Short Hairstyles to Suit Your Face Shape

This section is a guide about the most popular face shapes and the short hairstyles that suit a particular face shape. This will assist you when deciding what type of short hairstyle to go for. Browse through the Gallery section for further style ideas.

Oval shaped face:

An oval face is the most versatile shape you can have, almost any style or cut, long or short, will suit you. For an oval face layered front sections on any style will definitely highlight your facial features. The best short cut for an oval face is a cute pixie cut with a soft fringe, style can be worn as a straight smooth cut or with soft curls and spikes. Oval shaped faces should try avoiding having extra long hair to avoid giving you a long face.

Long shaped face:

The idea with a long face is to create the perception of width by making your face look fuller. Width is created in a number of different ways, for short hair it’s best to have a chin length bob, softly layered or curled on the sides and a soft side swept bang. Chin length styles give the illusion of width as well as curls and layers. Side swept bang is soft and downplays a long forehead. Avoid short cuts that add volume on the top of the head, as it will give your entire look more length instead of width.

Round shaped face:

Short hairstyles are a little difficult for a round face; the idea is to try elongating the face, for this you will need to keep your hair length just (or longer) past the chin. A long bob is ideal, but avoid too straight a cut or an extremely curly cut, as this will only accentuate the roundness of your face. For a long bob just past the chin add very soft waves or layers (try keep the top part of the hair flat with waves starting past the ears) to add height to the style.

If you do want to go short remember that the growing out phase can be a difficult one as short cuts tend to be voluminous and give the impression of width. A perfect short cut is a very short pixie cut (no curls) with wisps around the face; allow wisps to fall close to the face to de-emphasizing roundness.

Square shaped face:

For a square face the idea is to downplay your strong jaw line. The best short style is to keep the hair very short and spiky. Avoid bob’s and bangs as this will only make your face look squarer.

Heart shaped face:

The heart shaped face is also known as triangular shape because you have a broad forehead and narrow, pointy chin. A short cut should highlight your eyes and cheekbones, use long side swept bangs or brow-grazing fringe to achieve this.

Combine any of these styles with different hair accessories to change your look completely. Visit our gallery dedicated to hair accessories, some of the hottest ideas in Hollywood for more inspiration as well as our sections on short hair care and what styles will suit your face shape.