Hairstyles for a diamond face: width at the forehead and jaw

01

What does a diamond face shape look like?

A diamond face has its widest point at the cheekbones, with a narrower forehead and a narrower jaw that tapers to the chin. It is usually longer than it is wide, the cheekbones sit high and often look angular, and the outline resembles a kite. The key question: are your cheekbones clearly wider than both your forehead and your jaw?

A heart face is different: it is widest at the forehead, or at forehead and cheekbones together. An oval face also peaks at the cheekbones, but its forehead and jaw are only slightly narrower and the outline is curved. Our guide to face shapes walks through all four measurements.

1. Use a front photo with the temples visible

   Add a photo to the Face Shape Detector by dragging, choosing or pasting it, or tap “Take a selfie”. Tuck your hair behind your ears, because hair over the temples covers how narrow the forehead is.

2. Set the hairline

   Use “Adjust hairline” to put the top line where your hair starts. Its position changes the face length the result is based on.

3. Compare the three widths

   The measurements table lists forehead, cheekbone and jaw widths as ratios. If diamond sits close to heart or oval in the bars, read both guides; “Hairstyles” shows ideas for your top match.

02

Why hairstyles for diamond face shapes add width

Hairstyles for diamond face shapes add a little width at the forehead and the jaw, the two narrow points of the outline. Filled out there, the three widths look closer to each other and the face reads evenly, while the cheekbones, which many people with this shape like to show, stay in view.

Hairdresser Desmond Murray, quoted in Hairdressers Journal, suggests an angular bob or a shoulder-length layered cut starting around the chin to add fullness at the jaw; another stylist in the same piece recommends diagonal side partings. An older Pivot Point guide in Modern Salon sums it up as fullness at the chin and narrow sides, and lists height on top and long, pointed side sections as things to avoid.

• Volume at the jaw or chin, from layers, waves or a bob that ends there.
• Something across the forehead: a side-swept fringe, curtain bangs or a deep side part.
• Hair tucked behind the ears to show the cheekbones, which works with many cuts.

03

Best hairstyles for diamond face, from bobs to long layers

A chin-length bob is a classic choice for a diamond face, because its fullest line sits right at the narrow jaw.

• Chin-length bob: it ends at or just below the chin, with a slight bend or texture at the ends so it fills out the jaw. A side part adds width at the forehead too.
• Long layers with side-swept bangs: layers from below the cheekbones keep the lengths from hanging flat at the widest point, the swept fringe fills out the forehead, and waves add fullness lower down.
• Shoulder-length cut with fullness at the jaw: layers from the chin down, curled under or flipped out, put volume where the face is narrow. Choose this if a bob feels too short.
• Pixie or short crop: keep side-swept pieces at the forehead and some length around the ears. A very close, angular pixie shows the cheekbones strongly; one stylist in Hairdressers Journal softens it with a side-swept parting.

04

Curly hair and bangs for a diamond face

Curls and waves suit a diamond face, because they build width at the jaw on their own when the length ends around the chin or shoulders. For curly or coily hair, a curly lob or a rounded cut with more volume in the lower half balances the cheekbones; a shape that is widest at cheek height or very tall on top does less. Fine, straight hair gets a similar effect from loose waves at the ends.

For bangs, choose soft, side-swept bangs or long curtain bangs that end at the cheekbones; they add width at the forehead without a solid horizontal line. A stylist interviewed by Hairdressers Journal recommends side-swept and bottleneck bangs for diamond faces, and warns that heavy, straight-across fringes can make the cheekbones look wider. Bottleneck bangs are short in the center and longer toward the sides.

05

Men’s hairstyles for a diamond face, with beard ideas

Men with a diamond face often look balanced in cuts that bring hair over the forehead and keep some length at the sides.

• Textured fringe: hair brought forward adds width over the narrow forehead. Ask for sides that are not clipped too tight.
• Loose, messy quiff: texture and moderate height, pushed up and slightly sideways. FashionBeans and the Pivot Point guide both warn against much height on a diamond face, so keep it loose and low; a full beard balances the lower face.
• Medium-length hair swept back: about chin length, pushed back loosely so it keeps volume behind the ears, not slicked flat.
• Short taper: a classic taper with some length on top and a fringe, if you prefer short hair.

06

Glasses for a diamond face

Frames about as wide as the cheekbones, with some presence along the brow, suit many diamond faces: oval, cat-eye, rimless or browline frames. A browline or cat-eye shape adds width at the top of the face, while frames much narrower than the cheekbones make them look wider. Keep bangs light so they do not sit heavily on a browline frame. The detector’s “Glasses” section and our guide to glasses for your face shape cover shapes and width.

07

How to ask for a haircut for a diamond face

Explain where the volume should sit and let the stylist suggest how your hair can get there.

1. Show where the volume goes

   Point to your jaw: that is where the cut should be fullest, not at the cheekbones. Photos of bobs or shoulder-length cuts on people with high cheekbones help.

2. Ask about the forehead

   Ask whether a side-swept fringe, curtain bangs or a deep side part suits your hairline. A cowlick or strong growth pattern at the front decides which one will lie well.

3. Describe your hair and routine

   Say whether your hair is straight, wavy, curly or coily, fine or thick, and how many minutes you spend on it in the morning.