Best Haircuts For Square Faces

Square faces tend to have strong, angular features, especially a pronounced jawline, so we want to focus on cuts that create softness while elongating the face and giving the eye a reason to look up and down. Here are our favorite ways to accomplish this:

Part Four of our Face Shape Series... The Square Face Shape.  In this series, we are looking at how a haircut or color can affect your face shape and vice versa. (See last week: "Best Cut and Color For A Heart Face Shape".

Square-shaped guys and gals - you’re in good company! Some of the most beautiful people in the world tout this face shape including Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, Kate Moss, and Lily Aldridge. The square face shape is nearly as wide as it is long - if you measure from the edge of your temples to where your jawline starts it is almost equal to the distance between your right and left jawline. You likely have sharp, angular features, including a sharp jawline.

Square faces tend to have strong, angular features, especially a pronounced jawline, so we want to focus on cuts that create softness while elongating the face and giving the eye a reason to look up and down. Here are our favorite ways to accomplish this:

• A longer one-length cut
• Long bobs, as long as they're soft and layered
• Sleek and straight style
• Layers work well as they add softness, but remember we want to minimize adding width so layers should stay below the collarbone to allow narrowing in the widest part of the face
• An A-line bob, shorter in the back
Side parts
• Curly hair
• Curtain bangs - however, stay away from harsh straight across bangs

A sharp, blunt bob that hits right at your chin will only accentuate your jaw creating a boxy effect. Also, refrain from cuts that create a horizontal silhouette as it widens the face instead of softening and elongating.

Like round faces, since your length and width are similar we like to opt for short men’s haircuts like buzz cuts or crew cuts.
You can also go for longer styles that add volume to the top, such as messy crops, pompadours, are great for creating a vertical silhouette.

Long hair is also a game changer for this face shape as it softens the hard angles around the jaw.

Some light stubble is also perfect to soften the sharpness of the chin and jawline.

When it comes to color you want the eye to follow a vertical silhouette. Narrow and soften your face with one all-over color, like Demi Moore, to create a vertical silhouette with the right cut.
If you are looking for dimension, full highlights, soft balayage or a lived-in look are all great options.

Ombres or highlights that start around the jaw line are not recommended. Keep the brightness toward the top of the head and ends while creating deeper side to narrow the widest part of the face.

We don’t recommend a “Money Piece” as the harsh disconnected line continues the angular lines of the face. You can keep brightness around your face but avoid thicker hard lines.

Sleek and straight of soft waves are perfect for this face shape as one narrows and the other softens. The side swept bang is also the perfect go-to as it softens and takes attention away from the jawline.

Up styles that creates a vertical line and narrowing on the side are the best option. You can create vertical lines through height, like Normani’s top bun coupled with a fringe, here.

Or by keeping your style low and pulled back like Margot Robbie. 

Accessories? A scrunchie or scarf-wrapped top bun and peek boo side swept fringe is an awesome option.

A braided pompadour, like our model here styled by owner, Natalie Palomino, with added hair pins are also perfect as the hair pins or barrettes causes the eyes to move toward the height of the hair.

1. Separate the hair on top of your head. This section should include the hair between the hairline and crown and recession to recession
2. Add a smoothing product to create grip and shine in your braid, like Oway Plant and Mineral Refresh Dry Shampoo Powder.
3. Begin braiding at the crown moving forward toward the hairline.
4. Braid the hair completely until you run out of hair and use a small clear rubber band to secure.
5. Fold the braid in half, pulling the end back toward the crown.
6. Pull slightly throughout the braid to loosen it and make it appear fuller and more romantic. We like O&M Desert Dry Volumizing Spray to create texture and hold for the braid while giving it fullness.
7. Fold under the end of the braid and secure at the crown with bobby pins.
8. Place a hair pin or pretty barrette on either side of your recession to add an extra splash. Voila! You’ve got a half-up style with a little extra edge!

Another perfect styling option is a hat, which can do the same thing as a fringe (softening of the jawline).
Any hat with a larger-sized brim is perfect for someone with a square-shaped face. If the brim is too small, it does the opposite of our goal.

Likewise, we also do not want a hat with a short square crown like a boater hat as this will visually create two parallel lines, like the heavy straight bang, accentuating the jawline.

Go for a hat with a rounded crown like our Rancher Hat - your go-to hat for summer! Also, cowboy hats create length also softening the jawline.

Want to know more about your face shape? Stay tuned for next week's blog, where we'll dive deeper into heart face shapes!

XOXO,

North Authentic