Hairstyles for a round face: cuts that add length and lift

01

What does a round face look like?

A round face is roughly as long as it is wide, with the cheekbones as its widest part, a softly curved jawline and a rounded chin. A square face has similar proportions but an angular jaw; an oval face is clearly longer than it is wide.

To check, pull your hair back and compare four distances: across the forehead, the cheekbones and the jaw, and from the hairline to the chin. If the length and the cheekbone width are close and the jaw has no clear corners, round is a good first guess. Our guide to face shapes explains the measuring step by step.

1. Add a straight-on photo

   Drag a photo into the Face Shape Detector, choose or paste one, or tap “Take a selfie” on a phone. Pull your hair back, hold the camera at eye level and take off your glasses.

2. Check the hairline

   If the drawn top line sits too low or too high, move “Adjust hairline”; the result updates as you go.

3. Read the shape and the ideas

   You see the closest shape, how clear the match is and bars for all seven shapes, with cuts under “Hairstyles”. No photo? Type four measurements into the manual form, in cm or inches.

02

Best hairstyles for round face: why length and height help

The best hairstyles for a round face add vertical lines, because the face’s length and width are close to equal. Height at the crown or hair falling past the chin makes the outline read a little longer; volume right beside the cheeks makes it read wider. A side part helps too, because it draws a diagonal across a very symmetrical face.

Stylists interviewed by Hairdressers Journal suggest an off-centre parting with choppy layers and warn that one-length cuts and short layers can stress the round shape. The beauty editors at L’Oréal Paris add that a blunt cut ending at the chin points straight at the widest part of the face.

• Volume at the crown or below the jaw, not beside the cheekbones.
• Layers that begin at the chin or lower.
• A side part, or a middle part softened with face-framing pieces.

03

Long, bob and short hairstyles for round face

Every length can work on a round face; what changes is where the cut ends and where it holds volume. These are often filed as women’s hairstyles, but they suit anyone with the hair for them.

• Long layers with a side part: layers from the collarbone down keep weight off the cheeks, with face-framing pieces from the jaw down. On thick hair they also remove bulk that would push the sides out.
• Long bob: ending a few inches below the chin, a little longer at the front if you like, it avoids a horizontal line at the widest point. An angled bob adds a downward slant.
• Shag or wolf cut: these layered cuts gather volume at the crown. Keep the shortest face-framing layers away from cheek level.
• Pixie with lift: texture and height on top, close sides and longer pieces at the front to sweep sideways. L’Oréal Paris notes that this works most easily with thicker hair; fine hair often needs a little more length to hold volume.
• Short angled bob: a stylist in Hairdressers Journal suggests a short, angular bob; choppy ends look lighter than a rounded, one-length line.

04

Curly hairstyles for round face, and bangs that suit it

Curly and coily hair suits a round face when the cut builds height and length rather than width at the cheeks. Long curly layers, a curly long bob, a taper that is fuller on top than at the sides or a shaped afro a little taller than it is wide all follow that idea. Advice differs here: an older Pivot Point guide published in Modern Salon lists curls and side volume as things to avoid for round faces, while L’Oréal Paris suggests bouncy curls for anyone who wants to show off full cheeks.

For bangs, longer and lighter usually beats short and heavy: side-swept bangs or long curtain bangs that fall to the cheekbones. A stylist interviewed by Hairdressers Journal recommends wispy, layered or long, angled fringes for round faces and says short, blunt ones can stress the roundness. Ask for curly bangs to be cut dry, because curls shrink.

05

Hairstyles for round face for men, with beard ideas

Men’s hairstyles for a round face usually keep the sides short and build height on top.

• Pompadour: a long top swept up and back over short or faded sides. It gives more lift than the other cuts here and needs a dryer and product each morning.
• Quiff or textured crop: a quiff is shorter and messier than a pompadour; a textured crop with a slightly lifted front is the low-effort version.
• Faux hawk: a strip of longer hair pushed up along the middle, with shorter sides and nothing shaved.
• Side part with height: volume at the front and a taper on the sides, for the office and the weekend alike.
• Curly or coily hair: a high-top fade, or curls kept longer on top than on the sides.

06

Hairstyles for round face with glasses

With glasses, the frame adds its own line across your face, so choose hair and frames together. Angular rectangular or square frames contrast a round face; small round frames repeat its curves. Cut side-swept bangs long enough to sweep past the frame, not rest on it. Our guide to glasses for your face shape and the detector’s “Glasses” section cover frame shapes and width.

07

How to ask for a haircut for a round face

Bring pictures and say two things clearly: where the cut should end and where it should be full.

1. Bring photos of hair like yours

   Choose the cut on someone with a similar texture and thickness, from the front and the side. A cut on thick straight hair sits differently on fine waves.

2. Name the length by landmarks

   Say “below the chin”, “collarbone” or “shoulder” rather than a number, and where layers should start: “face-framing from the jaw down, nothing shorter at the cheeks”.

3. Be honest about styling time

   A pompadour or a lifted pixie needs a dryer or product every day. If you will not style it, ask for a cut that falls into shape on its own.