Fashion icon Coco Chanel once remarked: “A woman who cuts her hair is about to change her life”. And what a life-changing experience a haircut can bring to you. But while trends come and go, style remains. To know what your style is, you must first understand your face shape and how the right haircut can flatter and compliment your face from any angle.
Determining Your Face Shape
At this point, you might not be fully aware of what your face shape is. To determine your face shape, you need to look at these factors: hairline, width and length of your face, and your jawline. One way to find out is to stand in front of the mirror, pull your hair back from your face with a headband, take an eyeliner, and trace the outline of your face. These are the face shapes that we possess: oblong, oval, square, heart, and round.
Haircuts For Oblong Shaped Faces
If you have a rectangular face, well, just think of it as an oval face shape, just longer. The trick for oblong faces is to find a hairstyle that makes your face appear wider than it is. One flattering hairstyle is actually curls. The ‘widest’ part of your waves should be around your cheekbone area, as this creates an illusion of a wider face. Whether you opt for long hair or a short cut, always try to ensure the ‘wider, not longer’ rule. However do note that if you have hair length that is past mid-length (that is below your shoulders), even with curls, your face will look longer.
Haircuts For Oval Shaped Faces
To determine oval faces, your face length is longer than the width and your jawline is slightly narrower than your hairline which is gently rounded. An oval face is often considered to be a versatile face shape for most hairstyles, as you have a well-balanced and proportionate face shape. To showcase an oval face shape and its best features, look for hairstyles that keep hair away from your face. Side-swept bangs, slicked-back hair, and even pixie cut (short hairdo that has many layers and generally looked tousled) will allow an oval face to shine brightly. Heavy bangs or bangs that cover your forehead makes your face appear shorter instead. Updos are great for oval faces as they tend to show off your cheekbones and face shape. Alternatively, you can choose to tuck either one or both sides of your hair behind your ears to show off these cheekbones and face shape.
Haircuts For Square Shaped Faces
If you have a square face, it means your face is quite wide and your forehead, cheekbones and jawline are of the same width. Your strong jawline is one of your prominent features and generally, square faces look very good in photographs. There are two ways you can go about to feature your prominent jawline. One is to accentuate it and this can be achieved by cutting blunt bangs, going for a short bob or a one-length haircut. The other way is to soften the strong jawline by having soft, wispy bangs that fall to the sides. This method creates diagonal lines and softens the lines on your face. Another way to soften your strong jawline is to have long, straight and layered hair that helps to add length to your face. Loose curls and waves break up the ‘squareness’ of your jawline and give it a softer effect.
Haircuts For Heart-Shaped Faces
Heart-shaped faces are wider at the hairline and temples, and narrows down to a small, pointed chin which gives you V-shaped look that Koreans girls love to have. This type of face shape tends to have a prominent forehead and also possibly, sharp cheekbones that look like they can cut paper. To enhance your heart-shaped face, try pulling your hair into a hair top knot as the hairstyle will draw the attention upwards towards your forehead. A deep side hair parting with loose curls can also show off the heart-shaped face very well too. Alternatively, go for shoulder length hair if you want to create an illusion of a wider jawline as this adds volume to your chin.
Haircuts For Round Shaped Faces
Round shaped faces are also nicknamed as the ‘baby faces’ because they tend to make you look younger and it is easier for you to carry off more youthful styles. Round shaped faces do not have many prominent angles, and are pretty similar in width and length. To add angles to a round face, have a deep side parting, or pull up into a high ponytail to elongate the ‘roundness’. Or you can try a short pixie cut as it helps to add on texture and angles to the round face. Don’t hide a round face behind your hair as it will only accentuate how wide your face is. Also avoid soft, wispy bangs. Go for side-swept bangs or long, face-framing bangs.