This article/video is a 3-parter, where I’ll also cover the best hairstyles for your hair type as well as more in-depth videos for your specific hair type. Do yourself a favor and check out those other articles/videos as they’ll be released shortly.
Before we get started, please note the use of the word “best” and not “every hairstyle for your face shape.” These, in my opinion, as well as the professionals I mentioned in the series intro, are the best hairstyles if a man wants to look sharp-as-hell. If you’re hoping for a discussion about every hairstyle possible, this article isn’t for you.
The general goal of your hairstyle should be to:
- Look damn good – obviously.
- Just like with your clothing in relation to your body, you want to balance the proportions of your face so it doesn’t take away from the rest of your appearance. Get this wrong and it can make you look weird or goofy.
As for age old question: “What face shape do I have?” for males, I’ve included two of the best resources for finding this out:
Like I mentioned in my video about the best men’s sunglasses for your face shape, there’s really only 4 major face shapes for men:
Any other face shape is basically one of these with a teeny tiny difference that has no bearing on the hairstyle you should choose.
With all that said, let’s go over the best hairstyles for your face shape.
Oval/Oblong
If you have an Oval or Oblong face shape, the best hairstyles tend to be short or medium length because longer hairstyles with bangs or a more poofy or fro-ey hairstyle, depending on your hair type, will make your face look longer than it is – which you want to avoid (check the video at the top for an example of how bad it can look).
Stick to haircuts with shorter sides and a little longer on top. Don’t go super short on the sides and long on top, though, otherwise the drastic difference in length will make your face look longer and thinner than it is.
Depending on your hair type, side parts were made for this face shape, regardless of how sharp the part actually is – whether you use your hands or a comb.
If you’re thinning, definitely go for super short on the sides and slightly longer on top. However, if your hairline is pretty receded or your bald spot is pretty significant, cut the B.S. and buzz or shave your head. I go into finer detail in my article/video about the best hairstyles for your hair type.
For curly or kinky hair, keep it shorter on the sides and a little longer on top to control the frizziness so it doesn’t get out of control. How short you go depends on your preference. I love a good temple fade on a black man and stick to a shorter quiff if you’ve got curly hair so it’s more manageable. But, if you want to embrace the curls a little more, go longer, like a few inches on top. The problem is that it can get pretty frizzy and out of control, unless you’re washing properly and using the best products for your hair type. Be sure to check out my article/video about the best shampoos and conditioners for your hair type, as it makes a huge difference.
Heart or Triangular
Since a Heart or Triangular face shape has a narrower or pointed chin, you want to stick to layered styles to help offset the sharpness of your chin.
As for length, go for longer-on-top styles with shorter, but not super short, sides. If you went super short on the sides, it’d make you look like you’ve got big ears – which you want to avoid.
For you, hair swept across the forehead, or off the forehead and back, with or without a side part, or a quiff will look great. If you’ve got coarse, kinky hair, you can go with a little bit longer afro all the way around, somewhere around 2 to 3 inches in length, like the picture above.
With this face shape, you can also grow out some facial stubble or a full beard to help add visual width and weight to your bottom half of your face and keep the proportions more in line with the rest of your face. If you go with a stubble or beaded look, you can grow your hair out a little longer on top, too.
Round
You want more square styles to offset your round face. Keep the sides much shorter and go longer on top to add some height to your face which will play with your facial proportions a little better. Whatever you do, don’t have your hair down on your forehead because it’ll make your face look rounder (again, check the video at the top for an example of how bad it can look).
A good, fluffy quiff or pompadour or even a high and tight looks great on this face shape, as does an undercut if you want a little more of a rugged look. For kinky hair, a sharp temple fade is always on point – I’d choose that over a totally shaved look every time.
Square
A square face shape is similar to Oval in that virtually all hairstyles look great. The only thing to do is create the illusion of softer corners to help soften the angles of your face, but not remove them.
Haircuts that are super short all the way around all the way to longer hairstyles look great on this face shape. I have to say, short and mid-length hairstyles that are a little cleaner always look sharp and give you the ability to go messy or more put together easily, so they’re my preference, for sure.
Again, for men with kinky hair, get that temple fade going!
Like I mentioned at the beginning of this article, this is 1 of 3 articles/videos that go together, so be sure to check out the other articles/videos about your hair type, because it also influences the hairstyle you should go for.