Haircuts Face Shape

 

You are super-excited - you found a picture of a haircut that you absolutely love and you are headed to the salon to get the same exact look. As you step out of the salon and look at your new haircut in the car rear view mirror- you quickly become disappointed. Why doesn't your hair look like the style in the picture.

 

The answer to that is probably 'face shape'. All hairstyles are not created the same, meaning that not everyone is suited for a particular style. There are many things that must be considered before choosing a style and face shape is one of them.

 

FACE SHAPE BASICS

There are 5 basic face shapes and most women have a combination of several different shapes.

 

1. OVAL face shape. This is the most common shape that all other shapes aim to be. The face is an oval shape with no outstanding longer or shorter features. An example of an oval face shape is Jessica Alba. As you can see in photo, lefrt, Jessica has very proportionate features that will go with just about any hair style. Most hairstyles will work with the oval face shape.

 

2. ROUND face shape. The round face shape has some limitations when it comes to haircuts. The width and length of the face are nearly the same. The hair should not be cut shorter than shoulder length to avoid the appearance of a really round face- the shorter the hair the rounder the face will look. Consider a hair style with height in the crown area to create the illusion of a narrower face. This face shape works better with no bangs, but if you must have bangs they should be side swept to create a more oval appearance. Gwyneth Paltrow has a round face shape, see photo right

 

 

 

 

3. SQUARE face shape. This shape features a wide forehead and a wide jaw, thus forming a square shape. Deep side parts and soft bangs are a great way to soften the angular features of a square face shape. Jennifer Aniston has a square face shape, see photo left. Jen wears her hair with a deep side part, soft long side swept bangs and layers brushing along the jaw line. This haircut is very flattering for square shaped faces.

 

4.HEART face shape. This shape features a wide and high forehead combined with a narrow jaw line. Recommendations include adding side swept bangs to camouflage the high forehead, adding long layers around the face to create the illusion of a wider jaw line and also having a deep side part. Kim Kardashian has a heart-shaped face.

 

 

 

 

 

5. LONG face shape. This shape features a longer length than width. Recommendations include a longer style with some soft layering to break up the length. Sarah Jessica Parker has a long face shape.