How to Know your Face Shape and Select the Best Hairstyle

6 min readMar 28, 2016

Knowing your face shape is the first step in selecting the most appropriate hairstyle for you. Most women struggle in finding their right face shape and spend most of their time in experimenting with different hair styles. You can avoid this series of experiments and possible embarrassment if you know you how to check your face shape.

There are six face types in the world; round, square, oval, long, heart and diamond. Every face falls into one of these categories.

Here, we are sharing with a scientific formula that will let you know your face type with precision and accuracy.

This is a three step formula that you can use to know your face shape. You will need tape ruler and note book in the process.

Start with forehead; measure your forehead at the widest point.
Move down to cheeks and measure your cheeks at the widest point of cheek bones. Make sure you note all these measurements in a notebook so you could make calculations in the end.
Now move further down to jaws and measure jaws at the widest point.
Finally measure your face by ‘Cross Shape Method’. Take the ruler tape. First measure the width of your face. Place rule tape at your ear lobe and measure to the other ear lobe. Second, place ruler tape on the top of your forehead at the start of your hairline and measure to the edge of your chin. Your ratio will be either 1:1, 1:1.5 or 1:2.

You are done. Now it is time to calculate ratio and know your face shape.

Heart-Shaped Face

When your forehead is the widest and your face line becomes thinners with fall to your chin, you have a heart-shapes face. Sometimes chin may be pointy in this face shape like Reese Witherspoon. This face type in known to hairdressers as ‘inverted triangle’. When you have a distinct chin, you can call your face a ‘heart-shaped’ one.

Hairstyles for Heart-shapes Faces

Following are the most advised hairstyles for heart-shaped faces.

Side-Swept Bangs: Side-swept bangs will help you with pointy chin face. Side-swept bangs will divert attention to your more-pleasant facial figures like your eyes and cheek bones.
Brow-grazing Fringe: Brow-grazing Frings/bangs is another recommended hairstyle for heart-shaped face. Brow-grazing bangs will promote your eyes and, if you apply right cosmetics for eyes, will make you look beautiful.
Short Hair: Short hair especially Pixie hairstyles look great on heart-shaped faces. When using short hairstyles, make sure you keep layers soft and long to look your best.
Long Hair with Long Layers: you can use long hairs with heart-shaped face. Just tell your hairdresser to make your hair touch the ends of your cheeks.

Styles not to Use with Heart-shaped Face

These are the hairstyles considered taboos for heart-shaped face.

Blunt-cut Bangs
Harsh layers
Choppy layers

Square Face Shape

You have a square face if you affirm are of these statements;

The width of your forehead, cheekbones and jaw is equal.
Your facial features are sharp like you have sharp jaw line and prominent somewhat pointy cheek bones. If your facial features are soft, you may have a round face.
Your cross ratio is 1:1 or 1:1.5.

Square face is the easiest after oval-shaped face to handle and beautify in terms of hairstyles. Sharp jaw lines open unlimited options for you.

Styles That Work Best on a Square Face

Square face gives you opportunity to get advantage of strong, angular jaw. Here are some suggestion for square faces.

Shags are the first recommendation. Texture of curly or choppy ends look gorgeous on a square face.
Super short and edgy cuts look really hot on a square face.
Long, sleek styles that start at your jaw line and continue downwards will look almost perfect if you are willing to take proper care of them.
Long bobs are also an excellent choice.
Side-swept bangs look as good on square face as they do on heart-shaped face.

Styles To Avoid on a Square Face

These are hairstyles that you must not choose on a square face if you want to save your grace.

All one length bob hairstyles especially chin-length ones
Wide and blunt bangs

The Round Face Shape

If your facial measurements affirm following statements, you have a round face.

The width of your forehead, cheek bones and jaw line is equal.
You have a slightly rounded jaw; in contrast with angular jaw in the case of square face.
Your facial features are round and soft as a whole. Difference between round and square can be identified by identification of angles. Round faces have mild, soft angles while square faces have strong angular features.
The cross ratio of your face is 1:1.

Round faces have fuller cheeks. If your face carries extra weight, you are probably a round face.

Styles That Work Best on a Round Face

Every woman with round face wants to make her face look longer. Primary advice in this chapter is; keep the volume of hair around your face at the lowest possible point. Here is more about what hairstyle you should pick for round face.

Long bob hairstyles will look great on a round face. In general, you can choose among hairstyles when cut falls just below the chin.
Shoulder length hairstyle with soft, graduated hair can be a great choice. These will make your face look slimmer.
Consider wispy and tapered ends. The wisps de-emphasize the roundness of your face.
If you want to go for bangs, keep them side-swept or long.

Styles to Avoid if You Have a Round Face

Following hairstyles are not advised on a round face.

One length blunt cuts
Classic bob hairstyles
Curly short hair

The Diamond Face Shape

A diamond face has the widest check bones and same or similar length forehead and jaw line. Cheeks are the most prominent facial feature of a diamond face.

Ladies with diamond face shape can use hairstyle advice for square face shapes. Anything that look great on square face shape will look great on a diamond face.

The Long (or “Oblong”) Face Shape

Long face shapes are longer than they are wide. If your “cross shape ratio” (see slide 1) is 1 to more than 1:1.5, then you fall into this face shape zone.

The perfect haircut for us is one that doesn’t drag down the face, yet adds width.

Styles That Work Best on a Long Face

Here are some looks that look great on a long face:

Bangs can be your best friend because they can hide a big forehead. Try brow-skimming, side-swept bangs or blunt bangs
When it comes to haircuts, chin-length bobs are also ideal for us because they create the illusion of width. Brooklyn Decker’s long bob is very flattering on a long face. Just make sure your stylist cuts the hair a bit shorter in the back so it doesn’t look boring.
Curls and waves work well because they add width to the face.
Be careful with long hair: Hair that is too long like Megan Fox’s can drag down the face. Long layers work best with pieces hitting at the nose, the chin and the collarbone. Consider a v-shaped style where the length is mainly in the back, while the sides and front of your hair appear shorter. Also consider adding wave or curls to the hair.

Styles To Avoid With a Long Face

Stay away from the extremes. Don’t go longer than the collarbone and avoid a skull-capping pixie cut, like these pixie hairstyles.

The Oval Face Shape

You’re an oval if the length of your face equals 1:0.5 times the width of your face.

Stop for a second and congratulate yourself. You’ve landed the most versatile face shape. You can wear almost any hairstyle. Just be careful, with a bad haircut, your face can start to look long.

Styles That Work Best on an Oval Face

The oval face is the most versatile shape.

You can pull off almost any look: short or long, straight or wavy or even one of the funkier, edgier hairstyles. To find most flattering style, consider your best feature and highlight it with your hair cut.

You have gorgeous bone structure, consider an angular bob that shows off your chin.
Great eyes? Blunt or side-swept bangs are a great bet.

Styles To Avoid on an Oval Face

Short layers that add height on top of your head. Aside from being dated, short layers can make your face appear long. If your hair is thick or curly, avoid a blunt cut. You’ll look like a pyramid. If you have curly hair, short hair is generally a no-no. Try shoulder-length or longer to weigh down curls.

Now that you know what your face shape is, you can easily and confidently choose your hairstyle.