Hairstyles for Round Faces

One of the most important factors to take into consideration when choosing a hairstyle that suits you is your face shape. Today we’re talking about hairstyles for round faces and which ones to gravitate to as well as which ones to avoid.

What to Look for in a Good Hairstyle

The trick to a good complimentary hairstyles is very similar to how we apply makeup. You want to accentuate the good and downplay or camouflage the bad. With hairstyles for round faces you want to counteract some of the roundness and make the face appear a little longer rather than wider.

Bad Hairstyles for Round Faces

Before we can seek out what’s good we need to know what to avoid.

• Middle Parts: Always use a side part, asymmetrical part or no part at all when you have a round face. Middle parts only accentuate the “ball-like” symmetry of a round face.
• Bob hairstyles shorter than chin length. A sleek bob cut above the chin will only serve to make your face look larger and rounder than it is.
• Super-short or super flat hairstyles of any type. Again—it’s all about balance and if you’re going to put a tiny hair cut next to a larger face guess what’s going to happen? Hairstyles for round faces need to have enough length, height and substance to counteract the round shape so leave some hair to work with.

Good Hairstyles for Round Faces

OK—now that we know too short and too flat is bad let’s move on to what does work with round faces.

• Bob’s chin length or longer: Bob’s that are this length work well because they lay flat against the cheeks and seem to cut down on the amount of exposed face, making it appear slimmer. The only thing you have to watch out for is that you don’t create a lot of volume at the sides which will only add to the width of your face.
• Hairstyles with Height. Think about it—if you’re face is too wide the best way to counteract that is to make it appear longer. This is done best when you go with hairstyles that have height on the top and are narrower at the sides.
• Long hairstyles with some layering at the bottom: This works well because, just like the bob, it helps slim the face. Also the layers at the bottom create movement and draw your eye down and away from the face area.

Examples of Great Hairstyles for Round Faces

Here are three great examples of celebrities with round faces who have chosen a great hair cut.

Kelly Clarkson: Her bob hairstyle is sleek and past her chin which elongates her round face.

Image details: 2007 Teen Choice Awards - Arrivals served by picapp.com

Mandy Moore: This is a perfect example of the limit to how short you should go when you have a round face. Notice how, although the hair is tucked behind the ears to create a streamline look on the sides, the layers on top are left a little bit longer and some subtle height is added.

Image details: MTV Video Music Awards 2004 - Arrivals served by picapp.com

Drew Barrymore: Drew makes the most of her long and layered hair by adding waves. Though Drew is often a perpetrator of the middle part faux pas (as seen here) she does soften it a bit so it’s not too severe.

Image details: Premiere Of "Borat: Cultural Learnings Of America" - Arrivals served by picapp.com

Watch next week as I showcase great hairstyles for long faces.

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