How to Choose the Best Haircut for Your Face Shape

Have you ever walked into a barbershop

with a picture of your favorite celebrity

only to leave disappointed?

Well, it's probably because that haircut

was not suitable to your face shape.

Hey, GQ, I'm Matty Conrad.

Today, I'm gonna break down for you

the nine basic face shapes and help you determine

which hairstyles are gonna be suitable to yours.

This is The Grooming Guide.

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The oval.

When I think of oval face shapes,

I think of celebrities like Justin Bieber,

ASAP Rocky, Ryan Gosling, oh and Henry Golding.

The oval face shape is widest at the brow

and has softer angles with an angular jawline.

This is probably one of the most

versatile face shapes that there is

mostly because the oval face shape

is the perfect balance between width and height.

Look at Justin Bieber.

He's often wearing hairstyles that are swept up and back

and kept lean on the sides and this is very flattering,

creates more angular appearance to the face shape.

Things that don't necessarily work great

for oval face shapes is fringe styles,

things that shorten the appearance of the face.

This idea is perfectly illustrated

in these two photos of Justin Bieber.

You see in the first photo

he's wearing his hair cropped down forward just a little bit

and it creates a softer look to his jaw

but as soon as he's wearing his hairstyle back,

you can see a much more angular shape to his bottom jaw.

I suggest keeping the sides nice and tight

and wearing the hair either back off the face

or parted to the side.

Guys with oval face shapes,

they usually look best with just a mustache

because it keeps the bottom part of the jaw exposed

which is often a little more angular and lean looking.

The objective with any hairstyle

is to bring a sense of balance to the shape of your face.

You don't wanna create something that is too wide

or something that is too narrow.

Round.

Round face celebrities

are guys like Michael Cera, Jeremy Renner.

This type of face shape is almost as wide as it is tall.

The widest point of a round face shape is the cheekbones

and the face features

are usually slightly lower on the face.

Usually, they have fuller cheeks

and a slightly rounded softer jawline.

So let's look at this first image from Michael Cera.

I wouldn't recommend this.

His hairstyle is much wider on the sides,

creates a lots of volume out to the sides of the head

rather than the top of the head

which makes it look even wider.

Now, the only reason this works for Michael Cera

is because of his personality.

The rest of his style has a certain

doesn't give a fuck quality

and you really have to respect that.

Sometimes irony is cool.

Grooming tip number 147.

It's good to follow guidelines

but ultimately, the choice is yours

because confidence is sexy.

Let's have a look at Michael Cera's facial hair choices.

Now, on the left side,

you'll see that he's rocking just a mustache

which is very cool right now

but is not something I usually recommend

for guys with round face shapes

because just a mustache

actually creates a slightly wider appearance to the face

especially contrasted against the next photo

where he's got a full beard on the bottom

and a more angular outline

which creates a leaner look to his face shape

thus bringing it into balance.

So by just choosing a mustache, you're emphasizing the width

but by adding the beard to the bottom

and an angular outline,

you're elongating the appearance of the shape,

bringing it into balance.

Are you sensing a theme here?

Good.

Conversely, let's look at Jeremy Renner.

This is a guy that's playing by the rules

and it's working out beautifully for him.

When it comes to a round face shape,

I definitely recommend keeping a leaner shape on the side,

something nice and tight

that creates a very angular appearance

and creating some height on top.

Grooming tip number 32.

If you're looking for a little height on top,

it's time to get a blow dryer.

If you don't have one, well, ask your partner.

If you don't have a partner,

it's because you don't have a blow dryer.

This type of face shape

usually benefits more from an angular style

so haircuts that are lean on the sides

and create a little bit more height

through the front and top.

You wanna try and avoid hairstyles

that wear down in the front and create a fringe

or hairstyles that are too wide in the sides

because they amplify the width of the face shape.

Your goal with a round face shape

is to stretch it out slightly making it appear more oval.

Square.

Now, when you think of a square face shape,

think of guys like Leonardo DiCaprio,

Robert Pattinson, Pedro Pascal and Michael B. Jordan.

Now, the one thing you're gonna notice

about a square face shape

is it's not quite as elongated as a rectangular face shape.

You'll usually notice

that the features sit slightly lower on the face

especially when you look at a picture of Leonardo DiCaprio.

Even though he has a very square face shape,

his eyes are a little lower set and the rest of his features

sit a little lower in his face shape

and he has quite a prominent forehead.

Any time you break away from the solid vertical lines

on the side of the head

by interrupting them with a little bit of volume or shape

is a great way to soften out

the overall appearance of a square face shape.

Perfect example with Leonardo DiCaprio.

You can see that even though he's wearing

a very classic parted hairstyle

which creates a more angular look,

he's left the sides not sheared short.

They are still full, a little bit layered

and it gives it just a slightly softer appearance

balancing out the rest of the shape of his face.

Now let's look at Robert Pattinson.

One thing I like about what he does

is he also wears his hair a little looser

and a little more natural, slightly tousled

which creates a little bit more volume

and a little more softness to the overall look.

When it comes to Michael B. Jordan,

you can see for his facial hair,

he wears a really nice clean cut mustache

in what we call an anchored style.

That means he has a small goatee at the bottom

and what that actually does for his face shape

is give it a slight elongation which brings it into balance.

Traditionally, I usually recommend guys wear hairstyles

that are a little bit more side-swept,

just like a layered classic haircut.

One of the things you really wanna stay away from

on a square face shape

is anything that shortens the appearance of the forehead.

When you wear the hair down to the front

and maybe a little swept off the side,

it gives you a more youthful appearance

but that has diminishing returns

and I don't recommend wearing that hairstyle

past the age of about 25.

Grooming tip number 77.

Age matters to your hairstyle.

Some hairstyles will make you look slightly younger

and some will make you look

like you're trying to look younger.

Try and avoid the latter.

Now, you can choose a mustache or not.

I honestly recommend just keeping a short shaped stubble

to show off that that square jaw.

It's probably one of your best features.

Oblong.

Think guys like Jake Gyllenhaal or The Rock.

Guys with an oblong head shape usually are a little broader,

they have a slightly more elongated shape

and a strong jawline.

The oblong head shape is ideal for bald guys.

Look at The Rock.

The Rock doesn't have any hair on top

but his face shape still looks nice and balanced

and his jawline looks really nice and strong.

Grooming tip number 54.

Ditch the comb over.

You're really not fooling anyone.

Besides, bald is sexy.

When it comes to picking facial hair

for an oblong face shape,

goatee style is usually very complementary.

It actually creates a little bit more of an anchor

for the chin shape instead of creating a wider look

that a beard will give it.

Remember, that jawline, it's wide enough.

Relax a little on that thing.

Now, here is Jake Gyllenhaal.

You can see when he wears his hair very short

instead of taking a high fade,

he leaves it a little soft in the sides

creating a little bit more of a balanced

rounded shape to it.

That's gonna be very complementary

to his elongated head shape

but even when he wears his hair a little bit longer,

you can see he leaves a little bit of flow

and width on the top

just as much as he is creating just a little bit of height.

One of the things that I think looks particularly good

in this style for Jake is that his hairstyle is softer,

rounder, creates a little bit more fullness

and the outlines that are nice and rounded and natural

give it a little bit more of an oval appearance

to his face shape

de-emphasizing both the length of his face and his jawline.

Now, when it comes to an oblong head shape,

you're usually looking for a haircut

that presents a little bit more of a balanced shape.

You're not necessarily looking to create any more height

than you are width so if you wear your hair short,

usually something that has a little bit more softness

in the sides and a little shorter on top

can be very complementary.

If you wanted to grow your hair out,

you really do need to pair a little bit of length on top

with the equal length on the sides.

This is what's gonna help it keep balance.

Rectangular.

Now, when it comes to the rectangular face shape,

I think of celebrities like Joe Alwyn

or Chad Michael Murray.

The rectangular is often viewed

as a slightly more angular version of oval.

It's usually characterized by a higher forehead

and a little bit more symmetrical.

The difference between a rectangular face shape

and an oval face shape though is a broader chin.

So let's look at Joe Alwyn's hairstyle

and see what he did right here.

You can see that he's got a lot of texture

and a little bit more fullness in the sides

instead of keeping them really tight and lean

and this gives out an overall balance to his face shape.

Same with Chad Michael Murray.

When you see Chad Michael Murray's hair,

he's got a little bit more of a side-swept

and he leaves the sides just a little longer

to create a little bit more fullness.

One of the really great benefits of a rectangular face shape

is that you can also wear it very short

and almost militaristic style

because the rounder, more natural shape

that that gives the head

will again soften the look of the extreme angles

so it gives it a little bit more of a balanced look.

Flattering hairstyles are gonna be things

that have a little bit more texture

and just a little bit more volume on the sides.

You wanna stay away from haircuts

that are gonna be really harsh, lean and angular

because you're gonna overemphasize

the angular nature of the face shape.

Because the rectangular face shape

has a really strong jaw already,

you can go either clean shaven

or keep a shorter stubble that has a nice natural outline.

You wanna try and avoid things

like chin straps or lowrider beards,

things that really overemphasize

the angular nature of the jaw.

Triangle.

A great example of a triangular face shape is Cillian Murphy

or Timothée Chalamet.

The triangular face shape is characterized

by the jawbone being wider than the cheekbones

with a pointed chin and a slightly narrower brow.

If you ask me, it doesn't look like Timothée Chalamet

has had a haircut in eight months

but something about the look really works for him.

He creates a little bit of a curtain effect

on the corners of his head shape

that create a slightly more narrow looking forehead.

This is really, really beneficial.

This type of head shape often benefits from something

that has a little bit more coverage near the forehead

or at least in the corners.

This somehow de-emphasizes the width of the forehead

and brings everything else into balance.

Grooming tip number 47.

Don't shampoo your hair every day especially if it's longer.

All it's gonna do is make it dry and puffy.

A little grease never hurt nobody.

When it comes to your facial hair choices

for a triangular face shape,

you already have one of the strongest jaw shapes there is

so I highly suggest just going clean cut and clean shaven.

Leave it out there for the world to see.

The diamond.

Diamond face shape celebrities are guys like Jason Derulo,

James Harden, Jamie Kennedy.

A diamond shaped face is always widest at the cheekbones,

slightly more narrow through both the forehead and the chin.

Let's look at Jason Derulo

because this is a really great example

of both what to do right and what he's doing wrong.

You can see in this picture

that he's really emphasizing the length of his face

by creating a style that has a lot of height on top

and is very narrow high up

almost creating a more triangular shape on top.

Also, with his beard, it's elongated at his chin

and kept narrow everywhere else

which creates an even longer look to his chin

so it creates a really heavy diamond shape.

Now, in this photo, what he's doing is absolutely right.

He's limited the amount of height that he has on top

and kept the shape a little bit wider and a little rounder

and when it comes to his facial hair,

he's left it at natural outlines

and kept it nice and short and tight around the chin.

This is a really great way to de-emphasize

the angular nature of his face shape

and brings it more into balance.

Now, the diamond face shape also is complemented

by fuller, larger beards like James Harden.

James Harden, I mean, the guy has just grown a huge beard.

He's dominant on the court.

He's very intimidating.

I mean, there is something really intimidating

about a guy with a giant beard.

Sup?

James Harden has a very pointy chin

and a strong diamond shape

with his width being right at his cheekbones

but because he creates a broad natural looking beard,

it de-emphasizes the angular nature of the bottom

which allows him to wear his hair nice and tight on top.

Even though that slightly emphasizes

the narrow nature of his head shape,

it brings it into balance

by creating more width on the bottom.

This type of face shape usually benefits

from something that creates a little bit more width

on the top in the corners

and is a little bit more soft and rounded,

not something that is angular and high centered.

Heart shape.

Celebrities with heart shaped faces

are guys like Nick Jonas, Harry Styles, Shawn Mendes.

Heart shape, sounds more like heartthrob to me.

Now, a heart shaped face is usually a wider forehead,

wider cheekbones but a narrow chin

and what that means for choosing a hairstyle

is that texture and softness

and curl and movement usually work best.

In fact, I think that's one of the reasons

why this face shape has become so synonymous

with these celebrities

is because the hairstyles that most guys

are wanting to wear these days

have a little bit more softness

and a little bit more movement to them.

Grooming tip number 249.

If you're trying to create a softer,

wavier look in your hair,

avoid using pomade and sticky gel products.

Use a paste like a grownup.

Now, often, if you have a widow's peak,

you're probably gonna have a heart shaped face.

It doesn't have to be really exaggerated,

sometimes just very subtle in the case of Harry Styles

but you can see what he does with his hairstyle

really complements that look.

He's somebody that wears his hair up off his face

but not straight back.

He often wears it a little bit looser

that has nice little pieces coming down the side

to de-emphasize the width of his forehead

but it also really complements

the strength of his jaw shape.

So it's not necessarily about making it

look leaner and tighter.

However, that also can be very complementary.

Look at Nick Jonas.

The way that Nick Jonas wears his hair

is often very tight on the sides, nice and high up

but what he's doing right

is that he's leaving that soft textured feel

to his hairstyle.

That plays out really nicely against the angular nature

of the jaw shape on a heart shaped face

giving it a sense of balance.

So there's not like one descript haircut

that you need to have for this.

It's more about the type of a feeling

your haircut should have

and that should be loose and natural.

The thing you want to avoid

is anything that emphasizes the narrowness of the chin

and most guys with a heart shaped face

often just opt for a short shaped stubble.

The pear.

Think guys like Zach Galifianakis, Anthony Anderson.

This is a face shape that is denoted

simply by having a slightly narrower forehead,

little bit wider on the cheekbones and widest at the jaw.

Now, this is the type of face shape

that can be a little transformative

because a lot of the time, a wider jaw,

it denotes having a little bit more weight on your face

and some guys that have gone through

some extreme weight loss will notice that that face shape

changes slightly to something a little more angular

and a bit more square

but the jawline is still usually fairly wide set.

Now, Anthony Anderson is a guy

that also has a pear shaped face

and you can see in this photo

he wears his hair really tight.

I think I'd prefer to see his hair a little bit longer.

See, something like this

is a little more complementary to his face shape.

It just creates a little bit more

of a broad statement up top,

something that doesn't make his head shape look too narrow

and therefore his jawline

looks just a little bit more balanced and soft.

Same goes for Zach Galifianakis.

Always, I like to see him with slightly softer hairstyles

that create a little bit more width.

You can see that it flows nicely,

creates a little bit more of a broad shape up top.

So the goal for a haircut for a pear shaped face

is to create a little bit more width through the top

which balances out the wideness of the jaw.

Hairstyles you wanna avoid with this face shape

are anything that is high and tight

because those are very narrow looking shapes

and the more narrow the top looks,

the wider the bottom looks.

So when it comes to facial hair

for guys with a pear shaped face,

you're gonna want to go with something

that is a little bit more of a structured angular beard.

Remember, all that means is that the outlines

are a little bit more straight lines and corners

instead of rounded soft shapes.

So by wearing more angular beards,

I find that most guys with a pear shaped face

often create the illusion of a slightly stronger looking jaw

and a narrow looking face shape.

Grooming tip number 284.

If you're trying to maintain a short beard,

it's best to invest in a good quality beard trimmer.

It'll last you longer and keep you looking sharper.

All right, guys, I hope this was helpful.

If you wanna find your own face shape,

just take a picture of yourself on your cellphone.

When you go in to do the edit, use the marker icon

and just start drawing the shapes around your face.

Whichever one tends to line up most

is probably your face shape.

I'm Matty Conrad.

Good luck and good grooming.

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