A Hair Care Expert Tells Us The Least Flattering Haircuts For Every Face Shape

Will a Michelle-Williams-pixie be a face-slimming haircut for your visage? Will a trendy fringe bring out your best features or only highlight the worst on your face? These are important questions you should think about before running to a stylist. Any stylist will tell you that it’s your face shape that determines which haircut will flatter you best. Before you hastily grab scissors on a slow weekday night and go to town on your poor, defenseless hair, consider your face shape!

So to help you prep for your next big snip, we went to Akirashanti Byrd, the Co-founder and CEO of Curl Centric, an award-winning blog dedicated to hair care to find out which haircuts won’t and will look flattering for each specific face shape. Find out more below!

6 Common Face Shapes

But, before we get to haircuts, it’s important to figure out which face shape you have. There are five common face shapes: diamond, heart, oval, round, and square. Learning what face shape you have can help you determine a bunch of different things. From how to apply your makeup and what haircuts will flatter you what type of glasses and what kind of hair color will work best for you!

How to Determine Your Face Shape

Determining your face shape is very simple. Before you start, pull your hair back and away from your face, so you can focus on the shape of your face..

1. First, figure out the widest part of your face. Look in the mirror and decide what part of your face, forehead, cheeks, or jaw, is the widest. You can do this by sight or you can even use a flexible tape measure. If you have a wide forehead, you have an oval face shape; if your cheekbones are the widest point, your either have a round or heart-shaped face; if your face seems evenly proportioned in width, your face is probably square-shaped.

2. Next, determine the shape of your jaw. If your jawline is short or rounder, your face is round. If your jawline is pointy and narrow, your face is heart-shaped. And, if you have a strong jawline with sharp angles, your face is square.

3. If you’re still unsure about your facial shape, measure the length of your face against its width. You’ll need to measure from the center of your hairline to the tip of your chin. Next, measure from the left side of your face to the right side. If your face is longer than it is wide, you may have an oval face shape. If your face is wider than it is long, you may have a round or heart face shape. And, if your face is as long as it is wide, you may have a diamond or square face shape.

Square-shaped face

Square faces have a wide hairline and an angular jawline. The forehead, cheekbones, and jawline are about the same width for this face shape, which is as long as it is wide. Think Margot Robbie or Sandra Bullock.

“Probably really short and uniform cuts like a buzz cut or a military cut. These cuts require a lot of lengths to be cut off from the face, which can make the face look boxy and less defined,” Byrd says. “Also, having a longer hairstyle can help to balance out the sharp angles of the face and make it look more oval or feminine. A too-short cut can emphasize the strong features of a square face and make it look harsh.”

Round-shaped face

Round faces are short with soft features and a wide hairline. The cheekbones are the widest part of a round face, and the forehead and jawline are about the same widths. Some famous celebrities with round-shaped faces are Jennifer Lawrence and Selena Gomez.

“The least flattering haircut for round-shaped faces generally would be a chin-length bob since it has the tendency to make the face look fuller and rounder. A blunt cut at the chin accentuates the outlines of the face and doesn’t have the same shape-defining as other haircuts. Moreover, this kind of cut adds volume to the face without any definition, which makes the face look wider,” Byrd explains.

“The most flattering haircut for round-shaped faces is something that adds definition and shape to the face without adding too much volume. Layered cuts, for example, give dimension to the hairstyle by cutting off the extra bulk and framing the face in a flattering way. A shorter bob with a deep side part or textured layers that start at the cheekbones can also help slim down the face and create the illusion of a longer face shape,” she continues. “The key to finding a hairstyle that looks good on round-shaped faces is to pick something that emphasizes the cheekbones, creates angles, and creates the illusion of a longer face.” Noted!

Heart-shaped face

Heart-shaped faces, on the other hand, typically have a delicate, narrow chin, like the point of a heart (hence its name). People with this face shape will often have a pointed hairline, a widow’s peak. The cheekbones are the widest part of this face shape. Celebrities like Scarlett Johannson, Kourtney Kardashian, and Kerry Washington are great examples of heart-shaped faces.

“The most flattering haircut for heart-shaped faces,” Byrd suggests. “is one that is medium to long in length and flatters your natural facial features. A classic layered hairstyle, with volume at the crown and long layering down the sides, is a great choice for this shape. This cut frames the face in such a way that the wide cheekbones stand out while the chin looks narrower, giving the face a graceful balance.”

And, when it comes to unflattering haircuts for heart-shaped faces, she says, “I would avoid those that are too long and heavy or too close to the head. A hairstyle that is too full and/or heavy at the sides and/or top will only emphasize the roundness of the face.”

Oval-shaped face

Proportionally balanced on a vertical plane, oval faces are longer than they are wide. People with oval faces typically have a round jawline and chin. The forehead is usually the widest part of an oval face. Rihanna, Jessica Alba, and Beyoncé have oval-shaped faces.

“The least flattering haircut for oval-shaped faces would be a short, choppy bob. This type of haircut lacks shape and structure and can make an oval face look too sharp. It also draws attention away from the eyes and can make the face look out of balance,” Byrd stress. “I would instead suggest a long, layered style. This type of haircut emphasizes the features of an oval face and helps to draw attention to the eyes, cheeks, and forehead. It gives more definition to the face and gives the appearance of more volume without looking too bulky. This haircut is especially suitable for individuals with thin hair, as the layers allow for more movement and create the illusion of fullness.”

Diamond-shaped face

Finally, the diamond face shape is very similar to the heart shape. A pointy chin and high cheekbones define this face shape. Diamond-shaped faces typically have a narrower forehead than heart-shaped faces. Megan Fox and Jennifer Lopez are great examples of diamond face shapes.

“The least flattering haircut for diamond-shaped faces would be anything that is overly voluminous or takes away from the angular shape of the face, such as a bowl-cut or a chin-length bob. These styles often end up making a diamond-shaped face appear too boxy and tend to make the chin look larger,” Byrd explains. “The most flattering haircut for diamond-shaped faces would be something that softens and evens out the sharp angles of the face. This could be something like long, wavy layers that cascades down the face to minimize the look of an overly pointed chin. Side-swept bangs can also be a great way to soften the edges and draw attention away from the strong jawline.”