Some of us like simple hairstyles, we want to look prim and proper. The rest of us want to look vibrant with big hair and crazy looks. Any choice you make is good, and there is nothing wrong with any of them. However, here are some useful guidelines that you can experiment with.
There are six common face shapes. Not that all apply to us, but it's useful to know which one we fall in before we begin experimenting. The six common face shapes are:
- Round
- Oval
- Square
- Oblong
- Triangle, also known as diamond
- Heart
How To Easily Find Your Face Shape
All you are going to need for this is your phone and the camera app on your phone. Now put the camera as far back as possible and refrain from smiling because we don't want the camera to distort our face. Take a selfie at an arm's length. We can then crop the picture, so it is just our face.
You can print out the photo or use a drawing app on your phone, as we are going to draw eight different dots on our face. We're going to draw two dots at our forehead on opposite sides. We're going to draw two dots on our cheekbones. We're going to draw one at the edge of our jaw, our jawline. Then we're going to draw at the centre of our chin, and one at the centre of our head. Once we have these dots, we're going to draw a circle or connect the dots around. And voila, we have our face shape. Works like magic!
Now when it comes to face shapes, it's all about balance, symmetry, and proportion. What we are aiming to achieve is to gain a balanced look with these face shapes. Most of the time, you may notice we are almost trying to mimic the oval face shape that often is the most balanced frame. Now do not feel that the oval face shape is the ideal face shape. At the end of the day, knowing how to balance each feature would allow you to customise your unique personality.
Oval Face Shape
The oval face shape can be characterised as your forehead being the widest part of your face. You have a round jaw more or less, and your forehead and your cheekbones are almost of a similar width. You'll find out that the vertical side of your face is longer than the horizontal side of your face. This is the most versatile of all the face shapes because any hairstyle suits this face shape. You can do long hairstyles; you can do short hairstyles. You can part your hair in the middle, and you can do it to the side.
But what I find suits this face shape the most is having a side part rather than a center part and also doing styles to different angles of the face, they always come out nice. But even a fringe comes out well. Another thing I noticed is that when I do a bob or any hairstyle that is voluminous and curly, it makes my face look round or too chubby. So, even though I have an oval face, I tend to go more for side parts or hairstyles to a corner of my face. Whatever side you decide will most likely suit you, so parting to the left or the right, will make visible all the assets on your face as much as possible.
Oblong Face Shape
The oblong face shape has similar features to the oval face shape, only that it is a longer version.
With the oblong face shape, it would be beneficial to have bangs on your face. As I said, a side part will do your face wonders. And also, try packing your hair to the side, it will give you a nicer look.
What I would avoid is parting the hair in the middle, or having hairstyles that are just straight down. It only shows the length of your face and elongates the face even more.
Round Face Shape
This face shape is where your cheekbones are the widest part of your face. Your jaw is round, almost like a semicircle. The vertical length of your face is shorter than average.
For this kind of face shape, it's always best to create layers. If you do protective styling, for example braids, you want to have that feathered look that gives your face angles. It would give a softer look and accentuate the beauty of your face.
You want to avoid something like a fringe, because it will only decrease the vertical length of your face that is already shorter than average. What you are trying to do is elongate your face just a bit so it has more of a balanced proportion.
Square Face Shape
Now the square face shape is similar to the round face shape. Your jaw tends to be the widest part of your face, and it is a similar length to your forehead. You find that people that have a square face shape, you have sharper angles.
What you are trying to do is, you are trying to soften the angles of your face. I would suggest going for longer hairstyles because then it cascades down, giving you a softer look. I would suggest having layers to your hair as well, just like the round face shape. When it comes to layering on your face, it's better to layer inwards rather than outward. Layering outward emphasises your jawline more. But when you layer inward, it almost gives the illusion that you have a slimmer or a long face shape and it's able to balance your face out.
In the same way as the round face shape, avoid any hairstyle with a fringe. Also avoid having the length of the hair stop at the jaw, because it's just going to put the focus on your jawline and that would not help to achieve a softening look.
Heart Face Shape
The defining feature of a heart face shape is having a pointy chin with the widest part of your face being your forehead.
I would suggest having your hair down. Having more curls to the lower section of your hair gives the face a symmetrical and proportional look. I would suggest avoiding packing your hair up. As much as you want to show off your beautiful jaw, it's going to make your forehead look bigger than it actually is.
Triangle/Diamond Face Shape
Just like the heart face shape, a triangle face shape has a pointy jaw, but the widest part of your face is your cheekbones. The width then narrows at the forehead. In a way, it mimics the oval face shape, but you have more of a pointy jaw.
Just like the heart face shape, it's always good to have longer hair coming down your face. You will always benefit from having bangs or having a fringe. What you are trying to do is to add more volume to your forehead, because that's the slimmest part of your face. Concentrate the curls more at the center of your forehead.
Still Unsure What Is Your Face Shape?
I hope you got some inspiration from the photos as well as some ideas on the way you can style your hair so that you can effortlessly look beautiful. I know there are some people who might still be confused, saying, "Okay, I've done this, but I'm not really certain what my face shape is."When you are not 100% sure which category you fall in, narrow it down to two face shapes. It would be worth experimenting in those categories to see what works best. You wouldn't know what works for you unless you try it. So go out there, experiment!
Try colours on your hair. I'm going to do another post on choosing different colours for your hair that suit your skin tone and bring out the combined beauty of your hair and face.
Head gears and Head wraps
One last thing I'd like to add is, if you are just like me and you love to wear head wraps the sky’s the limit when it comes to wearing these. In Nigeria, it is called gele. In other parts of Africa, it's called duku. Whatever you decide to do on your hair, the same principles apply. If you are wrapping a headgear or a silk scarf, or you are using a fascinator, remember your face shape and try to angle whatever it is on your hair to suit your face shape and bring out the different assets of your face that you want to show off.
Beautifying Bodies, Beautifying Minds
I just want to always leave us with a little positive note to remember that we're always beautiful. It doesn't matter what our face shape is. All we're trying to do is understand what we have so that we can work it to the best of our ability, and we can always look as beautiful as we want to look and do the styles that suit us so we can always look and feel confident and stylish.Hope these tips have been helpful to some of you! Do check out the video when you get the chance. It’s your girl Kelly here to help you stay confident, stylish and successful. Did you find the experiment useful in figuring out what your face shape is, and does it make a difference? Do tag me on instagram if you’ve used any of these tips or have any suggestions!