Written by Menswear Style in Hair on the 7th June 2016

Have you ever returned from the barber with a haircut that seemed like a good idea at the time – but just doesn’t seem to suit you? It may be the wrong fit for your face shape. To find the most flattering haircut or hairstyle, you’ll want to think about what will best compliment your face traits. 

Oval Face  

If you have a rounded jaw, with your face length greater than the width of your cheekbones, then you have an oval-shaped face. The benefit of this type of shape is that you have symmetrical, balanced features. This means that you can pick and choose from a number of different hairstyles, from the French Crop to the Fade. You’ll look best with styles that have volume at the top, keeping hair off of your forehead. A classic short cut that’s longer on the top and shorter on the sides will look fantastic, as will any style that’s parted on the side. A style to avoid is a heavy fringe, because this will make your face look rounder.

Round  Face

Men with round faces can look overly boyish with the wrong haircut. You want a style that will give angles and definition to your face. Square-shaped styles like pompadours can add interesting structure, or if this is too high maintenance you can ask for a carefully angled front fringe. This type of face shape can also benefit from a square-shaped beard, which can mask a soft jawline.

Diamond Face

A man with a diamond-shaped face has prominent cheekbones and a pointed chin. The chin and brow are both fairly narrow, with the cheeks being wider. This is a fairly unusual face shape, but there are a number of potential styles to work with. Experts at the London School of Barbering recommend choosing a style that will add some width at your forehead or chin area. This will help balance out your wider cheeks. A fringe and/or beard can work well, or you can experiment with long styles to bring out your prominent bone structure. Ask for a side-swept part or scissor cuts to soften angles.

Square Face

A square jawline is considered to be super masculine. If you have this face type, you benefit from a sharp, angular jaw combined with a strong chin and chiselled look. It ranks next to the oval as one of the most versatile face shapes, which means you can choose from short or longer styles. A buzz cut would look great in showing off your features, but you could also sport a trendy quiff or layered look. A similar face shape to the square is the rectangle. You’ll need to avoid too much length on the top with a rectangle shaped face, as this will make your face look longer.

Triangular Face

Finally, if your jawline is wider than your cheekbones and forehead, you may have a triangular face shape. You’ll look best with plenty of volume in your style, both on the top and sides. Try out a long style that skims the nose to add depth to your face and balance out your wide jawline.

When in doubt, it’s a good idea to ask your barber for recommendations. The experts will know just what to do with your particular face shape, hair type, and features to give you the most flattering style.

This hair guide focuses on matching face shapes and head shapes to the correct men's 2016 hairstyles.