The right hairstyles for the right face shape

I recently went out with some of my friends for dinner just to unwind and relax. I had a wonderful time with these ladies! And as we were sitting at the bar waiting to be seated, I started thinking about fashion again (as I always do...) And one of the things I noticed as I was sitting at the bar  is the different hairstyles that the women coming and going in this particular restaurant were wearing. There were so many different hairstyles some were very complimentary to the ensembles the women were wearing and some looked flat and oily,like a bees nest,and some looked big and poofy and not so complimentary at all. That's when I started to ponder about what thoughts were going in there heads when they decided to style their hair before actually leaving the house. In this instance, the atmosphere was more of a casual one, so most of the women here seemed to have chosen  hairstyles which  were more relaxed and casual, and easy to maintain. So the question that I am always asked remains still unanswered... Is there a universal hairstyle that any woman can wear with any outfit and never go wrong???? So when I got home I decided to look at some pictures of hairstyles I have had over the years and try to figure out why I decided to style my hair those different ways; even though hairstyling was not an easy thing for me. I then researched the Internet to see if choosing hairstyles had to do with the size and shape of the woman and the image she wanted to portray and there were no real concrete answers there either. It was then I looked at myself in the mirror  and  the conclusion I came up with was.... wait for it......THERE ISN'T ONE!!!!Each person is different, and choosing the right hairstyles to fit them will depend on the person's face shape, hair texture, and the occasion! The right hairstyles can accentuate your best facial features while downplaying any flaws, as well as  redefining the way you look. However, there are some things to consider when choosing that best hairstyle for your face. First thing you need to be aware of is the true shape of your face. All people have one of  7 face shapes: round, square, rectangle, long (or "oblong"), heart, diamond or oval. I am going to show you how to measure your face to determine the true shape of your face; or at least get close to your natural face shape. And if you find that you may be classified into one or more  facial shapes than that's an even better way for you to explore new hairstyles and find the ones that will compliment anything you decide to wear for any occasion!  I learned to do this at a makeup bar that I attended a few years back and it has always been the way that I determine any one's facial shape. Its like weight watchers and their point's system to me. I have done it for so long that I know it by heart! LOL. OK...OK seriously,  look in a big mirror and examine the bone structure and curves that make up your face.
you'll need a ruler or a tape measure. Here we go, just be sure to write down the measurements for each step:

• We'll start with the forehead. Measure across your forehead at the widest point.
• Move on to the cheeks. Measure the widest length across your cheekbones.
• Now on to the jaw. Measure your jawline at its widest point.
• Finally, we'll measure the length of your face. Put the ruler just under the eyes and imagine there is a line there and measure from ear to ear (stopping at where the ear begins). Then place the ruler at the top of your forehead at your hairline and measure to your chin using the imaginary line there also. Your ratio will either be 1 (your width) to 1 1/2 (your length) or 1 to 1 or 1 to 2.
• If you are one who isn't good at measuring yourself  and there is no one available to do it for you. Another way to determine these measurements  is to  have a photo of your face taken and use the measurements on the photo. You could also use an old tube of lipstick and while you are staring at your beautiful self in the big mirror that I forgot to tell you you needed... you  could trace an outline of you face (with the hair pulled back and out of  the way!) This will measure only what is seen looking forward and will also provide the facial measurements you need just by using the ruler or a tape measure.

Now that you have your facial measurements its time to determine your facial shape. Here is the characteristic guide I used. I also added the types of hairstyles that I felt would be best suited for the different facial shapes.

Round

               

                                                                       
              

• Your face is almost as wide as it is long
• Your jaw-line is round and full
• Your cheekbones are the widest part of your face and round
• Your hairline is most probably round 
•  You'll want to make your face appear longer and leaner and less round. Try styles that fall just below the chin like the long bob hairstyle. Also soft, emphasized layers  are great because they make your face appear slimmer and tend to remove  the look of fullness from the sides. Consider wispy and tapered styles.  The "wispy-ness" takes emphasis off the roundness of your face.
  When it comes to bangs, keep them long or side-swept. Avoid the very straight or very curly hair as it can accentuate the roundness. And never let the ends of the hair rest  directly onto your cheeks  as it adds more emphasis on your round face. If you have bangs let it slightly drape past your cheekbones.

Square

                        
                                                                                                               

• Your face is almost as wide as it is long
• Your jaw is broad and your jaw-line is square
• The sides of your face are straight -- your forehead, cheekbones and jaw are the same width
• Your hairline is most probably straight
•  Texture, in the form of curls or choppy ends, does this brilliantly. You can also get away with short, spiky cuts and long, sleek styles with layers that start at the jawline and continue downward.
•  Avoid one-length bob hairstyles (especially chin-length) and wide, plain bangs. These will only accentuate your angular features rather than soften them.
 

 Inverted        Heart
 Triangle


                                                                       

The only difference between the inverted triangle and the heart shaped faces are that the heart has a widows peak. They basically are the same.

• Your face is slightly longer than wide
• Your jaw-line is long and pointed
• The sides of your face taper from your forehead to your jaw
• Your forehead is the widest part of your face, or the same width as your cheekbones
• Your jaw is the narrowest part of your face
• Short hair tends to look great on heart-shaped faces, as well as chin-length bobs just avoid bob styles that are above chin level. This draws the attention away from eyes and emphasizes the chin. Steer clear from short, blunt-cut bangs and and the wild, choppy layered look.
• Side-swept or wispy bangs look fabulous with long, wavy hair, shoulder-length modified bobs and even pixie cuts.
 

 Triangle
                
                
            

                                     

• Your face is slightly longer than wide
• Your jaw is broad
• The side of your face tapers from your jaw to your forehead
• Your jaw is the widest part of your face and your forehead is narrow
•  Your face looks best with short hair that shows off the forehead and cheekbones, while  taking the attention away from the chin. Asymmetrical layered look is also a great choice. Also the soft layered look helps  to balance out a strong jaw and chin.
• Avoid  Bobs and other angled styles that end at the chin. They place emphasize  toward the chin area.

 Diamond
                         
                      
                              
   


           
                      








                                       

• Your face is slightly longer than wide
• Your jaw-line is long and pointed
• Your cheekbones are the widest part of your face. They are often high and pointed
• Your forehead and jaw-line are tapered
• Your eyes, nose and mouth are well balanced vertically 
•  The classic Bob style with a little volume at the bottom is always a great choice, or a layered look with flipped-out ends is also a ideal choice. 

    
    Oval

                                         










                                         
              
             

• Your face is slightly longer than wide
• Your jaw-line is slightly rounded
• The outline of your face is an inverted egg-shape -- your face is widest at the cheekbones. Your forehead is fairly broad (broader than you jaw)
• Your face can be divided into 3 equal horizontal sections between the hairline, eyebrows, end of nose and chin
• Your eyes are evenly spaced, with one eye width distance between them
• Your face has no extreme characteristics. For example you do not have very small or very large eyes, mouth or nose.
• Considered to be the ideal facial shape  because it's easier to style than the other face shapes. An oval can get away with almost any hairstyle  because of the balanced proportions.
• Pay close attention to your facial features when choosing styles.  You may have a more tense or delicate look and this needs to be considered as not to draw the eye on one area on the face more than it needs to. Styles that keep everything in balance include tousled shoulder length styles that bring everything into proportion like it already is without emphasizing any one feature more than most. Classic bob with a side part and Pixie styles which shows off  the cuteness of the oval face! I have an oval face by the way....LOL!

   Oblong

                       



                   

                          







                                          

• Your face is definitely longer than wide
• Your jaw-line is softly rounded
• The sides of your face are straight -- your forehead, cheekbones and jaw-line are the same width
• Your hairline may be rounded
•  Too much height on top and super long hair should be avoided.Your face shape is long and needs to be shortened. Long hair can work for you but you need to work a lot on styling it in a way that makes it look voluminous on the sides of your cheekbones to give more of  an illusion of a "full cheeky" look. "Chin-length bobs" are ideal because they create the "cheeky look" (as I like to call it)  or illusion to the make the cheeks and face appear fuller. Just make sure your stylist cuts the hair shorter or even tapered in the back so it doesn't look plain! curls and waves would work as well because again the focus is to add width and fullness to the face.

 Rectangle



                                                                           
                                                                                                        

            
                                                  

• Your face is definitely longer than wide
• Your jaw is broad and your jaw-line is square
• The sides of your face are straight -- your forehead, cheekbones and jaw-line are the same width
• Your hairline is most likely straight
• layers and asymmetrical cuts help soften the tense look and  draws the eye away from the chin and jaw-line.
  You should also avoid blunt haircuts, such as straight bangs and chin-length bobs as they make your face look tense and emphasize your jawline. If you decide on getting bangs make sure they are hitting just below the eyebrows and end longer at the sides of your face.  Side-swept bangs compliment your face shape a lot better than straight bangs. Other styles that look good are wavy bobs, super straight and long  or long and wavy styles.Keep in mind if your hair is super long, or you have super long extensions either way that's fine as long as it  sits close to the sides of your face. 

 The face shape images are from tips.tricks.net in the article Haircuts and Face shapes! by Tania Sabnam

The locations for the hairstyles came from the following websites:
Round: beauty-and-bath.com
Square: short style Image came from kookhair.com
                curly style image came from   naturallycurly.com
Inverted Triangle/Heart: style  image from the hairstyler.com
Triangle: style images from the hairstyler.com
Diamond: style images are from thehairstyler.com  
Oval:  First three oval styles are images are from thehairstyler.com
             short wavy oval style image  from  blackhairplanet.com
Oblong:  Images are from thehairstyler.com
Rectangle: shoulder-length curly style Image from naturallycurly.com
                  assyetrical and long curly style Images from beauty-and-the bath.com