Which Haircut Suits Your Face Shape? A Guide for Men
What suits round, square, oval and oblong faces?
Choose the cut that adds what your face lacks and trims what it has too much of. A round face wants height on top and short sides: a quiff, pompadour or faux hawk lengthens it, while full, unblended sides and a heavy one-length fringe add width. Ask for a mid or high fade there, so the sides stay tight while the top grows. A square face looks softer with short sides and some texture on top, an angled fringe or a side part, and boxier with bulk at the sides. Length on top gives height, which offsets the square outline. An oblong face is already long, so keep the top short, as in a crew cut, or leave the sides fuller under a side part or a textured fringe; a tall top over very tight sides is the thing to skip. A side part widens the forehead by adding volume at the edges of the hairline. An oval face has balanced proportions and carries almost any cut, apart from a heavy fringe that hides the forehead. A classic fade, a crew cut, a textured quiff or a slick-back all work there. Heart and diamond faces come next. Treat all of this as a starting point: these pairings are style conventions from barbers and style guides, and the same shape looks different on fine, curly or receding hair, so the cut also has to suit your hair and the time you want to spend styling it each morning.
Heart and diamond faces: where to add and where to trim
A heart-shaped face has the widest forehead and a narrow chin, so move the weight of the cut downward. Medium length with texture, a side-swept fringe that falls across the forehead and slightly fuller sides all help; very tight sides under a tall top only narrow the lower face further. A textured crop or a medium quiff suits it too. A diamond face is widest at the cheekbones, with a narrower forehead and jaw. Texture on top and a fringe or side part work here, with the sides left on a longer guard or cut with scissors rather than cropped so short that the cheekbones stand out even more. The sources disagree on this one, and some barbers like a tight fade, so ask the barber which cut they would pick for your face. A beard changes the picture because it adds structure to the jaw, so judge the haircut and the beard as one outline; we cover beard shapes in a separate article. Many faces sit between two shapes, and then you follow the advice that both shapes share. Oval and oblong faces blur into each other, for example, since both are longer than wide. If your hairline is receding at the temples, mention it, since it changes what a fringe or a high top can do. In the chair the barber usually checks the face with the hair pushed off the forehead and then from the side, because a flat crown changes how much height a top can carry.
How to tell your face shape at home
To find your shape, pull your hair back so the hairline shows, then take four measurements in front of a mirror or on a straight-on photo: forehead width, cheekbone width between the outer corners of the eyes, jaw (from the corner of the jaw to the chin, doubled) and face length from the centre of the hairline to the chin. Write the numbers down and note which is largest and which nearly match, within about a centimetre. Measure from where your hairline sits today, since a receding hairline makes the forehead and the face look longer. Length close to cheekbone width with a soft jaw is round; forehead, cheekbones and jaw nearly equal with a sharp jaw angle is square; length as the largest figure with the rest similar is oblong; longer than wide with the cheekbones widest and a rounded forehead and jaw is oval; the widest forehead tapering to a narrow chin is heart; the widest cheekbones with a narrower forehead and jaw and angular features is diamond. You can also trace the outline of your face on a mirror or a selfie. At 044 Barbershop in Kyiv we think the shape and the length are worth settling with you before the clippers start. Bring a photo of a cut you like, and the barber can hold it against your face in the mirror from every side.