How to Make Your Face Shape Look Good with Short Hair
Short hairstyles are gaining momentum this year as an increasing number of women flock salons for stylish bobs and shoulder-length haircuts. How do you know which short hairstyle will suit you? If you ask a professional hairstylist, he/she will tell you the criteria for choosing a haircut are face shape, hair density, hair texture, and personality.
Most young women fall into the trap of imitating their favorite actors and singers when choosing a hairstyle. Needless to say, they leave the salon highly dissatisfied with the result. The reason is either they disregard their hairstylist’s recommendation or they overlook the most important criteria of choosing a haircut.
Face shape is largely ignored when selecting a hairstyle. Since short hair has more visual appeal than long hair, hairstylists suggest choosing a haircut that will flatter your face shape more than anything else. The two rules of finding the right haircut for your face shape are:
- The haircut will draw attention to your best features.
- The haircut will create the impression of an oval face.
In other words, the hairstyle should make a round face appear longer, make a long face appear wider, make a square face appear softer, and make a double chin or large forehead disappear.
This brings us to the question of face shapes. How many face shapes are there? How can you determine your face shape? The four components of the face shape are the length of the face, the width of the face, hairline, and jawline. Based on these measurements, there are six face shapes: Oval, Long, Round, Square, Heart-shaped, Diamond-shaped.
Although all face shapes are compatible with short hair, each face shape has unique considerations when choosing a haircut. Below, each face shape and the most appropriate short hairstyles will be discussed.
1. Oval Face
Whether it is a pixie cut with side-swept bangs, blunt bob with no bangs, or a shaggy long bob; an oval face can carry off any short hairstyle gracefully. This versatile face shape is longer than it is wide. Its jawline is narrower than its hairline. It has no angles or points that stand out and its features are beautifully balanced.
When choosing a haircut for this face shape, the aim should be to avoid making the face appear longer than it is. You must try to keep your face as clear as possible. Also, avoid heavy bangs which can make your face look shorter. Hairstyles that are one-length can make your face look longer, so you should cut your hair in layers.
With this in mind, you might go for a blunt bob with side bangs that frame the face and are slightly above the shoulders. You also have the option of an angular bob with delicate layers to create volume and prevent your hair from falling flat. You can define the layers by smoothing them out with the help of a flat iron. Be careful not to go overboard with the layers. Too many layers can give the impression of poor styling. Also, do not create volume on the crown because this will make your face appear longer.
2. Long Face
A long face is much longer than it is wide. The aim of any hairstyle for a long face should be to make it appear wider. For this reason, short hairstyles are preferable because long hairstyles make the face appear longer. Straight and sleek haircuts should also be avoided for the same reason.
To create the impression of a wider face, style your hair into a curly or wavy bob with the help of hot rollers or flat iron. Make sure the widest part of your waves is closer to your cheekbones. This will make your face look wider. To achieve this, curl your hair from the roots using hot rollers. A tousled bob goes perfectly well with a long face. Simply style your hair with a curling iron and separate the curls before spraying a texturizing product.
3. Round Face
With no prominent angles or corners, the round face is equal in width and length. If parted and styled correctly, short hair suits this face shape like no other. Pixie cuts and bobs are especially flattering for the round face. When coupled with a deep side part, these short hairstyles give any round face the impression of an oval face which is what you should try to achieve.
Creating volume at the crown will make your face appear longer. Side-swept or face-framing bangs will give you texture and angles without the harsh appearance. Avoid short, blunt bangs as much as possible because they heighten the softness of your features even more. Be careful not to create volume at the jawline either because it will highlight the roundness of your face.
4. Square Face
A square face is characterized by its wideness, angularity, and prominent cheekbones and jawline. When choosing a short hairstyle for this face shape, the focus should be on softening the angularity and avoiding volume near the cheekbones and jawline. A bob that falls an inch or two below the jawline will tone down the squareness of your face and create the impression of an oval face.
An inverted bob with deep layers and straight or loose waves is a good way to de-emphasize the angularity of this face shape. Shoulder-length cuts are even better for the same reason. Make sure to build volume at the roots with the help of a flat iron.
5. Heart-shaped Face
The heart-shaped face has a prominent forehead, a wider hairline, and a pointed chin. A long bob, curly bob, or shaggy bob will flatter this face shape as long as you avoid the center part and tight curls. A shoulder-length cut with soft, loose waves and a deep side part is recommended. This will soften the tapered shape of your face by adding wideness around the jawline, creating the impression of an oval face. Small and mini size hot rollers will help you achieve the soft, loose waves necessary for an elegant long bob.
6. Diamond-shaped Face
A symmetrical face shape, the heart-shaped face has the same width at the hairline and jawline. Its widest part is at the cheekbones. The aim of any short hairstyle is to accentuate this shape rather than balance it out. A textured long bob, a blunt bob with side-swept bangs, or a shoulder-length cut with a sleek center part and hair tucked behind the ears is suitable for the heart-shaped face. Smooth out your strands with the help of a flat iron to achieve a sleek look. Hot rollers or curling iron will give you curly layers for a layered bob.
Conclusion
While short hairstyles such as pixie and bob look great on oval, round, and heart-shaped faces; the way you layer and part your hair makes a huge difference. Similarly, if you have a long, square, or diamond-shaped face; you should consider elements of the hairstyle such as bangs and volume before you proceed with the haircut. It is important to ensure the hairstyle accentuates your most attractive features or gives the impression of an oval face.
Sources
- LINDSAY TIGAR, 5 Flattering Short Haircuts for Your Face Shape, MAY 22, 2018
- Melanie Pinola, Find Out If Short Hair Will Look Good on You with This Simple Test, 5/20/15
- Lisa DeSantis, The Best Short Cut for Your Face Shape and Hair Texture, January 21, 2016
Hey writers,
After going through your article, I can see that you have mentioned different face shapes and the short haircuts that would complement them.
In my opinion, only a hairdresser can say that what cut would suit your particular face type and which wouldn’t. Then why are you guys confusing your readers? What’s the need for adding such unnecessary articles?
Very disappointing!
Dear Paige,
Thank you for your feedback.
You are right! Only a hairdresser or hairstylist can decide what’s the best short haircut for you. But if you go through our article carefully you would notice that rather suggesting for haircuts, we are telling our readers how to style their already short tresses according to their face shape.
Hope this clarifies your confusion.
At first, I would like to say that this blog is amazing!
By reading your article it is very much evident that you put a lot of thought and effort into penning this down. It helped me to understand what hairstyle I should choose to match my face shape perfectly.
Thank you for writing such informative articles for your readers.
Keep up the good work.
Best of luck!
Dear Melanie,
Thank you for such encouraging words. It’s our pleasure that our readers like our writings and find them helpful.
Hi there,
I am a big fan of your blog. I see you try to provide as much information as possible to help out your readers.
I have a question. In your article, you mentioned adding volume in the crown to make your round face look longer. Can you please tell me how to do that? As my hair is short, I don’t understand how to create volume easily.
Looking forward to your answer!
Dear Katie,
First of all, thank you very much for your sweet words. We enjoy our readers’ feedback.
To add volume to the crown you can either backcomb the crown hair or use a hot roller. You can use either of these according to your preference. Both the backcombing and hot roller works like magic.
We hope this would help you.
Best of luck dear!
I like that you mentioned how a bob that goes below your jawline can help make your square-shaped face appear more oval-shaped. My sister is planning on getting married this summer and wants to find a way to help make her face appear softer, but she needs to get a short haircut in order to stay cool in the outdoor venue. Maybe she should find a hair salon that will be able to take her needs into account when styling her hair.