Hairstyles for a triangle (pear-shaped) face: build volume up top

First, check the shape

A triangle face, sometimes called pear-shaped, is widest at the jaw and narrower at the forehead. The cheekbones sit between the two. It is one of the less common shapes, and often confused with square.

Check from a photo taken a metre or more away at eye level, with your hair pulled back. If the forehead and jaw are similar widths and the jaw turns a clear corner, the face is more likely square; see hairstyles for a square face.

What the cut is trying to do

A triangle face reads grounded and strong through the lower face. If you want more balance, the hair adds width where the face is narrow, at the top, and avoids adding any at the jaw.

1. Build volume at the crown and temples.
2. Keep the length past the jaw, so the hair does not end in a full shape right at the widest point.
3. Keep the sides near the jaw smooth.

Cuts that do this well

Volume at the crown. Layers cut on top, root lift when you blow-dry, or a cut with height at the back of the crown. This is the single most useful change.

Long layers that start around the cheekbones. They add movement and some width at the upper face, while the lengths fall smoothly past the jaw.

A side part with lift. A deep side part with the hair lifted at the root adds width and height at the top of the head.

A textured pixie. If you want short hair, a pixie with plenty of volume on top and at the temples works well, as long as the sides near the jaw stay close.

Cuts that fight the shape

• A blunt bob that ends at the jaw puts the fullest part of the hair right beside the widest part of the face.
• Flat hair on top with fullness at the ends draws the eye down to the jaw.
• Volume at the jaw, from curls or waves that build towards chin level, widens the lower face further.
• Tight, slicked-back styles show the narrow forehead and the full width of the jaw together.

Curly, coily or very thick hair

With curly hair, the cut should be fullest at the crown and temples and lighter around the jaw. Ask for layers on top cut curl by curl, and less bulk at the bottom. With coily hair, a shape that is taller than it is wide, or fuller at the top, balances the jaw. High puffs and updos with volume on top work well.

What to say in the chair

Try: "Please build volume at the crown and temples, with long layers starting around the cheekbones, and keep the length past the jaw." Show one photo on someone with hair like yours.

Two honest limits

A wide jaw is not a problem to solve. These cuts add balance if that is the look you want.

Camera angle matters here more than for most shapes. A camera held below the chin makes the jaw read wider; a camera at eye level, or very slightly above, shows the face as people see it. For frames, browline and cat-eye glasses add width at the top, the same job the hair is doing. 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.