How to pick a hairstyle for your face shape

How to identify your face shape

Tie your hair back, look straight into a mirror, and answer three questions: is the face longer than it is wide, or roughly equal? Is the jaw wider, narrower, or the same as the cheekbones? Is the chin pointed, rounded, or squared?

• Oval — length roughly 1.5× width, balanced jaw and cheekbones, softly rounded chin
• Round — length ≈ width, soft jaw, rounded chin
• Oblong — length noticeably more than 1.5× width, narrow throughout
• Square — length ≈ width, jaw as wide as cheekbones, squared chin
• Diamond — cheekbones widest, jaw and forehead narrower, pointed chin

Oval — the easy case

Almost every style works. Use the opportunity to pick based on lifestyle, hair type, and personal aesthetic rather than corrective goals.

Round — add vertical, remove horizontal

Height on top, tight sides. Textured crops, pompadours, and side parts with volume are the go-to. Avoid: fringes to the eyebrows, bowl cuts, and any style that adds width at the ears.

Oblong — add width, cut length

Fringes and medium-length styles with volume at the sides shorten the face. Avoid: tall pompadours, long slick-backs, and buzz cuts, which all elongate further.

Square — soften the corners

Textured, layered styles with soft edges — messy quiff, textured crop with movement. Avoid: sharp geometric cuts and blunt fringes that echo the jaw.

Diamond — fill the forehead, soften the temples

Fringes and forward-styled cuts that fill the forehead balance the cheekbones. Avoid: severe slick-backs that expose the temples and emphasize the diamond.