Finding Your Face
When choosing a hairstyle, many people don’t pay attention to the shape of their face. This is a big mistake. While you might think that copying someone’s famous hairstyle (which looks great on them) is the solution to all your hair troubles, the odds are that your face shape isn’t the same as theirs and therefore, the style will not look good on you.
Before you can choose a hairstyle that matches your face shape, you must first figure out what shape your face really is. Now, at this point, you might be thinking “Aren’t all faces the same shape?”. While at first glance, they are, there are many subtle differences that will turn a hairstyle from disastrous to glamorous if you know how to match the style to the face!
To figure out which of the six face shapes you have, first, pull all of the hair away from your face, so that you have a clear view of the face outline (if your hair is long enough, a ponytail works really well for this). Then, read through the descriptions of the six face shapes below to find the one that best matches your face.
The six face types are:
- Oval
- Round
- Square
- Diamond
- Heart
- Oblong
Based on the descriptions in the rest of this page, you should be able to find the face type that matches yours. Then, after each description, are suggestions for what hairstyles you should try and which ones to definitely avoid, based on your face type.
TIP: If you are having trouble figuring out which face type is yours, use a mirror to study your face. If that doesn’t help, ask a friend to do their own assessment and see if it matches what you thought.
Oval Face Shape:
How to Tell If This Is Your Face: Take a tape measure and measure the height of your face down the center. Then, measure the widest part of your face horizontally across. If the height is 1.5 times bigger than the width, then you have an oval face. Note: If you don’t have a tape measure, take a piece of string or fabric and measure the width of the face. Then, check to see if the height is 1.5 times as long as that measurement.
Great Hairstyles for You: You are one of the lucky ones – everyone wants an oval face! Because this is the “ideal” face shape, you can have almost any style and it will look good on you. Styles that look especially good involve pulling your hair away from your face to show off the natural oval shape.
Avoid These Hairstyles: Because you want to avoid messing up or hiding your natural beauty, stay away from hair that covers large portions of your face. Also, avoid long bangs that cover your forehead.
Celebrities with Your Face Type:
- Jennifer Anniston
- Cameron Diaz
Round Face Shape:
How to Tell If This Is Your Face: If you measure the height of your face (down the center of your nose) and it is the same length as the width of your face (at the widest part), then you definitely have a round face. These faces are often young looking (which will be good when you are older and want to look young). To find a hairstyle that really suits your face, you want something that will create an “oval” look for your round face.
Great Hairstyles for You: You will look your best when you elongate your face. To do this, choose a hairstyle that has an off-center part and is more square than round. Also, you want a lot of height at the top of your head to give your face a longer look.
Avoid These Hairstyles: Avoid very curly hair, because the roundness of the curls will simply emphasize the roundness of your face. If you have naturally curly hair, try straightening it. Also, avoid haircuts that fall right at your chin – go for something shorter or longer instead.
Celebrities with Your Face Type:
- Kate Winslet
- Drew Barrymore
Square Face Shape:
How to Tell If This Is Your Face: A square face usually refers to having a square jaw line. Another unique characteristic of a square face is having a square hairline instead of a rounded one. If you’re not sure if this is your face type, trace the outline of your face in a mirror and see if it is fairly square in shape. The trick to making a square face look more feminine is to create the illusion of roundness and curves by the shape of your hair.
Great Hairstyles for You: A square face is best suited for curly or wavy hair that frames the face. If you have very straight hair naturally, consider adding a soft wave to it so that you will have more curves around your face. Additionally, pick a length that below the chin – ideally shoulder length – to add more shape to your face.
Avoid These Hairstyles: Avoid long straight hair or even short straight hair that ends at the chin. You need to create fullness in your hairstyle. Also, avoid center parts and straight bangs.
Celebrities with Your Face Type:
- Sandra Bullock
- Demi Moore
Diamond Face Shape:
How to Tell If This Is Your Face: A diamond faced person has wide cheek bones – in fact, they are the widest part of your face. The forehead and jaw are the same width as each other, which creates the great diamond shape. This face shape is a combination between the heart and the oval and is a great face shape to have. The goal with a diamond shaped face is to minimize the cheekbones and maximize the forehead.
Great Hairstyles for You: A diamond shaped face is another luck one since you can wear almost any hairstyle available. Because your natural shape is so close to that of an oval, any hair length will look good on you. When choosing a hairstyle, choose one that minimizes the cheekbones.
Avoid These Hairstyles: Since your face is naturally lovely, choose a style that keeps the hair away from your face so that it won’t block anything. Also, avoid bangs, since they will break up the shape of your face even more.
Celebrities with Your Face Type:
- Sophia Loren
- Katherine Hepburn
Heart Face Shape:
How to Tell If This Is Your Face: People with a heart shaped face have a wide forehead/temple area and a narrow, delicate chin and jaw. Because there is more width at the top, it forms the shape of a heart, thus giving this face shape its name. People with this face shape need to create fullness and weight at the bottom of their face to even it out. However, don’t despair, because there are many great celebrities with your face shape too!
Great Hairstyles for You: The perfect hairstyle for this face shape is a chin length bob. This hairstyle will put the emphasis on your chin area and away from your forehead – thus, creating more balance. If you do want to have bangs with this face shape, have them be wispy and light.
Avoid These Hairstyles: Since you want to draw the attention down to the chin area, avoid hairstyles which add height to your face. You want a flat hairstyle on top of your head and a full hair look at the neck.
Celebrities with Your Face Type:
- Lisa Kudrow
- Naomi Campbell
Oblong Face Shape:
How to Tell If This Is Your Face: The oblong face shape, sometimes called the rectangular face shape, has a high forehead and long chin. Often, the face is the same width just below the cheekbones as it is at the forehead area. Also, these face shapes often appear long and slim compared to the other types of face shapes. If this is your face shape, you will want to create additional volume to make your face rounder and more oval-like.
Great Hairstyles for You: The ideal look for you is a short or medium length haircut that has lots of layers. The layers will provide a fuller look around the sides of your face which will counterbalance with the length of your natural face shape. Whatever you can do to add volume on the sides of your face, do it.
Avoid These Hairstyles: Stay away from long hair, since it will lengthen your long face even more. Most people with this face type look best with hair that is always cut above the shoulders, since anything longer than that can make the face look long and slender instead of oval shaped.
Celebrities with Your Face Type:
- Gwyneth Paltrow
- Janet Jackson
