Hairstyles for a diamond face: fullness at the forehead and jaw, not the cheekbones

First, check the shape

A diamond face is the least common of the shapes. The cheekbones are the clearly widest point; the forehead is narrower, and the jaw narrows to a chin that is often fairly pointed. From the front, the outline makes a soft diamond.

Check from a photo taken a metre or more away at eye level, with your hair pulled back. If the forehead is as wide as the cheekbones or wider, the face is more likely heart-shaped; see hairstyles for a heart-shaped face.

What the cut is trying to do

A diamond face reads striking and defined, mostly because of the cheekbones. If you want to balance it, the hair adds width at the two narrow points, the forehead and the jaw, and keeps extra volume away from the cheekbones.

1. Add width at the forehead, with bangs or volume at the temples.
2. Add fullness at the jaw, with a bob or layers that end around the chin.
3. Keep the cheekbone area smooth, not puffed out.

Cuts that do this well

Curtain bangs. A fringe that parts in the middle and sweeps out widens the forehead and frames the cheekbones without adding width to them.

A chin-length bob. Its fullest point sits at the jaw, right where the face narrows below the cheekbones. Soft, textured ends work better than a hard blunt line.

Layers with fullness at the jaw. On longer hair, ask for layers that build movement around the chin and below, with the lengths smooth past the cheekbones.

Side-swept styles. A deep side part with hair falling across one temple adds width at the forehead and softens the outline.

Cuts that fight the shape

• Volume at the cheekbones, from round brushing at the sides or curls set at cheekbone level, widens the widest point.
• Severe centre parts with flat sides narrow the forehead further and leave the cheekbones as the only width.
• Slicked-back or tight updos show the full outline. They can look dramatic; they do not balance.
• Very short cuts that are close at the temples make the forehead read narrower.

Curly, coily or very thick hair

With curly hair, the goal is to keep the fullest point above or below the cheekbones. Ask for a shape that is fuller at the crown and around the jaw. A fringe of curls adds width at the forehead. With coily hair, a rounded shape works well if the width sits at the temples and jaw rather than right at cheekbone level.

What to say in the chair

Try: "I'd like fullness at the forehead and jaw rather than the cheekbones: curtain bangs, and layers or a bob that adds width at the chin." Show one photo on someone with hair like yours.

Two honest limits

Strong cheekbones are not a problem. These cuts are for balance if you want it; leaving the cheekbones on show is just as valid a choice.

Light changes how cheekbones look more than hair does. Side light deepens the shadows under them; light from the front softens them. Keep the camera at eye level and a metre or more away (more in selfies vs mirror photos). Auraspire's aura scan reads your face shape from one photo for free, with your aura score and the one change that would help most; the full read adds the hairstyles and frames for your shape and a card to show your stylist.