Hairstyles for a square face

The two directions

A square face has straight sides, a strong angular jaw and a broad chin. Hair can either blur those lines or frame them.

Softening puts movement around the jaw and forehead so the corners read as curves: waves, layers, side-swept fringes. Sharpening keeps hair sleek and away from the jaw so the line shows: blunt cuts, slicked-back styles, clean short cuts.

Pick one. Mixing them, for example a sleek blunt cut with a heavy blunt fringe, boxes the face in with a straight line at the top and the bottom, and that is the one look a square face should avoid.

Long hair

Long hair with soft waves or long layers starting below the jaw is the classic softening cut. The waves break up the straight sides of the face and the layers put movement at the corners of the jaw. A side part adds a diagonal.

For a sharper look, long hair worn sleek and straight with a centre part exposes the jaw and lets its symmetry show. This works well if the face is not too wide; on a very wide square face it can emphasise the width, in which case go for a side part.

Medium length: the lob, two ways

A long bob that ends just below the jaw and is worn with soft waves softens the corners. The same cut worn sleek and straight, ending exactly at the jaw, frames the angle and reads as sharp and modern. Choose the version that matches your direction.

Avoid a bob that ends exactly at the jaw and is cut blunt and is worn straight if you are trying to soften; it draws a horizontal line right across the widest, most angular part of the face.

Short hair

Short cuts show the jaw, so they are a sharpening choice by default. A pixie with soft texture on top and slightly longer pieces around the ears takes the edge off; a cropped cut with a clean neckline shows the full outline. Both work on a square face, which carries short hair better than most shapes because it has a strong structure to show.

Bangs and fringes

A side-swept fringe softens the forehead corners and adds a diagonal. A wispy, textured fringe does the same with a lighter touch. A curtain fringe frames the cheekbones and draws attention up from the jaw.

The fringe to be careful with is the heavy, blunt, straight-across one. On its own, with soft length below, it can look strong and deliberate. Combined with a blunt jaw-length cut, it creates the boxed-in effect.

Men's hairstyles for a square face

The square jaw is the feature most men's cuts are designed to show, so most short and medium styles suit it: a crew cut, a buzz cut, a short back and sides with a side part, a textured crop, a slicked-back undercut, a French crop. Clean lines at the sides and neckline echo the jaw and read as sharp.

To soften a very wide square face, add a little length and texture on top and let the sides carry some weight rather than a skin fade, which exposes the full width of the jaw.

Hair texture

Curly and wavy hair softens a square face naturally, especially worn at or below the jaw with volume at the sides. Straight hair takes the sharpening direction more easily; add waves or layers if you want to soften it.

What to avoid on a square face

• Blunt jaw-length bob plus blunt straight fringe, worn straight.
• Very tight, skin-close cuts at the sides on a very wide face, unless you want to emphasise width.
• Styles that end at the corners of the jaw with a hard horizontal line, when your aim is to soften.

Check your proportions

The face shape test reports jaw width relative to cheekbones and the jaw angle. The wider the jaw and the tighter the angle, the stronger the square, and the more difference the choice between softening and sharpening will make.