In choosing the right hairstyles for your face shape, it's important to know your shape in the first place. While your barber or stylist can help you determine face shape and create a hairstyle that compliments your shape and features, the guidelines below will help give you some insight on things to consider before going to the salon. Let's take a look at face shapes and adjustments which can be made to the haircut to provide balance and enhance your look.
A Round Face: The key here is to provide balance. Stay away from full or round hairstyles as they will make the face appear more round. Keep the sides leaner and style the hair a bit higher at the top and front to provide balance. An off-center part or some waves at eye level will help minimize roundness. Round faces are better with more square hairstyles. An example of a male celebrity with a round face is Ellijah Wood.
A Square Face: Similar to the round face, keep the sides leaner and short, while wearing the top longer and styled a bit higher. Keep the hair clean around the ears and make sure the style mirrors the square shape of the face - this will help make the square face shape pop. Think of Matt Damon in the Bourne movies. He got it right. Nick Lachey is another celebrity with a square face shape.
An Oval Face: Most any style is suitable as this is considered the ideal face shape. That said, attention should be paid to other prominent features such as the nose and position of the eyes and ears. If you fall into the Oval category, consider yourself lucky as almost any style will look good on you.
A Long Face: A style which is longer on the sides and short on top will make the face appear less long and provide better balance. Go with a cut that has some layers and is worn so the front hairline is disguised. A neatly groomed beard can help provide additional balance. Don't allow the facial hair to become too long as this will lengthen the face. Glasses can also provide balance by dividing the face and drawing attention away from the length of the face. Eminem or Keiffer Sutherland are stars with long faces.
In addition to the common face shapes, there are also a few which are a bit more rare, including diamond, pear, and triangular. While most people fall into one of the shape categories above, others will need a bit more tweaking. Here are a few simple guidelines:
- If you're wider at the bottom (pear shaped), wear hair fuller at the temples to provide balance to the thinnier top.
- If you're wider at the cheeks (diamond shape), go with leaner style -- one that is more narrow at the cheeks -- and add some fullness at the crown if needed.
- If you have a pointed chin, bangs swept to the side just above the brow can take the focus off the chin. A neatly trimmed beard can also provide balance.
Of course, these are only guidelines. One of the things I've noticed is that men are notoriously bad at determining face shape and often get it completely wrong. Consult your professional barber or stylist who can create a style that enhances your best features and balances your face. In addition to face shape, there are other considerations on balancing facial features such as your height, size and position of the ears and nose, and the size of the forehead for maintaining a great looking head of hair.
