How to Determine Your Face Shape & Pick the Perfect Haircut (for Men)

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Choose the best hair and beard styles to enhance your facial features

Co-authored by Ambia Elms and Bailey Cho

Last Updated: August 28, 2023 Fact Checked

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How to Determine Your Face Shape

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Types of Men’s Face Shapes & Hair and Beard Styles

If you’re going in for a trim, understanding the shape of your face can help you pick the perfect hair or beard style. Face shape is determined by measuring your facial features and comparing them to the 7 basic face shapes (which we've provided below), and you only need a measuring tape to get started! In this article, we’ll walk you through every step of the process, including how to analyze your facial proportions and find a haircut that highlights your features.

Section 1 of 2:

How to Determine Your Face Shape

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1
Measure your forehead. To determine your face shape, put your middle finger on the outside tip of your eyebrow and move it upward until your finger reaches the middle of your forehead—between your eyebrow and hairline. Repeat the same point on the other side of your head, then have a friend measure the distance between your fingers with a measuring tape.^{[1]
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- Write down this measurement (and the rest of your facial feature measurements) so you can compare it to the face shape profiles below.
To measure the width of your cheekbones, place your index finger on the outer corner of your eye, and move it downward until you feel the bone—it should be located at the pointiest part below the outer corner of the eye. Repeat this on the other side, then ask a friend to measure the distance between both points with a measuring tape. Jot this number down.^{[2]
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Measure your jawline. Use a measuring tape to measure the distance between the base of your jaw (the spot below your ear that becomes fuller when you clench your teeth) and the tip of your chin. Multiply that number by 2 to get the measurement for your jawline width, and write it down.^{[3]
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- Alternatively, measure the other side of your jaw as well (instead of multiplying the number by 2), then add those 2 values together to get your jawline measurement.
Use a measuring tape to measure the distance between the center of your hairline and the tip of your chin, running the tape straight down your face (along your nose). If you have a shaved head or you’re not sure where your hairline is, place your palm on your forehead so your pinkie finger covers your eyebrow—the tip of your hairline should be under the area where your index finger is. Write this value on a piece of paper.^{[4]
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Compare your facial measurements to determine your face shape. Once you’ve taken all your measurements and written them down, analyze which ones are the smallest and largest, and which ones are similar in length—give or take about 1/2 inch (1.3 cm). Then, compare the proportions of your face with the face shape descriptions in the following section.^{[5]
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- For example, if your cheekbone width is 7.5 inches (19.1 cm) and your face length is 8 inches (20.3 cm), it would be considered similar in size. And if your jawline is softer, you probably have a round face shape.
- If your measurements get smaller from your forehead to jawline, you might have a heart-shaped or oval face. If they’re similar throughout your entire face, you might have a square or rectangular shape.
- If your measurements get larger from your forehead to jawline, you probably have a triangular face shape.
- Keep in mind that it’s possible to have more than one face shape because some of the descriptions overlap and your measurements might fall into 2 types. For instance, many people end up being a combination of oval and rectangular shapes because there are only slight differences.

Section 2 of 2:

Types of Men’s Face Shapes & Hair and Beard Styles

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1
Round A round face is characterized by soft, rounded features, with almost equal measurements in face length and cheekbone width. Men with a round face shape usually have full cheeks and a less defined jawline, giving them a more youthful appearance. Their forehead and jawline tapers slightly, while their cheekbones are wide and curvy.^{[6]
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- Best hairstyles: A short back and sides with a quiff to help elongate the face. Or, a voluminous style with some angles, such as a pompadour or long quiff with a side part.^{[7]
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- Best beard shapes: A short boxed beard with neatly trimmed sides, a Van Dyke beard (a full goatee with detached mustache), a Balbo beard (a beard with a floating mustache and no sideburns), or an anchor beard (a pointed beard that traces the jawline with a mustache).^{[8]
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- Celebs with round faces: Leonardo Dicaprio, Elijah Woods, Jack Black, Zac Efron, and Seth Rogan
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Square If your forehead, cheekbone, jawline, and face length measurements are similar, you have a square face shape. This face shape is considered the masculine ideal because it features a sharp, angular jawline with defined cheekbones and a wide forehead. A square face is almost as long as it is wide, and the hairline follows a straight line.^{[9]
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- Best hairstyles: A clean, close cut that accentuates the angles of the face, such as a classic short back and sides with some texture on top. Or, a longer style like a quiff, pompadour with close sides, or a modern undercut that cleans up closer to the beard.^{[10]
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- Best beard shapes: A round or triangular shape that’s close-cropped, such as a goatee, royale beard (a mustache paired with a chinstrap beard), short boxed beard (one with sharp edges), or stubble. Keep the chin area soft or slightly pointed to balance out the face.^{[11]
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- Celebs with square faces: Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise, Henry Cavill, David Beckham, and Colton Haynes
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Oval If your face length is larger than the width of your cheekbones, and your forehead width is larger than your jawline, you have an oval-shaped face. An oval shape is considered the most balanced and versatile face shape, characterized by a rounded jaw, tall forehead, and sharp cheekbones. The cheekbones are the widest part of the face, creating an egg-like shape.^{[12]
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- Best hairstyles: Pretty much any style works, including a classic taper or fade, crew cut, textured quiff, or pompadour. However, avoid a fringe, which can make your face look rounder.^{[13]
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- Best beard shapes: Almost every style works, but a classic full beard, squared-off beard, or stubble paired with a mustache looks especially good. For 'staches, try a chevron (one that covers the entire top lip), a horseshoe mustache (one with long bars pointing downward), or an original 'stache that sits just above the top lip.^{[14]
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- Celebs with oval faces: Justin Bieber, Jake Gyllenhaal, George Clooney, Idris Elba, and Robert Downey Jr.
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Rectangular/Oblong This face shape is a combination between an oval and square shape—the face length appears long like an oval, but the forehead, cheekbones, and jawline are similar in size like a square. Men with a rectangular (or oblong) face shape have a wide and tall forehead, a strong and squared jawline, a narrow and pointy chin, and minimal cheekbones.^{[15]
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- Best hairstyles: Classic shapes and scissor cuts that add width to the face, such as a side-swept fringe, a textured crop, pompadour, or a medium-length cut with layers.^{[16]
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- Best beard shapes: A style that's shorter on the bottom and longer on the sides, such as a mutton chops beard (long sideburns that connect to a mustache), a gunslinger beard and mustache (flared sideburns paired with a horseshoe mustache, a chin strip (a vertical line of hair across the chin), or a chin strap beard (a beard with no mustache that circles the chin).^{[17]
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- Celebs with rectangular faces: Adam Levine, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Christian Bale, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Jay-Z
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Heart If your forehead is wider than your cheekbones and jawline, and you have a pointy chin, you have a heart-shaped face. This face shape features a wide forehead, narrow jawline, and curved cheekbones, and men who have heart-shaped faces often have a widow’s peak (a V-shaped point in the hairline at the center of the forehead).^{[18]
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- Best hairstyles: Balance the proportions of your face with a style that adds width to the lower part and softens the forehead, such as a textured fringe, medium quiff, side swept crew cut, or preppy comb-over.^{[19]
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- Best beard shapes: A shorter beard that adds volume to the jaw and chin to balance out the face, such as a Garibaldi (a full beard with a rounded bottom, paired with a neat mustache), Verdi (a beard with short, sculpted sideburns and a long, curled mustache), Hollywoodian (a goatee, full mustache, and wide horizontal chinstrap beard), short boxed beard (one with sharp edges), or classic full beard.^{[20]
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- Celebs with heart-shaped faces: Ryan Gosling, Bradley Cooper, Harry Styles, Chris Pine, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt
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Triangle Also referred to as the inverted heart shape, a triangle face shape is marked by a narrow forehead, strong jawline, and pointy chin. The jawline is wider than the cheekbones, and the cheekbones are wider than the forehead, mimicking the shape of an upside-down triangle.^{[21]
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- Best hairstyles: A shorter style with more volume on the top and sides, such as a tapered fade with fringe, faux hawk, long rough side part, or textured crop.^{[22]
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- Best beard shapes: A short beard that doesn’t make the chin look more prominent, such as a beardstache (a mustache and beard combo, where the stache is longer), Garibaldi (a beard with a rounded bottom and a clean mustache), Verdi (a beard with short, sculpted sideburns and a long, curled mustache), Hollywoodian (a combo of: a goatee, full mustache, and wide horizontal chinstrap beard), short boxed beard (one with sharp edges), or heavy stubble.^{[23]
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- Celebs with triangle-shaped faces: Timothée Chalamet, Tom Holland, Keith Urban, Jungkook (from BTS), and Abel Tesfaye (The Weeknd)
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Diamond This distinct face shape is characterized by high cheekbones and a pointy chin, mimicking the shape of a diamond. The face length is about the same as the width, and the cheekbones are wider than the jawline and forehead. Men with a diamond face shape also tend to have narrower hairlines, giving them the look of a smaller forehead.^{[24]
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- Best hairstyles: A crop top, fringe, or any style with more volume on top. Ask for scissor cuts to keep your style soft and create a balanced look.^{[25]
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- Best beard shapes: A rounded, full face beard with short sides, a Garibaldi beard (a beard with a rounded bottom and a clean mustache), Verdi beard (a beard with short, sculpted sideburns and a long, curled mustache), or ducktail beard (a full beard with pointy chin hair and trimmed cheeks). Cut it close to the jawline to emphasize your strong bone structure.^{[26]
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- Celebs with diamond-shaped faces: Cillian Murphy, Robert Pattinson, Johnny Depp, Ryan Reynolds, and Lionel Messi