Let’s settle this once and for all: what’s the correct way to part your hair? No, this isn’t a Gen Z and Millennial debate about side parting vs. middle parting (that’s a blog for another day), but rather a definitive guide on how each one of you can pick the right part for your hair and your own style. There are so many different ways in which one can part their hair, making it somewhat confusing and overwhelming to figure out the correct method. Thankfully, our how-to guide can get you on the right path!
Know Your Face Shape
The answer, like many things hair related, comes down to understanding your face shape. The most common face shapes are round, square, long, and heart.
Round: Your face is as long as it is wide, with your cheekbones being wider than your forehead, along with a noticeable curve around the jawline.
Square: Your face is equally as long as it is wide, while your cheekbones are the same width as your forehead, oftentimes marked by a sharp jawline.
Long: Your face is much longer than it is wide, with cheekbones and forehead having a similar width.
Heart: Your face length is similar to the width, with your cheekbones being the widest part of your face, marked by a pointed, shorter jawline.
Once you’ve determined your face shape, you can now better understand what hairstyle parting choice works best for you!
Round Face Shape
With a round face, the key is to lengthen the overall look of your face while emphasizing the symmetrical features of our round face shape. To accomplish these goals, your best bet is to go with a center or middle part, with an ideally long hair length well past the jawline. Some great celebrity examples include Emma Stone, Selena Gomez, and Chrissy Teigen!
Square Face Shape
Those with a square face shape need to choose a hairstyle that softens the sharp edges of the face while also helping to de-emphasize the forehead, which is oftentimes much longer and wider on square faces. A soft side part does a great job of doing both of these things, covering the forehead while adding softness to the edges of the face and providing the illusion of roundness.
Long Face Shape
A long, oval-shaped face is oftentimes touted as the “ideal face shape” due to its convenient proportions, but one risk with this face shape is making the face look too long. With the correct hair part, you can shorten the face and reduce an overly long look. There are a number of options for parting your hair if you have a long face, but the key is to cover up a good portion of your forehead to shorten the overall face. Think of looks like middle parted bangs or fringes, or a sideswept style across the forehead.
Heart Face Shape
With a heart face shape, you’ll want to add some sharpness to your overall face shape while placing less of an emphasis on the width of your cheekbones. A side part is a great way to complement a heart face shape, but you’ll want to go with a soft, not too deep part so as to avoid overemphasizing the jawline.
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