Hairstyles for a heart-shaped face that add fullness at the jaw

01

What does a heart-shaped face look like?

A heart-shaped face is widest at the forehead, or across forehead and cheekbones together, and narrows to a slim jaw and a smaller chin that is often pointed. Some heart faces have a widow’s peak, a V-shaped point in the middle of the hairline, but many do not.

Descriptions vary a little: the stylists in Hairdressers Journal describe a broad forehead and cheekbones above a narrow jaw and chin, while FashionBeans calls the cheekbones the widest point. A diamond face has a narrow chin too, but its forehead is narrow as well. If your forehead is as wide as your cheekbones or wider and your jaw is clearly narrower, heart is a good guess; our guide to face shapes shows how to measure.

1. Add a photo with your forehead free

   In the Face Shape Detector, drag in a front photo, choose or paste one, or tap “Take a selfie” on your phone. Push bangs off your forehead, because they cover the width the detector needs to see.

2. Correct the hairline

   A widow’s peak or a fringe can throw off the estimate of where your forehead begins. Move “Adjust hairline” to your real hairline and watch the scores update.

3. Check the chin and the ideas

   The table compares your jaw with your cheekbones and shows how pointed your chin is. A heart result lists ideas under “Hairstyles”, “Glasses” and “Beards”. The manual form also takes tape-measure values with a pointed-chin option.

02

Best hairstyles for heart shaped face: why fullness at the jaw works

The best hairstyles for a heart-shaped face add softness or volume around the jaw and keep the top fairly calm, because that evens out a wide forehead and a narrow chin. Hair that ends or curls at the jaw fills the lower width, and a fringe or side part breaks up the upper one.

Hairdresser Danilo Giangreco, speaking to Hairdressers Journal, suggests a long side-swept cut with waves or curls from below the ear to draw the eye down, or a medium bob for fullness at the jaw. An older Pivot Point guide in Modern Salon puts it simply: volume at the chin, little or none on top.

• Volume and waves from the jaw down rather than at the crown.
• A parting low on one side; another stylist in Hairdressers Journal suggests starting it above the arch, outer corner or start of the eyebrow.
• Some length at the nape: the Pivot Point guide warns that a cropped nape can make the face look too sharp.

03

Medium length, bob and long hairstyles for heart shaped faces

A chin-length bob is the shortest route to more width where a heart-shaped face is narrow, and longer cuts get there with waves.

• Chin-length bob: it ends at or just below the chin, so its fullest line sits by the jaw. Slightly tapered or bent ends keep it soft. L’Oréal Paris’s editors also suggest a French bob that sits at the jaw.
• Long bob with waves from the jaw down: a lob between chin and collarbone, with waves or curls that begin at jaw height, is the go-to medium-length cut if you still want to tie your hair back.
• Long hair with side-swept bangs: the swept fringe crosses the forehead at an angle, and layers or waves add movement below the jaw. L’Oréal Paris advises against long hair that is flat and one length all the way down, because it pulls the eye up.
• Shoulder-length layers or a shag: layers around the jaw and collarbone, not on top, with the shortest one starting at the chin.
• Side-parted pixie: textured ends, longer at the front and soft at the neck rather than tall on top. Danilo Giangreco names it as an option.

04

Curly hair and bangs for a heart-shaped face

Curly and wavy hair suits a heart-shaped face when the curls are fullest from the cheekbones down. Long curly layers fill the space around a narrow chin, and a curly bob ending at the jaw does the same in a shorter cut. For coily hair, a shape rounder in the lower half than on top keeps the balance; a very tall shape adds to the forehead’s width. Ask whether your stylist cuts curls dry, so you both see where the volume sits.

Side-swept bangs are the classic match: salon owner Richard Ward told Hairdressers Journal that they soften the forehead. Long curtain bangs or wispy, piecey bangs work too. The fringe stylists most often warn about is a wide, blunt one straight across the forehead; another stylist in the same magazine says it will widen the forehead.

05

Men’s hairstyles for a heart-shaped face, and beards

Men with a heart-shaped face often look balanced with medium length on top that falls forward or to the side, and with fuller sides or a beard near the jaw.

• Medium fringe: medium-length hair brought forward softens a broad forehead. Keep it textured so it does not sit like a solid line.
• Side part with medium length on top: the part makes a diagonal across the forehead; keep the sides tapered rather than shaved to the skin.
• Short hair with a full beard: if you like short hair, let the beard add width and length at the jaw and chin.
• Less height: high pompadours and slicked-back cuts open up the whole forehead, and FashionBeans lists them among the styles to avoid for this shape.

06

Glasses and hairstyles for a heart-shaped face

Light, curved or slightly bottom-heavy frames suit a heart-shaped face: oval frames, rimless glasses, light aviators and frames with more weight along the lower rim. Heavy decoration along the top adds to the width of the forehead. Side-swept bangs pair well with glasses when they fall past the top of the frame. See the “Glasses” section of your result and our guide to glasses for your face shape.

07

What to ask for at the salon or barbershop

Tell the stylist where the volume should go; that short brief beats a list of cut names.

1. Say where the volume belongs

   “Fullness at the jaw, not much on top” says it. Show with your hand where your jaw ends.

2. Bring photos of a fringe you like

   Side-swept or curtain, and how long: eyebrow, cheekbone or chin. Say whether you will style it daily or want it to fall into place.

3. Name the length

   Use landmarks such as “chin”, “jaw” or “collarbone”, and say where the shortest layer should be.