Haircuts for a diamond face, for men

The rule

A diamond face reads with the cheekbones as the widest point, a forehead to cheek ratio under about 0.88 and a jaw to cheek ratio under about 0.86, with a chin angle that is often sharp. Wide middle, narrow top and bottom. Nothing needs hiding. The haircut's job is to widen the top.

Two moves do that. Put length and a little volume at the forehead and temples, so the top of the face gets width it lacks. Keep the sides from being cut tight against the cheekbones, so the widest point is not underlined. Every cut that suits a diamond face does one or both.

One thing to know before reading on. The five-shape test does not report diamond; it gives heart or oval, whichever your widths sit closer to. When the site's own width rules point to diamond, the result card adds "Your widths lean diamond" with a link here. Read this page alongside the one you were given.

Short cuts

A low taper with a textured top is the short cut to ask for. The sides go down gradually, the shortest point sits low near the ears, and the top is left long enough to push forward into a short fringe. The taper leaves a little hair at cheekbone level, which is the point.

A textured crop works well if the fringe is worn forward and a touch uneven. It covers the top of a narrow forehead and spreads width across the hairline, and the texture on top adds a little height without stacking it. Keep the sides at a number two or longer.

Very short cuts are the ones to think about. A buzz cut shows the whole outline, which on a diamond face means the cheekbones are the only thing that reads. If you want it short, keep the sides at clipper length rather than skin and leave a short fringe at the front.

Medium cuts

Medium length is where a diamond face has the most options. A side part with length, the top swept across and slightly forward, is the classic answer. The part gives the forehead a horizontal line to read across, the swept front covers the narrow corners of the hairline, and the sides sit full.

A soft quiff is the other good medium cut. Lift the front an inch or two, keep it loose rather than sharp, and let the sides carry moderate length. The height adds width to the top, and with the sides not tight, the cheekbones sit inside the outline rather than at its edge.

A medium cut with a forward fringe suits thicker hair that does not want to be parted. Brought forward and a little to one side, it fills in the temples and takes the eye up to the hairline. Ask for the sides to be scissor-cut, not clippered close.

Long hair

Long hair suits a diamond face when it has body at the sides. A medium-long cut that falls around the ears and jaw fills in below the cheekbones, which narrows their apparent width and adds weight at the chin level. Layers that start at the jaw help; layers that start at the cheekbone do not.

The style to avoid is long hair pulled straight back and tied tight. A top knot or a bun with flat sides bares the narrow hairline and leaves the cheekbones as the whole outline. If you wear long hair up, pull it loosely and leave some hair at the temples and sides.

Sides, fades and the neckline

The sides on a diamond face should be short but not skin. A low taper, with the shortest point at the ears and the hair lengthening upward, keeps something at cheekbone level and lets the top carry the width. A mid taper works if the top is kept full at the front.

Do not take a high skin fade. It removes the hair at exactly the height of the cheekbones, so the widest bone on the face sits against bare skin and looks wider still. It also makes the forehead read narrower, because the sides above the ears disappear. Ask for the shortest point to be lowered.

A tapered neckline follows a narrow jaw and looks natural. A squared neckline gives the back of the head a corner and a little width low down, which helps if the chin is very pointed. Either works.

Fringes

A fringe is the most useful single element for a diamond face. Worn forward and a touch to one side, it fills in a narrow forehead and takes the eye to the hairline rather than the cheekbones. Textured fringes with soft ends beat a hard blunt line, which draws a narrow bar across the top.

A side-swept fringe does the same while showing some forehead. Set the part to one side, sweep the front across the temples, and let it sit above one brow. This widens the top diagonally, which is often enough.

The fringe to avoid is a short, narrow one cut inside the width of the eyebrows. It makes the forehead look even narrower than it is. Cut the fringe to the full width of the hairline or a little wider.

Curly, wavy and thick hair

Curls on a diamond face want to sit at the top and above the ears. A curly fringe, a medium curly cut with weight at the temples, or a taper that keeps the curl full on top all widen the forehead. Do not clip the sides tight to tame curl; taper them low.

Thick, straight hair holds a side part or a soft quiff without product. Ask for weight to be left at the front and temples and thinned at the crown, so the top does not become tall and narrow.

Thinning hair and receding hairlines

A receding hairline shows more on a diamond face because the forehead is already narrow and recession takes the corners first. Bring the front forward rather than back: a textured crop with a short fringe worn down, or a side part swept across the temples, covers the corners where the width is going.

If the top is thinning, keep it at a moderate length so a fringe is still possible, and keep the sides at clipper length rather than skin. A close crop with a short forward fringe holds width at the top far better than a buzz cut, which leaves the cheekbones as the outline.

Pairing the cut with a beard

A beard on a diamond face does what a haircut cannot: it adds width at the jaw and chin, the narrow part below the cheekbones. A full beard kept even along the jaw, a squared chin beard or a boxed beard with a natural cheek line all widen the lower third and balance the cheekbones.

Keep the beard full at the jaw corners, and avoid a pointed goatee, a soul patch alone or a long chin beard, which sharpen a chin that is often pointed already. The beard styles for a diamond face page has the lines and lengths.

A full jaw-wide beard pairs with a forward fringe, a side part or a soft quiff. Width at the top and at the bottom put the cheekbones back in the middle of the face, which is the whole aim. Do not pair a full beard with a high fade, which strips the middle out again.

Glasses and the cut together

Oval, browline and rimless frames suit a diamond face, and a frame a touch wider than the cheekbones works best, because it gives the eye a horizontal line at the top of the face. Avoid narrow, angular frames, which sit inside the cheekbones and widen them. The glasses guide covers width and bridge fit.

A browline frame and a forward fringe work together: the frame draws a wide line at the brow, the fringe fills the forehead above it, and the cheekbones sit under both.

What to avoid on a diamond face

• A high skin fade that bares the sides at cheekbone level.
• Hair slicked straight back and tight, which bares a narrow hairline.
• A tall, narrow top with the sides clipped close: height without width.
• Very short cuts with no fringe, which leave the cheekbones as the outline.
• A short, narrow fringe cut inside the width of the eyebrows.
• Long hair pulled up tight with flat sides.
• Pointed goatees and long chin beards that sharpen the chin.

Check your proportions first

Diamond is easy to confuse with heart from a photo taken with the camera above eye level, which widens the forehead and narrows the chin, and with oval when the cheekbones are only a little wider than the forehead. Take the photo from a metre away, camera at eye level, face straight on.

The face shape test for men reports one of five shapes, so a diamond face comes back as heart or oval, whichever is closer. Forehead to cheek under about 0.88 with jaw to cheek under about 0.86 is the diamond pattern, and the card says so.

If it reads heart with the forehead near 1.0, the heart page applies; if oval with a wider jaw, the oval page does.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best haircut for a diamond-shaped face for men?

A cut with weight at the forehead and temples: a textured fringe worn forward, a side part with some length, or a soft quiff over a low taper. The length on top widens the narrow forehead, and the taper keeps the sides from hugging the cheekbones, which are already the widest part.

Should a man with a diamond face get a fade?

A low taper, yes. A high skin fade, no. A high fade shaves the sides to skin right at cheekbone level, which makes the cheekbones stand out further and the forehead look narrower by contrast. Keep the sides short but present, with the shortest point down near the ears.

Do slicked-back styles suit a diamond face?

Only with a full, wide front. Slicking the hair straight back and tight bares a narrow hairline and pulls every bit of width off the forehead. If you want the hair off your face, keep volume at the front and temples, comb it back loosely, and let the sides sit a little full.

Does a beard help a diamond-shaped face?

Yes, as long as it is full at the chin and along the jaw. A diamond jaw is narrow, so a beard kept full there adds the width the lower face lacks. Avoid a pointed goatee or a long chin beard, which sharpen an already pointed chin and make the cheekbones look wider.