Of course, professional hairstylists can take one look at your bone structure and know exactly how to style your mane. So we tapped their pro tips: Here’s how to figure out your face shape match, as well as which hairstyle elements would suit you best (read: haircuts are not one-size-fits-all, but there are certain style traits that work better for certain head shapes than others). Below, the six face shapes in detail, plus which haircuts and styles look best on each: For hairstyles, both O’Connor and Stenson suggest adding fullness to the jaw. “Side parts are great, and blunt bobs or lobs tend to add flattering width at or near the jawline,” Stenson notes. O’Connor mentions long, side-swept bangs will look flattering as well. If you’re looking for an entertaining way to spend an afternoon, try this other fun hack: “A great way to determine your face shape is to take a photo of yourself with your hair tied back,” O’Connor explains. Print it out, and “you can then trace the outline of your face and identify which shape it most closely resembles.” Use some colorful pens, hang it up, and call it art—you know, if you need a friendly face-shape reminder before your next haircut. Or, Stenson says, you can stand in front of a mirror and use a dry erase marker to draw each shape, one-by-one. (Draw the shapes roughly to the size of your face, similar to the infographic above.) “Try to align your face with each shape. In doing this, you’ll be able to identify which shape represents your face structure best,” he says.
