Hairstyles for a heart face

The rule

A heart face tapers from a wide forehead to a narrow chin. Hair balances it by doing two things: adding width or weight at the level of the jaw and chin, and reducing the apparent width of the forehead with a fringe or a soft, side-swept front.

The rule is weight at the jaw, softness at the forehead, no height on top.

The chin-length bob

If there is one cut for a heart face, it is a bob that ends at or just below the chin. The ends sit exactly where the face is narrowest and add width there. It can be blunt, wavy or slightly layered, and it works with or without a fringe. A wavy chin-length bob with a side part is the classic heart-face look.

Long hair

Long hair suits a heart face when it has layers or waves starting at the jaw and continuing down. That keeps volume at the lower face and lets the top lie flatter. Long, straight, flat hair with a centre part and no fringe emphasises the taper by leaving the forehead fully exposed and putting no weight at the chin.

A side part, or a deep side sweep with a long fringe, is the easiest adjustment for long hair on a heart face.

Medium length

A collarbone-length cut with layers starting at the chin does the same job as the bob with a little more length. Keep the layers from starting above the cheekbones; short layers around the temples add width to the forehead.

Short hair

Short cuts are the hardest for a heart face because they expose the forehead and leave the chin bare. They can work with two adjustments: a long, side-swept fringe that covers part of the forehead, and a little length left at the nape and around the ears rather than a tight crop. A pixie with a long fringe suits a heart face; a very short crop with tight sides does not.

Bangs and fringes

Fringes are a heart face's friend, because they cover the widest part.

• Side-swept fringe: the most flattering. It covers one side of the forehead and adds a diagonal.
• Curtain fringe: parts in the centre and sweeps outward, framing the cheekbones and hiding the outer corners of the forehead.
• Soft, wispy full fringe: works if it is light and does not sit as a solid block.

A heavy, blunt, straight-across fringe cut wide draws a horizontal line across the widest part of the face and can make the forehead look even wider, so keep a full fringe soft and slightly narrower than the forehead.

Men's hairstyles for a heart face

For men the aim is to avoid adding width at the temples and height at the crown, and to leave a little length at the sides and back so the head does not look top-heavy. A side part with moderate length, a textured fringe brought forward, a medium-length cut pushed to one side, or a classic taper without a high skin fade all suit a heart face.

Styles to avoid: a high, wide pompadour or quiff, a high skin fade that removes all width at the jaw level, and slicked-back styles that expose the full forehead and hairline.

Hair texture

Waves and curls sit naturally at the lower face and add width there, which suits a heart face; keep them from being cropped short at the sides. Fine straight hair needs layers or a fringe to add weight at the chin.

What to avoid on a heart face

• Volume stacked at the crown.
• Very short cuts with tight sides and no fringe.
• Slicked-back styles.
• Long, flat, centre-parted hair without layers.
• Heavy blunt fringes cut wider than the forehead.

Check your proportions

The face shape test reports the forehead-to-cheekbone and jaw-to-cheekbone ratios. The lower the jaw ratio, the narrower the chin, and the more a chin-length cut will do for the balance of the face.