Heart face, women's cuts
Hairstyles for a heart face: women's cuts
A heart face is wide at the forehead and narrow at the jaw, so the job of a hairstyle is usually to add a little weight at the bottom. Length that ends at the chin or the jaw does that in one move.
The other useful tool is bangs that break the width of the forehead. What tends to work against a heart face is volume at the crown with tight sides, which makes the top-heavy outline stronger.
Measure first
Not sure of your shape? The free detector measures a photo on your device and draws the lines it used.
Check my shapeThe heart face guideThe shortlist
What works, and where it sits
A heart face is a triangle pointing down. Most of these cuts either widen the point (jaw-level length) or narrow the base (diagonal bangs), which is why they work on the same principle.
- 1
Chin-length bob
A bob that ends just below the chin puts the widest part of the hair exactly where the face is narrowest. Keep the ends slightly rounded rather than blunt.
- 2
Side-swept bangs
Bangs that crosses the forehead diagonally reduces the visible width at the top and adds a soft line toward one cheek. Ask for it to start from a deep part.
- 3
Lob with jaw-level layers
A collarbone-length cut with layers that start at the jaw gives movement at the bottom of the face. The length keeps the outline from ending abruptly at the chin.
- 4
Textured pixie with jaw volume
A short cut can work if the volume sits at the jaw and the sides rather than at the crown. Ask for soft, piecey ends near the ear.
- 5
Curtain bangs with shoulder-length hair
Curtain bangs narrow the forehead while shoulder-length hair with a slight wave adds width at the jaw. Together they balance the two ends of the face.
Less useful
What works against it
None of these is a rule. They are the choices that tend to undo the balance the rest of the page builds.
Crown-heavy volume
Height at the top with tight sides repeats the heart shape. If you want volume, put it at the jaw instead.
A very short, tight crop
A close crop with no softness at the temples makes the forehead look wider. Leave a little length around the ear and the temple.
In practice
Hairstyles for a heart face: what to ask for
Ask for weight at the jaw: a chin-length bob, a lob with layers that start at the chin, or a cut that widens slightly at the ends. That weight gives the narrow lower face something to meet the forehead.
Diagonal bangs are the other useful request. They cover part of the forehead and moves the eye toward one cheek, which reduces the visible width at the top. Keep the shortest point at the brow and the longest at the cheekbone.
Keep the crown from being the widest part of the style. Tight sides and a tall top make the upper face look wider, which is the opposite of the balance a heart face usually wants.
Hair density changes the plan more than the shape does. Fine hair benefits from a blunt line at the chin because it makes the ends look fuller, while thick hair needs some weight removed from the ends so the cut does not sit like a triangle. In both cases, keep the widest part of the style at the jaw rather than at the cheekbone. A stylist can balance the two in one appointment if you say which part of the cut you want to feel fuller.
Questions
Questions about haircuts for women
Should a heart face avoid short hair?
No. Short hair works if it keeps some softness at the jaw and temples. The problem is a tight crop with all the volume at the crown, not short hair itself.
Do curtain bangs suit a heart face?
Yes. They cover the outer corners of the forehead and draw the eye down toward the cheekbones, which balances the width at the top.
What length is best for a heart face?
Chin to collarbone is the most reliable range. It adds weight where the jaw is narrow and keeps the face from looking top-heavy.