Determining Face Shapes

Determining Face Shapes

What is your face shape?

DIAMOND: Reduce width at sides. The Diamond-Shaped Face is characterized by a narrow chin & forehead with wide cheekbones. Diamond shaped faces need narrow sides & fullness at the chin. Bobs work very well for this shape. Avoid wearing height on top or volume on the sides. Use some fringe or bang to cover narrow forehead.

HEART: Add volume at chin. The Heart-Shaped Face is characterized by a wider forehead (often with a widow’s peak) & a narrower chin. Bring some hair onto the forehead to disguise its width. Keep hair close to the head at the eyes but make it slightly full around the jaw, below & in front of the earlobes.

OBLONG: Add softness. The Oblong-Shaped Face is characterized by a very long narrower bone structure. The client who has an oblong facial shape often has a long thin neck. Use a fringe or half-bang across the forehead by creating soft waves or curls in the crown & nape areas; this helps to create the illusion of a oval.

OVAL: As the name implies, the Oval-shaped is longer than wide, a jaw that’s narrow than the cheekbone. Because the oval-shaped face has no dominant areas & is so proportional, this face shape looks good with just about any hairstyle, length or texture.

PEAR: Add volume above the jaw line. The Pear-shaped face is characterized by a small or narrow forehead & a rather large, poochy-approaching jaw line. Comb hair to add width from the eye level through the crown of the head. Set & comb hair close to the head on the sides & at the nape.

ROUND: Avoid width. The Round-shaped face is characterized by a wide hairline & fullness below the cheekbones. The client may be overweight & her neck may appear short. These faces look very good with a geometric or linear style. Add height, when possible, & long, wispy side areas to make the cheeks look narrow. Comb hair close to the head on the side and at the nape.

SQUARE: Avoid straight lines. The Square-Shaped Face is characterized by a wide hairline & jaw. Square shaped faces need height on top & narrowness at the sides. Comb the hair off the forehead to add height to the face. Curly texture & wisps of hair around the face break the wide, straight lines common to the square face.

Information provided by: HairUWear, Raquel Welch collection, and Gabor collection.