Hair Styling: Facial Shapes- Hair styles to match your face shape

Keep in mind, if you want to play up certain areas of your face here's how:

Bangs- Will accents eyes. Sideswept bangs will cut across forhead to soften it.

Angles- Layers cut to angle in toward your face will accent the feature where the angle ends. For instance, if you have your angles start at the nose, your nose will be more noticeable.

Before choosing a hairstyle, updo, bangs or where you'll part your hair, you must first determine which shape is your face. Once you know this, you are ready to choose a hair style to compliment your good features and hide your flaws. Here's how to play up your face shape:

Oval faces are considered the ideal facial shape. You can pull off a variety of styles. Your features are well balanced and almost every style can be achieved to look great on an oval face.

Updos for Oval faces: Almost anything is possible for oval faces. Your hair looks great pulled off your face. Bangs will accent your eyes.

Most Complimentary Style: You look best when styling hair off you face. Hair pulled back

Avoid: Wearing to much hair in your face. You want to show off those perfectly proportioned features!

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Facial Shapes & Hair Styling

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Round shaped faces tend to be round at the cheeks and have a circular form. Your face is heavier near the ears and gradually curves upward and downward. Your goal is to slim your face

Where your part should be: Off center parts. This will draw the eye to one side of the face and throw off the roundness and draw the eye to your cheeks.

Most complimentary styles: Hairstyles with fullness and height at the crown will draw attention upward giving you a longer face shape. Layered cuts look best with the height at the top and not at the sides.

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Oval Shaped Face

Round Shaped Face

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Oblong/Rectangle

Heart Shaped Face

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Reverse Triangle/Pear Face Shape

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Square Shaped Face

How to Style updos for round faces: Avoid slick back styles without hair touching your face. Any style that adds focus to your crown works best. A French twist with curls pilled on top looks very nice. Do not add width around the sides of your face, this will make the face appear to be wider than normal. As long as you have a focal point such as curls on top or tussled bangs to the side, this will draw attention away from the roundness of your face.

Tips to make your face seem longer:

Hairstyles with fullness and height at the crown. This gives the illusion of a longer face shape and will take away from the roundness of your face.

Off center parts. This draws the eye to one side of the face and throws off the rounded affect.

Hairstyles that are longer then your jawbone. You should avoid styles that are shorter than where your jawbone ends.

Bare foreheads.

Tussled side bangs instead of flat straight bangs. Off center, side swept bangs

Longer styles closer to the face will give length. Try a layered cut with angles toward your face and more height at the crown area.

For short cuts, close sideburn wisps soften and flatter the face, with an off center part.

Things to Avoid:

Chin length hair with a rounded lines. These rounded styles will only make your face appear to be even more round. No bobs!

Center parts draw attention to the center of your head and point out the center part of a circle like face.

Short-short cuts will only make your face appear to be heavier than normal

Straight, flat bangs will only shorten your face. Try tussled or side bangs

Fullness at side of ears will create more width, keep angles below ears, starting at the lip line and below.

Any type of rounded haircut ending at your chin

The forehead is the widest part of the face, then it narrows gradually to the chin, which is slightly pointed. Your goal should be to diminish your forehead width and create more width to your small jaw line.

Most Complimentary Cut: A chin length bob is great on your face shape. Bobs tend to be fuller at the bottom, which is what you would want if you are trying to bring width to your thin jaw bone.

Where your part should be: Side parting so you avoid pointing out your small chin if that is the case. This will also bring more balance to your forehead width.

How to Style an Updo: When choosing an updo for your facial type, keep these key elements in mind. You want to make your forehead appear less wide and jaw line less tiny to achieve a balanced face. If you have shoulder length hair or shorter, opt to wear your hair 1/2 up / 1/2 down with fullness focused on the down part. Have bangs and wisps on your face. Avoid pulling all your back into a slick style.

Things to diminish forehead width and create a wider, fuller jaw:

To make your forehead appear less wide, wear your bangs full and curly if possible

Side part with soft bangs swept over one side to balance your forehead width

Hair styles should be fuller at the jaw line. This will give the appearance of a fuller jaw

Adding curl and fullness to the chin area can also help round out the look of a heart shapes face

Swept-forward layers around the upper face. By having bangs and layers starting above the jaw line, you will create more balance to your face and take away from a small jaw.

You have great cheek bones with heart shaped faces. Show them off by drawing attention to them by adding wisps of hair at your ear level.

Things to Avoid

Short, full styles that emphasize upper face

Height at the crown will only attract more attention from your diminishing jaw line. Instead, focus the fullness toward the bottom half of your face with layers to give fullness and width

Slicked-back looks will only draw more attention to the shape of your face.

If you are a dramatic heart shape, short full styles with tapered necklines which emphasize the upper face will make you look top heavy.

Too much height at the crown will give the appearance of a longer and narrower chin

Long and thin, often with a chin that tends to look pointed. There is very little difference in width between the top, middle or bottom of your face but it is more rounded than the square face. Your goal should be to add width and fullness to the sides of the face and around the eyes, cheekbones and ears.

Most Complimentary Cut: Short to medium lengths with fullness at the sides of your face and at your eyes and cheeks.

Where your part should be: Side parting to throw off the balance of your face.

How to Style an Updo: Since you want to make your face appear to be shorter, updos work well on you. You can try styles with slick back looks. When styling updos, if a part is involved, part to the side. A hairpiece or ornament to hold bangs back looks very nice and takes away from the "square look" of your face. Avoid styles that elongate your face such as tight barrel curls directly on top of the head. Try fuller styles such as pilled up curls or 1/2 up 1/2 down styles. Avoid wisps since then will make face appear to be longer. Bangs are nice and will shorten your face.

Things to make your face appear to be shorter:

By cutting the hair into a short or medium length cut will shorten the look of the length of the face

Layers work great with your face shape. They will add softness to the straight lines in your face

Volume with an asymmetric flow of hair to one side widens your face and reduces length

Straight-falling bangs or bangs blended with the sides of your hair shorten the overall face length.

Curly or wavy styles add volume and width to your face

Things to Avoid:

Long hair styles. They will make your face appear to be even longer

To much height will lengthen your face

Center parts will bring attention to the middle of your face and make it appear to be longer

Avoid anything that will elongate your face

This shape has a wide chin and a narrow forehead. Your goal should be to narrow the chin and widen the forehead

Most Complimentary Cut: Chin length or longer cuts are best for you. Styles that are full at the temples, taper at the jaw. Shags and Wedge cuts look great.

Where your part should be: Off center parts

How to Style an Updo: Your main objective is to make your is to make your forehead look wider and your jaw smaller. When choosing an updo, choose a style that will give you more height on the crown area. If you choose a French twist or updo to that effect, wear full bangs and have height to the top. Leave stray hair out and tuck behind your ears. Or angle your wisps toward your face to soften the jaw line. Any type of updo that has lots of texture to the top and sides looks very good on you.

Things to narrow the chin and widen the forehead:

Wear your hair wide and full at the top of the head and temples to give you width

Brush hair away from the face and up toward the ear to widen your forehead

Angle layers forward toward the chin to soften and narrow a strong jaw

Wear styles that are chin length or longer

Layers will achieve fullness through the upper part of your face and look great on you.

Things to Avoid:

Long, full hairstyles that draw attention to jaw line

Too much height at the crown

Center parts will bring attention to the middle of your face and make it appear to be longer

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Characterized by an angular jaw and square brow, with jaw and brow being nearly the same width. Your goal should be to soften the sharp angle of jaw line and minimize your squared-off brow.

Most Complimentary Cut: Hair cuts that emphasize your cheekbones at mid-line of the face are most flattering. Bangs and waves at the temple will soften the square shape of your face. Wear hair coming forward onto the face to reduce the angles. Hair length is best about 1-1/2" below the chin,

Where your part should be: A Center part makes a wider forhead seem more narrow.

How to Style an Updo on a Square face shape:: If you have shoulder to chin length hair, you can dress it up by adding volume with layers. If you want to wear it up, add wisps around the face and bang areas. Curly type of updos look best on you. A messy side ponytail helps offset a strong jawline.

Things to narrow the chin and widen the forehead on a Square face shape: