In order to achieve the most flattering anti-aging haircut, experts advise identifying your face shape as the first step.
Ghanima Abdullah, a cosmetologist and hair expert at The Right Hairstyles, shared a clever trick with us for determining your face shape, which will then guide you in choosing the right haircuts and styles that complement your features.
Expert tips, suggestions, and insights on selecting a youthful, chic, and stylish haircut for your face shape can be found below!
How To Find Your Face Shape Over 40
The main tip or hack when it comes to determining your shape is emphasizing or creating symmetry. When looking at someone's face, Abdullah says she "tries to choose a haircut that gives the illusion" that they have a perfectly symmetrical oval-shaped face.
"That means playing with bangs, lengths and parts to give just the right effect that can minimize a tall forehead or wide cheekbones." Alternately, she adds, if there are parts of the face that the person wishes to emphasize, "that can be done too, so it's not just minimizing." With that said, let's take a look at a celeb example for each shape.
The Most Flattering Haircuts (And Ones To Skip) For Each Face Shape
Oval-Shaped Faces
Skip Center Parts And Angular Bobs
If you have an oval-faced shape, lucky you! This shape oozes symmetry and can pull off countless hairstyles. "You want to be very moderate with the look and neither elongate the face or make it look broader," Abdullah explains about finding a hairstyle. "Having a center part with long tresses elongates, so if the person prefers long hair, we'd try a side part instead," she continues. A very short haircut, like a bob "can also make the face look too angular," Abdullah warns, "so everything should be kept in balance with this face shape."
Instead, Try A Side Part with Wispy Layers
With that said, you can try a subtle side part like Alexa Chung has above, and add layers and curtain bangs to promote even more symmetry. "Try a side part instead of a center part, as you can move the hair from one side to the other, as you wish," Abdullah says. The added hair going over will increase "volume in the area as well," she adds, especially if your hair is "used to being parted down the center.
Heart-Shaped Faces
Skip Chin-Length Bobs
A heart-shaped face is usually determined by high cheekbones and a pointed chin, Abdullah says. "Heart faces typically have a pointed chin. It can seem like the whole face is centered right on the chin, so we want to even out that pointy look and make the bottom of the face seem wider," she says.
Instead, Try Shoulder-Length Lobs
"Try a bob, or lob, that comes to the shoulders. You don't want a bob that ends at chin level, because it will only emphasize the chin."
Abdullah adds that "all shoulder-length cuts" look good on a heart-shaped face because you're drawing the attention away from the chin with length. "Adding curls makes the style even better," she says. As seen on Reese Witherspoon here, going a little longer past the shoulders and collarbone can look very flattering as well.
Round Faces
Skip Chin-Length Bobs Or Shorter Cuts
Round face shapes can be determined by an equal length and width in the face as well as having rounder features like jawline and cheekbones. Here, the emphasis is to make the face slightly longer and to reduce some of its width, Abdullah says. This is why going any shorter than neck-length is less-than-ideal, as it can emphasize the natural roundness, which might not be one's goal.
Instead, Try Center-Parted Long Hair Or Neck-Length Bobs
"This is where long tresses with a center part can come in to lengthen the face. When you're trying to reduce width, try a bob that's neck-length, that way, the bottom curve of the cut helps conceal some of the width of your cheeks." This, she adds, looks natural when gathered around the neck. A center part, seen here on Selena Gomez, can always help create a more symmetrical look.
Square Faces
Skip Extremely Short Styles
Finding a cut for a square shape [determined by an even forehead and jawline] is similar to a haircut for a heart-shaped face, Abdullah says. This is because you're "drawing attention away from the lower half, so shoulder-length haircuts work here too." Anything shorter might emphasize the already defined jaw, and create an undesired boxy appearance.
Instead, Try Shoulder-Length Or Longer Cuts With Wispy Bangs
It's also nice, Abdullah says, to create a more "dainty look" at the top of the hair, she adds, which gives the whole face "a more feminine look." This can be done with classic curtain bangs or with side-swept bangs that are feathery. As seen here on Olivia Wilde, long, elegant curls and a deep side part also never go out of style!
Long Faces
Skip Long, Flat, Layerless Hair
If you feel like your face shape is longer than an oval, it might simply be the 'long' shape, which is still symmetrical, seen here with Liv Tyler. "For this face shape, the goal is to make the face a little less tall," Abdullah says. With that said, you might find that avoiding very flat or one-length styles is key
Instead, Try Sideswept Bangs Or A Deep Side Part
Side-swept bangs or a deep side part are a "sure way" to reduce some of the forehead length, Abdullah advises. "Layers that create volume around the cheek area are also a good way to add some width to the face," she concludes.
The more you know!
