Hairstyles for a long face: add width, not height

First, check the shape

A long face, also called oblong, is clearly longer than it is wide. The forehead, cheekbones and jaw are at similar widths, so the sides of the face run fairly straight, and the chin may be a little long.

Check from a photo taken a metre or more away at eye level, with your hair pulled back. If the cheekbones are clearly the widest point and the face is only a little longer than wide, it is probably oval; see hairstyles for an oval face.

What the cut is trying to do

A long face reads elegant and composed. If you want it to read a little softer or more balanced, the hair has one job: add width and stop adding length. Most of the advice below follows from that.

1. Cover some of the forehead. Bangs shorten the face from the top.
2. Put volume at the sides, around the cheekbones and the ears, not at the crown.
3. Avoid long, straight vertical lines that make the face read even longer.

Cuts that do this well

Curtain or full bangs. The most effective change for a long face. A full fringe at brow level, a soft wispy fringe, or curtain bangs that sweep past the cheekbones all take length off the top of the face. If you have never had bangs, curtain bangs are the low-commitment way to try.

A shoulder-length cut with volume at the sides. Somewhere between the chin and the shoulders, with layers that add width around the cheekbones and jaw. A lob with bend at the ends does this well.

Soft waves. Waves and curls move outward as well as down, which adds width. Even loose bends at mid-length change the outline.

Long hair with layers and face-framing pieces. If you want to keep the length, ask for layers that start around the cheekbones and keep the ends textured, not blunt and straight.

Cuts that fight the shape

• Very long, straight hair with no layers frames the face with two long vertical lines and makes it read longer.
• Height at the crown, from teasing, high ponytails worn tight, or a tall top on a short cut, adds length.
• Slicked-back styles with no fringe show the full length of the forehead.
• A tight pixie with no width at the sides shows the whole outline without balancing it.

Curly, coily or very thick hair

Curly hair is a natural fit for a long face, because it adds width on its own. Ask for a shape that is fullest at the sides, around the cheekbones, rather than tall on top. With coily hair, a rounded shape that is wider than it is tall, or a fringe of curls, does the same job as bangs.

What to say in the chair

Try: "I want to add width, not length: bangs, a shoulder-length cut with volume at the sides, and no extra height at the crown." Then show one photo on someone with hair like yours.

Two honest limits

A long face is not a problem to fix. These cuts just balance length with width if that is the impression you want.

Photos matter too. A camera held below the chin makes a face read longer; a camera at eye level, a metre or more away, shows it as people see you in person. If you wear glasses, deep frames with a bold top bar add width the same way bangs do. 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.