Let us set the scene for something we’ve likely all experienced: you find your “perfect” new hair style after seeing it on some celebrity, you bring the picture to your hairstylist and nervously wait for the outcome, only to be completely and utterly underwhelmed by what you see in the mirror. “It makes no sense!” you think to yourself, wondering how the exact same haircut looks so perfect on one person, but on you it just looks…off. As frustrating and disappointing as this can be, the good news is that all of this can be very easily explained by basic geometry!
Although we come across dozens, if not hundreds, of unique faces each and every day, have you ever stopped to really examine what makes each of these faces so different? Sure, it’s easy to point out if someone’s eyes are a different color than another person’s, or if someone’s nose is longer or shorter than another, but one feature that is often overlooked completely is the shape of a face.
If you want proof, try this out: look into a mirror, pull your hair back, and using something easily erasable like eye liner, trace a rough outline of your face on the mirror, from the very top of your hairline, down to the bottom of your chin, and back around. Now, take a step back and assess the shape you’ve drawn. Unless you have suspect tracing skills, your shape likely resembles an oval, a square, a heart, a circle, a diamond, or an extra-long oval. Each shape varies dramatically in terms of forehead size, jawline length, and facial width, making it that much more important to find a hairstyle that properly accentuates each of these specific facial features. After you’ve found your face shape, read below to find your perfect hairstyle!
Oval Face Shape
If you’re one of the lucky ones with an oval face shape, then congrats, and know that we are very, very jealous of you. Oval-shaped faces are compatible with just about any hairstyle, so feel free to go crazy and try just about any look that catches your fancy.
Square Face Shape
This one is pretty self-explanatory. Essentially, your forehead, cheekbones, and jawline are roughly the same width, leaving you with a strong jawline. With a square face, the goal is to soften those hard edges, so aim for side-swept hairstyles, long locks, and multiple layers. Avoid haircuts that overemphasize the edges of your face like short bangs or slicked-back hair.
Heart Face Shape
First of all, what an adorable sounding face shape! A heart face shape features a wide forehead and narrower cheekbones with a pointed chin and long jawline. For this face shape, look to de-emphasize the width of your forehead with a long, side-parted style that takes the focus off the forehead and makes the face look longer with shoulder-length hair.
Round Face Shape
This one is fairly easy to identify, as it is a simple, perfectly round circle with equal length and width all the way around. The easy answer here is to try and harden the roundness of your cheekbones and chin with angular, layered haircuts like a pixie cut or layered lob.
Diamond Face Shape
One of the rarer facial shapes, this one is marked by a narrow forehead and pointed jawline with noticeably wide cheekbones. Similar to the square face shape, look to soften the hard edges, so avoid angular cuts like a pixie cut, and opt to lengthen the face with a long, layered cut with a side part.
Oblong Face Shape
Also known as a “long” face type, this one is similar to an oval shape, only the forehead and chin are significantly longer. Needless to say, the aim is to widen the face, so look for hairstyles that move away from the face, like beachy, bouncy waves or long, loose curls.