How to Choose the Right Haircut for Your Face Shape

Every face is unique, and understanding your face shape is crucial for selecting the right haircut. After all, the right haircut can enhance your natural features and complement your overall appearance. Each face shape—whether square, round, or diamond—has distinct characteristics that can be highlighted or softened with the right haircut. By recognizing the specific attributes of facial hair and your face shape, you can choose a hairstyle that balances proportions, accentuates your best features, and creates a harmonious look.

By following the recommendations and understanding how different haircuts interact with your unique features, you can achieve a look that not only suits your face shape but also enhances your style. Whether you’re considering a drastic change or simply refining your current look, this article will help you make informed decisions and achieve a flattering haircut that accentuates your natural beauty.

Identifying Your Face Shape

Determining your face shape involves assessing the proportions and contours of your face. Start by pulling your hair back to reveal your face. Measure the right haircut for your face shape by the width of your forehead, cheekbones, and jawline, as well as the length of your face from the hairline to the chin. Compare these measurements to identify the shape that most closely matches your profile: round, square, oval, diamond, or heart-shaped. Additionally, look at the overall outline of your face in the mirror to see if it is more angular or rounded, and take note of the width of your cheekbones relative to your wider forehead, and jawline.

Square Face Shape

Characteristics

A square face shape is characterized by its strong, angular features. The width of the forehead, cheekbones, and jawline are typically equal, creating a balanced but pronounced square appearance. The jawline is often very defined and straight, which can make the overall rectangular face shape appear more rigid and boxy. The goal with a haircut for a square face shape is to soften these strong angles and add some roundness to the face to create a more balanced look.

Recommended Haircuts

For a square face shape, haircuts that soften the angularity are ideal. Here are some recommended styles:

• Layered Cuts: Layers add movement and texture, which can soften the strong jawline and create a more rounded appearance.
• Side-Swept Bangs: Long, side-swept bangs help soften a wide forehead and add a touch of roundness to the face.
• Textured or Layered Haircuts: These styles frame the face and reduce the emphasis on the strong jawline, creating a softer look.
• Soft, Rounded Styles: Cuts like a long bob or a shaggy cut introduce curves and help break up the sharp lines of the face.

Styles to Avoid

To avoid accentuating the squareness of the face, steer clear of the following styles:

• Voluminous Styles at the Sides: Adding volume at the sides can make the face appear wider and more angular.
• Sharp, Geometric Lines: These cuts emphasize the jaw and cheekbones, highlighting the angular features.
• Extremely Short Cuts: Very short styles can draw attention to the jawline, making the face appear more rigid.
• Blunt Edges: Straight, blunt cuts, especially without layers, can accentuate the squareness of the face.
• Flat, Straight Styles: Sleek, straight hair with no layers can emphasize angularity rather than soften it.

Round Face Shape

Characteristics

A round face shape is a facial structure marked by its equal width and height, resulting in facial hair with a soft, circular appearance. This face shape often features full cheeks, a rounded chin, and minimal angles, giving it a smooth and youthful look. The aim of a haircut for a round face shape is to elongate the face and create the illusion of more defined angles to balance its roundness.

Recommended Haircuts

For round face shapes, haircuts that add length and create angular lines are ideal. Consider these styles:

• Layered Cuts: Adding layers can create height at the crown and elongate the face.
• Textured Pixie Cuts: These add dimension and height, which helps to balance the roundness.
• Long, Face-Framing Layers: These layers help create the illusion of a more oval face shape.
• Side-Swept Bangs: These can help to elongate the face and add angularity.
• Angled Bob: An asymmetrical cut with angles adds dimension and offsets the roundness.

Styles to Avoid

To avoid emphasizing the roundness of the face, steer clear of the following styles:

• Blunt Cuts: These can add width at the sides of the face, making it appear rounder.
• Chin-Length Bobs: These styles can accentuate the roundness of the face.
• Voluminous Curls or Waves Around the Cheeks: Excess volume in this area can enhance the fullness of the face.
• Straight, Blunt Cuts: Hairstyles that sit close to the face without adding height or angles can emphasize the roundness rather than balance it.

Diamond Face Shape

Characteristics

A diamond face shape is characterized by its distinctive wide cheekbones, a narrow forehead, and a narrow chin. This face shape often has a striking angular appearance, with the cheekbones being the widest part of the face. The goal with a haircut for a diamond face shape is to balance these wide cheekbones by adding width to the forehead and chin while softening the angularity.

Recommended Haircuts

For a diamond face shape, aim for haircuts that balance the wide cheekbones by adding width to the forehead and chin while softening angularity. Consider these styles:

• Side-Swept Bangs: These help to broaden the forehead and create a more balanced look.
• Soft Layers or Waves: Styles with layers or waves that fall below the cheekbones can minimize their prominence.
• Chin-Length Bob: This style adds volume around the chin to help create a more harmonious look.
• Medium-Length Cut with Layers: Soft, rounded styles with layers can balance the angles of the face.
• Soft Curls: These can effectively soften the angular features and add balance.

Styles to Avoid

To avoid overemphasizing the width of the cheekbones, steer clear of the following styles:

• Excessive Volume Around the Cheeks: Styles with too much volume or layers concentrated around the cheek area can make the cheekbones appear wider.
• Short, Blunt Cuts: These can accentuate the angularity of the face and highlight the cheekbones.
• Sharp, Angular Lines: Styles with sharp lines can emphasize the diamond shape and the width of the cheekbones.
• Flat Hairstyles: Styles that lack volume around the forehead and chin can exacerbate the narrowness of these areas and draw more attention to the cheekbones.

Heart-Shaped Face

Characteristics

Heart-shaped faces are characterized by a wide forehead, high cheekbones, and a narrow, pointed chin. This face shape often has a distinctive, heart-like appearance, with the width of the forehead being more prominent than the jawline. The goal with a haircut for a heart-shaped face is to balance the forehead and cheekbones with the narrower chin, creating a more harmonious overall look.

Recommended Haircuts

To balance a heart-shaped face, consider haircuts that add width to the jawline and soften the forehead. Here are some flattering options:

• Side-Swept Bangs: These can help to balance the width of the forehead and soften the overall look.
• Long, Layered Cuts: Layers that fall past the chin can help to add width around the jawline, creating a more balanced silhouette.
• Soft Waves or Curls: Gentle waves or curls can add volume around the chin area, helping to soften the sharpness of a pointed chin.
• Chin-Length or Longer Bobs: These styles can add volume around the lower face and help to balance the wider forehead.
• Textured Styles: Soft, textured cuts can add dimension and soften the angular features of the face.

Styles to Avoid

To avoid accentuating the narrowness of the chin and the width of the forehead, steer clear of the following styles:

• Full, Blunt Bangs: These can draw more attention to the forehead and emphasize its width.
• Short, Straight Styles: Extremely short or straight haircuts can accentuate the contrast between the forehead and chin.
• Volume at the Crown: Excessive volume on top can make the forehead appear even wider, so it's best to avoid styles that add too much height.
• Choppy Layers: Layers that are too choppy or uneven around the forehead can enhance the heart shape rather than balance it.
• Heavy, One-Length Cuts: These can emphasize the contrast between the wide forehead and narrow chin, making the heart shape more pronounced.

Personalizing Your Haircut

Once you’ve identified your face shape, you can tailor general haircut recommendations to suit your unique features and personal style. Consider your individual preferences, such as hair texture, volume, and maintenance level.

For example, if you have a round face shape with natural curls and prefer low-maintenance styles, you might opt for a layered cut that adds length without requiring frequent adjustments. Similarly, if you have a diamond face shape and love bold looks, you might choose a haircut with dramatic side-swept bangs or soft curls to balance your features. Ultimately, customizing your best haircut ever for your face just involves blending general guidelines with your taste to create a look that enhances your natural beauty and fits your lifestyle.

Trust Our Experts At Mr. Winston’s Barbershop

To find the best haircut for your face shape, consider how each style enhances your unique features—whether adding length for round faces or oval faces, softening angles for square faces, or balancing proportions for diamond faces. Experimenting with different hairstyles and consulting a professional stylist can help you discover what works best for you.

Consider booking an appointment at Mr. Winston’s Barbershop, or trying one of our natural pomades. At Mr. Winston’s, we offer a range of hair care and hair styling services for men and boys. Our expert barbers will carefully consider your face shape when crafting the perfect haircut.