some styles just look better and the main reason has to do with face shape. Do you even know your own face shape and how it factors into your hair styling options?

Determining Your Face Shape

To learn the shape of your face, you need to drop the misconception that your face is simply “round”. If asked to draw your face, you would most likely draw a round or oval shape. However, it’s important that you recognize that your face is more complex than that.

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To determine the shape of your face, you need to recognize your jawline, your hairline, and the length of your face and the diagram above shows you how.  Now that you KNOW your face shape, let’s find the best hairstyles for you to wear.

Hairstyles for Round Faces Face Shape

Round-shaped faces have no prominent corners or angles. They are mostly the same width and length throughout. Round faces are great for youthful styles. They tend to be “baby-faces,” so embrace your youth!

A round face shape should be styled to make them appear more elongated and oval. You can achieve this by leaving a bit of hair untucked and leave it resting on the side of your face. This makes your face look narrower by tricking the way the eye perceives the width of your face. You can create more angles by trying a deep side part, or you can elongate your face by pulling your hair up and styling it with a high pony. If you feel daring, you can try a short pixie cut with some volume on top. This adds angles and texture without looking harsh.

Hairstyles for Square Face Shape

Square-shaped faces are wide and the cheekbones, forehead, and jawline are close to the same width. People with square-shaped faces also have very prominent jawlines. This means that girls with square-shaped faces tend to photograph well, so don’t shy away!

Two of the most popular styles if you possess a square face shape are accentuating the squareness of your face and softening your strong jawline. If you want to highlight your strong jawline and enhance the shape of your face, you should try a short bob or some blunt bangs. However, if you want to steal the spotlight from the squareness of your face, then try soft and wispy bangs that fall to the side of your face. This will create diagonal lines that will soften the lines on your face. You could also wear long and straight layered hair that adds length to your face and draw the eyes down.

Hairstyles for Heart-Shaped Faces

Heart-shaped faces look like heart drawings. They are wider at the hairline and temples, and they reduce down to a narrow and slightly pointed chin. They tend to have prominent foreheads and great cheekbones.

The best styles for a heart-shaped face are ones that accentuate the shape of the face or make your face look wider by focusing on the bottom half of your face. You can pull your hair up and make a high top to do this. If you’re feeling daring, you can style it into a space bun. An elegant style you can showcase is a deep side part with loose curls. It accentuates your beautiful and feminine shape. However, if what you are looking for is to balance all of your features, the best look is shoulder length hair. This style adds volume to the bottom of your face by creating the illusion of a wider jawline.

Best Hairstyles for Oval Face Shapes

Oval face shapes have no prominent points. The length of the face is longer than the width, and the jawline is only a bit more narrow than the hairline.  If you have an oval shape, feel lucky! The oval shape is highly desirable because it’s considered the most versatile for hairstyles. This is due to oval faces being usually well-balanced and evenly proportioned. Oval shapes look great with all kinds of hairstyles, so don’t hesitate to experiment!

You can explore many styles, such as a RiRi pixie cut, layer your hair, be stylish and rock out with a middle part, or take a risk with some bangs. Some of the best styles are ones that keep hair away from your face to highlight your best features. Styles like side-swept bangs, or high-fashion slick-back looks frame your face perfectly. Simple styles like updos work well too. They are great because there is no need to overcompensate on a certain side and there is no need to focus much on softening certain features.

Hairstyles for Long Faces

Long-shaped faces are very similar to oval-shaped faces, except they are just longer.  The best styles for long-shaped faces make your face appear wider. Curls are the greatest way to achieve this look. The best widening effect can be done with flat-iron waves, which give you big curls and waves. You can achieve this by having the widest part of your waves around your cheekbones.

This will trick the eye by making your face seem wider than it is. You can go old-school with a blowout if you want a simple and quick way to achieve more width. Any style will look great if you remember that you are adding width to your hair and not length.

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No matter what your face shape is, you will find the perfect hairstyle to give you a flawless look. We are all too often our worst critic so figure out your shape and give those tips a try. You won’t be disappointed. What’s your face shape? Share below!

Sabrina

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