Hairstyles and Hair Cut Ideas for Different Face Shapes

Hair Cuts and Hair Style Ideas and Tips for Different Face Shapes from Steven Scarr Hairdressing, Coxhoe

If you’ve never discovered your face shape, you’ve probably never discovered the best hair cut and hairstyle for you as an individual.  One that will balance out your features and use your face shape as the base for creating a flattering hair cut and style.

To find out your face shape, scrape your hair back and secure with a hair band so that the whole outline of your hairline can be seen.  If you’re brave enough, get someone else to take a photo of your face so you will be able to see the picture and cross reference it against our cartoon and celebrity examples below.

Take a look in the  mirror, look at the photo and decide, which of these images matches the outline of your face?

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So now you know your face shape, lets have a look and discover the best hairstyles and hair cuts for all face shapes:

The Best Hair Styles for Long Face Shapes

You will most probably have a long face shape if you have:

  • A large forehead
  • A long, prominent chin
  • A face that is longer than it is wider

Celebrities with long face shapes:

  • Gisele Buncheon
  • Sarah Jessica Parker
  • Liv Tyler
  • Kate Beckinsale

The best hairstyles and hair cuts for long face shapes involve hairstyle and cuts that bring width to the face. This balances out the long face shape and makes the face appear shorter.  Waves and curls are great for achieving this as are shorter shoulder length hairstyles.  Avoid centre partings as these draw the eye down the longest part of the face and consider wide upstyles that add volune and width just above the nape.  If you can’t bear to chop your long hair, take heed from Kate Beckinsale and add a statement blunt fringe to cut the length of the face down.

Hair Styles and Hair Cuts for Round Face Shapes

Round face shapes are characterised by:

  • soft rounded edges on the forehead
  • soft rounded chin
  • full wide cheeks

Celebrities with round face shapes:

  • Kirsten Dunst
  • Ginnifer Goodwin
  • Mila Kunis
  • Kelly Clarkson
  • Adele

Round face shapes are usually youthful in appearance.  The best hairstyles and hair cuts for round face shapes include those which keep hair close to the face, hair cuts with linear lines, graduated bobs that end under the chin but start from the back and any high upstyle like Adele’s beehive that creates height to balance out the roundness of the face. Long hair looks great with a round face shape, adding long tousled waves and curls will also help to add length to the face area.

Hair Styles and Hair Cuts for Oval Face Shapes

Oval face shape characteristics include:

  • balanced features
  • chin and forehead in proportion
  • prominent cheekbones

Celebrities with oval face shapes:

  • Jennifer Aniston
  • Charlize Theron
  • Mena Suvari
  • Megan Fox

If you have an oval face shape, congratulations! You have the most versatile face shape and an abundance of hair styles and hair cuts will suit your face shape.  The best hairstyles and hair cuts for oval face shapes include those which keep hair off the face, showing off your perfectly proportioned features.  Hair looks good at any length with an oval face shape from very very short hairstyles to very long.  However, if you do have an oval face shape and very long hair consider cutting layers around the cheekbone, mouth and chin area to accentuate your features.  Keep fringes at bay and upstyles taking hair off the face but not piled too high also work well.

Hair Styles and Hair Cuts for Square Face Shapes

Characteristics of square face shapes;

  • temple and jawline are usually wide
  • square, angular jawline
  • face is equal in length and width

Celebrities with square faces:

  • Gwyneth Paltrow
  • Demi Moore
  • Keira Knightley
  • Minnie Driver

Square face shapes are very angular, broad and strong.  Some of the most prominent figures in history and Hollywood have square face shapes.  They emit an air of power and strength so if you want to emphasise this characteristic, take inspiration from Demi Moore and wear your hair very long, straight and sleek making the square jaw stand out.

If you want to play down a square jawline then you will need softness to diffuse the angular nature of your features.  The best hairstyles for square face shapes include those with long layers.  Long layers will diffuse the angular jawline as will fringes with longer sides to narrow the temple area.  Hairstyles using a fringe and height at the top of the head draw the eyeline away from the square jaw or try the wavy, curly style as seen on Keira Knightley to create balance.

Hair Style and Hair Cut Ideas for Heart Shaped Faces

You will most probably have a heart shaped face if:

  • widow’s peak hairline
  • pointy narrow chin
  • wider forehead

Celebrities with heart shaped faces;

  • Reese Witherspoon
  • Marilyn Monroe
  • Christina Ricci
  • Kourtney Kardashian

You don’t necessarily need a widow’s peak to be classed as having a heart shaped face.  Sometime this shape face is also known as an inverted triangle face shape due to the pointy nature of the chin and wide temple area.

The best hairstyles and hair cuts for a heart shaped face involve techniques that help to balance out the pointy narrow chin area.  Choosing a style that creates volume around the bottom half of the face will help to balance out your narrow chin, as do shorter hairstyles with longer graduated layers.  Waves and curls around the cheekbone and lower areas of the face also help to add volume and if you want to show off your widow’s peak then an upstyle is great.  Reese Witherspoon uses a fringe with longer sides to draw in the temple area which is a great hairstyle for a triangular shaped face.