Hairstyles for an oval face: when most cuts work, how to choose

First, check the shape

An oval face is a little longer than it is wide. The forehead is usually a touch wider than the jaw, the cheekbones are the widest point or close to it, and the jaw rounds gently into the chin. Nothing dominates.

Check this from a photo taken a metre or two away at eye level, with your hair pulled back, not from an arm's-length selfie. A close lens widens the middle of the face, so an oval face can look round in a selfie. If the face turns out clearly longer than it is wide, with the forehead, cheekbones and jaw at similar widths, it is long, and the long-face guide fits better.

What the cut is trying to do

For most shapes, a cut does a job: it adds length, takes away width, or softens an angle. An oval face does not need any of that. Its proportions are already in balance.

So the question changes from "what suits my shape?" to "what do I want people to read?" A cut sets the first impression before anything else does:

• Soft and approachable: long layers, waves, curtain bangs.
• Polished and deliberate: a blunt lob, sleek lengths, a clean part.
• Bold and confident: a pixie or a sharp chin-length bob, which put the features up front.

Cuts that work well

Long layers. Movement through the lengths, with the shortest layer around the collarbone or the cheekbone if you want a face-framing piece. Relaxed and easy to wear down or up.

A blunt lob. A long bob cut to one length, somewhere between the chin and the collarbone. It reads tidy and modern, and the blunt edge keeps it from going flat.

Curtain bangs. A fringe that parts in the middle and sweeps out past the cheekbones. It frames the eyes and keeps the forehead partly visible, so it adds softness without hiding the balance of the face.

A pixie or short bob. An oval face is one of the shapes that carries very short hair well, because there is nothing to hide or balance. Keep some length and texture on top so it does not look severe.

The one thing to watch

A heavy, blunt fringe that sits on or below the brows shortens the face and hides the brows and eyes, which carry most of your expression. A light, wispy fringe is fine. So are curtain bangs.

Curly, coily or very thick hair

With curly hair, the shape of the cut matters more than the length. Ask for a cut shaped curl by curl so the volume sits evenly and the outline follows the face. Coily hair suits most shapes on an oval face too, from a rounded afro to a tapered cut. Pick by the impression, as above.

What to say in the chair

Try: "Most lengths suit me. I'd like movement rather than one flat length: long layers or a lob, and curtain bangs if I want a fringe." Then tell the stylist how you want to come across, softer, sharper or more polished, and show one photo on someone with hair like yours.

Two honest limits

An oval face is easy to style, not a goal for other shapes to reach. No shape is better than another; each just has a different set of cuts that suit it.

And photos change everything. The same cut looks different at arm's length than at two metres, and light from above makes anyone look tired (more in why you look tired in 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.