No two faces are the same, each and everyone of us has a unique beauty that should be framed with a gorgeous style! What style best brings out YOUR beauty? That depends on the shape of your face. Have you figured out what kind of shape your face is? Well, this might be a good idea to know and understand because it can help your appearance.
Take a head-and-shoulders photo of yourself while your hair is pulled back away from your face and hairline. Make sure the photo shows the full width of your shoulder-span to put your face shape and position into perspective. Then take a red permanent marker and draw neatly and directly along the outline of your face in the photo. Hold it next to the diagram of face shape samples to determine which face shape you have. Most of us are combinations, but this will serve as a general guide.
Then examine (you can do this initially with your stylist if it makes you more comfortable) the following descriptions of which styles could be most flattering to your face shape and shoulder-span and most conducive to your lifestyle, and which colors might be most complementary to your skin tone. Use this as a basis to explore further styling options.
To give you a better idea of styles that will suit your face shape, check out my post Determine Your Face Shape.
When you are experiencing hair thinning or loss, one of your best tools can be your very own hair! Stylists all over the world are using specific styling and cutting techniques to hide (or accentuate!) all sorts of features. This skill set is so very important when you are looking for help with hair thinning or loss. This skill is the ability to determine what the perfect style is based on your facial structure. Let’s take a look at an example:
When your face is square…
How do you know if your face is square? Take a look at your jaw line and forehead. If you have a ‘square brow’ and your jaw line and your brow are the same width chances are that you have ‘square’ facial features.
Now that we know you have ‘square’ features we can begin to determine how to make your hair look full and thick without any replacement pieces! One of the best ways to create the allusion of a full head of hair for women with a square face is to use volume and structure, much like the picture of Michelle to the right. In order to give Michelle the allusion of thick hair we would want to soften her sharp jaw angle and minimize the shape of her brow. To do this we would frame her face with a soft fringe to make it look more oval, and cut the bulk of her hair to less than 4 inches with layers to add ‘fluff’ to give the illusion of volume. With a few peek-a-boo bangs and layering around the next Michelle’s look is softer, fun and gives her great lift to minimize the insecurity of her hair thinning!
It’s amazing what the right hairstyle and cut can do for your face, or the volume of your hair. And it’s not the same for each face! It’s so important to talk with your hairdresser about the shape of your face and what will work best for you!
Knowing your individual face shape important while styling your hair, whether or not you are experiencing hair loss. Below I put together a list of the eight most common face shapes, I’ve also included my tips (as a stylists) for the best hair style for each shape.
WHEN YOUR FACE IS TRIANGULAR Characteristics: Wide chin and narrow forehead. The Goal: You guessed it – narrow the chin and widen the forehead.
Pick a style with full volume at the sides to balance your face shape. Wear hair full at the temples, brushed away from the face and up toward the ear to widen the forehead. From the ear, angle your hair forward, toward the chin, to soften and narrow a strong jaw. Chin length or longer will look best.
WHEN YOUR FACE IS DIAMOND-SHAPED Characteristics: Consult your local baseball field – narrow to near points at forehead and chin, wider at cheeks. The Goal: Fill in across the top and bottom to an extentso you can really sparkle.
Framing is a girl’s best friend in your case: consider styles that keep hair close to the head at the cheekbone line to create fullness across the jaw and forehead. Styles that lift away from your cheeks or move back from your hairline should be avoided.
WHEN YOUR FACE IS ROUND Characteristics: Wide, with full cheeks and a circular form. Ready for winter. The Goal:Make your face look slimmer; lengthen or narrow your features.
You may need a style that helps make your face look slightly thinner. Below-the-chin styles should be worn with a face-lengthening center part. Above the chin-line, wear an off-center part. Keep a little height at the crown of your head and slim your face by keeping your forehead uncluttered – in other words, no bangs. In a short, angled style, wear hair away from the face, and add a little height at the crown to lengthen the look of your features. If you do wear bangs. Tousle them toward the side. Keep longer styles close to the face.
WHEN YOUR FACE IS HEART-SHAPED Characteristics: Wide brow, full and prominent cheekbones and a narrow chin. The Goal: Narrow your forehead, widen your jaw line.
You may have the look of love, but you might want to try reducing the width of your forehead by parting your hair in the center and flipping bangs upward or styling your hair slanted to one side with a side part. You can also help to make the lower part of your face look a little wider to balance out your proportions by styling your hair at shoulder length or turned under the chin; mid-length will work best for you. Create fullness at the bottom and direct hair forward onto the cheeks, or try some curls or waves from the ears down.
WHEN YOUR FACE IS OBLONG Characteristics: Long, thin face with a pointy chin The Goal:Shorten things.
Try a low side part with a sweep of hair brushed diagonally across the forehead and gently combed in place. A voluminous look with an asymmetric hair flow to one side will create the illusion of width over length, as will straight bangs or bangs blended with the sides of your hair.
Mid-neck length will look best on you and style with curls, waves and volume will look flattering.
WHEN YOUR FACE IS PEAR-SHAPED Characteristics: Noticeably wider at the jaw than the forehead, but still sweet. The Goal: Balancing act.
You thought the “pear-shaped” distinction was reserved only for figure references. Not so. Your hair should be styled fairly close to the top of your head with a fringe of curls and bangs, combined with fullness at the sides, to make your forehead appear to be a little wider and to add balance.
WHEN YOUR FACE IS SQUARE Characteristics: Angular jaw, square brow, both nearly the same width. The Goal:Soften the sharp jaw angle and minimize your squared brow line.
Your style should lift off your forehead. If you brush it forward at the temples and jaw line, it will lend your face shape some necessary narrowness and softness. You can wear wispy bangs. Your face goes perfectly with asymmetrical styles, so all you remaining die-hard ‘80s new wave fans can happily stay in your element and look great doing so, as some of these styles are back in vogue with a softer edge. We’ll stop the world and melt with you. Walk away – we’ll follow.
WHEN YOUR FACE IS OVAL Characteristics: Perfectly symmetrical. The Goal:Don’t worry, be happy.
Lucky girl! The Oval face is the “perfect” face shape. You can wear almost any hairstyle. For long styles, a classic look is a center or side part with hair touching your shoulders. A short, layered look with curls and a close extended nape would work nicely too. Long, short, up, or in your face – they all look just right with your perfectly symmetrical face shape. Just don’t let it
go to your head.
No two faces are the same, each and everyone of us has a unique beauty that should be framed with a gorgeous style! What style best brings out YOUR beauty? That depends on the shape of your face. Have you figured out what kind of shape your face is? Well, this might be a good idea to know and understand because it can help your appearance.
Then examine (you can do this initially with your stylist if it makes you more comfortable) the following descriptions of which styles could be most flattering to your face shape and shoulder-span and most conducive to your lifestyle, and which colors might be most complementary to your skin tone. Use this as a basis to explore further styling options.
When your face is square…
WHEN YOUR FACE IS TRIANGULAR
WHEN YOUR FACE IS HEART-SHAPED
WHEN YOUR FACE IS OBLONG
WHEN YOUR FACE IS PEAR-SHAPED
