Hair Styles For Your Face Shape

So you have decided it’s time for you to change your hairstyle. I made a drastic change once and cut my hair boy-short and texturised it. The way I determined that look was for me, was I pulled my hair back into a tight pony tail to make sure that my forehead didn’t look too big with little hair on my head...and it didn’t. So I cut it right off. But there is a technical way for determining the right hairstyle for the shape of your face.

First of all you have to determine what shape your face is. This can be done with a tape measure or a ruler. Here are the steps:

1. Measure your face across the top of your cheekbones or right by the middle of your ears. Write down the measurement

2. Measure your jawline from the widest possible point to the other widest possible point, or underneath your ears. Record the measurement.

3. Measure across your forehead at the widest point. Generally the widest point will be somewhere halfway between your eyebrows and your hairline.

4. Finally, measure from the tip of your hairline to the bottom of your chin

If you have an oval face, the length is equal to 1½ times the width.

Round faces are as wide as they are long. It may vary but generally the measurement is close.

Oblong faces are longer than they are wide.

If your face is narrow at the jawline with a wide cheekbone and/or forehead you have a heart shaped face.

Square-shaped faces are about as wide as they are long

If you have a diamond-shaped face, you face is widest at the cheekbones with a narrow forehead and jawline of approximately equal widths.

Triangular shaped faces are the reverse of the diamond shaped faces.

OVAL FACE:

Oval faces are said to have “perfect” features. If you have an oval face, you can pretty much rock any hairstyle. You can sport short, medium or long hair but hair looks best when styled off your face. However, try avoiding heavy bangs, which hid the great shape of your face behind the hair. Some celebs with this face shape are Jennifer Aniston, Mariah Carey, Julia Roberts, and Tyra Banks. So check out their hairstyles; you might find one that you like.

ROUND FACE:

The best hairstyles for people with round faces are those with fullness and height at the crown of the head. Also try hairstyles that have an off-centre part. This helps reduce the roundness. Also try short hair styles with a swept-back direction or hair styles that are longer than chin length. By layering the top to achieve fullness and keeping the rest of the cut relatively close to the face, your round face shape will appear longer and narrower. Avoid chin length hair with a rounded line that mirror’s the round shape of the face. Also stay away from centre parts and styles with short-short crops or straight “chopped bangs” aka Dora hair. Some celebs to observe are Kate Winslet, Drew Barrymore and Christina Ricci.

OBLONG FACE:

Short or medium styles detract from the length of the face. Fullness at the side of the face (adds width) with wispy bangs (shortens the appearance of length) soften the look of longer face shapes. Layering hair adds softness to the straight lines of oblong faces. You may also be able to try side parts and straight back styles. Avoid hair with too much length. This drags the face down with it and makes the face appear longer. Celebs to look at are Gwyneth Paltrow and Janet Jackson

SQUARE FACE:

Like those with oblong faces, try short to medium hair, especially styles with a wave or roundness around the face. Also, layering softens the square look of the face. Styles with height at the crown elongate the symmetrical shape of your face. Try styles with a curl or wave if your hair is naturally straight. Try to avoid long straight styles, which just accentuate the square shape of your face. Once again the “Dora” hairstyle.... a no-no. You can wear a layered bob, but end it above or below the jawline. Some celebs to consider are Demi Moore, Sandra Bullock or Paris Hilton. Paris is actually the poster girl for square faces.

HEART-SHAPED FACE:

The hairstyles that work best with heart-shaped faces are chin length or long hairstyles. You can also think about trying side-parted hairstyles, or swept forward layers around the upper face, with gentle wispy bangs. A chin length bob is the ideal style for this particular face shape because it creates balance but creating fullness where it is needed. Avoid full styles that emphasise the upper face. So stay away from styles that have too much height on the crown. This will create the appearance of a longer and narrower chin. Check the hairstyles of these celebs for ideas: Naomi Campbell, Michelle Pfeiffer and Jennifer Love Hewitt.

DIAMOND FACE:

Diamond shape faces are similar to oval shaped faces when it comes to hair styles. Any style suits you, once your face is a true diamond. Shorter styles, however, look better. But those with a dramatic diamond shape need to leave more hair in the nape of the neck to achieve more balance between your dramatic cheekbones and more delicate chin line. Again, like those with oval shaped faces, avoid styles that have too much hair on the face, which hide your features. Celebs with this shape include Cate Blanchet, Scarlett Johnassen, Jennifer Lopez and Liv Tyler.

TRIANGULAR FACE:

With the face shape try shorter hair that balances your prominent jawline. Also try styles that incorporate an off-centre part. Styles that are full at the temples and taper at the jawline accentuate striking features that are otherwise understated. If you have long hair, tuck it behind your ears. This draws attention to your eyes and adds the illusion of width to your face. Stay away from styles that are long and draw attention to your jawline. Also avoid styles with too much height at the crown. Check out Mischa Barton, Renee Zellweger and Katie Holmes.