How to Choose the Right Haircut for Your Face Shape
Face shape is the most useful starting point for a new cut. Here is how our barbers read it, and the styles that tend to work for each.
Before we pick up the scissors, we look at three things: the shape of your face, the way your hair grows, and how much time you are willing to spend on it each morning. Face shape comes first because it decides where a cut should add height, where it should hold back, and where the eye should land.
You don't need a tape measure. Pull your hair back, look straight into a mirror and compare three widths — forehead, cheekbones and jaw — against the length of your face from hairline to chin.
Oval
Slightly longer than it is wide, with a jaw a touch narrower than the forehead. Oval faces are balanced, so almost anything works. The only real risk is hiding it: heavy fringes that sit low on the brow shorten the face unnecessarily. A classic short-back-and-sides or a textured crop suits you well.
Round
Width and length are close, with soft angles at the jaw. The aim is to add height and keep the sides tight. A skin or low fade with length and texture on top lengthens the face; a side part with some lift does the same in a more classic register. Avoid heavy volume at the sides and blunt, rounded fringes.
Square
A strong, angular jaw roughly as wide as the forehead. This is the face shape most cuts are designed for. Short, clean sides show off the jawline; a structured pompadour or a crew cut plays to it. If you want to soften it, keep a little more length and movement through the top.
Oblong
Noticeably longer than it is wide. Here we avoid adding height and keep some weight at the sides so the face doesn't look stretched. A scissor cut with a mid-length fringe, or a side part without too much lift, brings it back into proportion.
Heart and diamond
Wider at the forehead or cheekbones, narrowing to a pointed chin. Medium length with texture works best, balancing the narrower lower half. A beard, even a short one, is a useful tool here: it adds width at the jaw and evens out the proportions.
When in doubt, book a restyle
If you're ready for a change but unsure what to ask for, book a Restyle Consultation. You get an extra fifteen minutes to talk it through: photos you like, what you've tried before, and what your hair will realistically do. Then we cut it.
