Haircuts for a heart face, for men

The rule

A heart face reads with the forehead at or above the cheekbones in width, and a jaw to cheek ratio under about 0.6. The top is wide, the chin is narrow, often with a widow's peak. Nothing needs hiding. The haircut's job is to stop the top getting wider or taller.

Two moves do that. Keep height off the crown and width off the temples, so the forehead does not grow. Leave some length at the sides and back, so the lower head has weight and the taper to the chin is less steep. Every cut that suits a heart face does one or both.

The measurement matters here because a heart face and a wide oval get the same advice on the crown, but differ on the chin. If your reading was heart with oval as the runner-up, the oval page's freedom on short cuts applies more than the cautions below.

Short cuts

A classic taper with a little length on top is the safest short cut. The sides go down with clippers but not to skin, the shortest point sits low near the ears, and the top is left long enough to fall forward or to one side. Weight stays at jaw level, nothing on the crown.

A textured crop works if the fringe is brought forward and worn down. The fringe covers a band of the forehead and softens the wide hairline, and the texture keeps the top flat rather than lifted. Ask for the sides to be tapered rather than faded high.

Very short cuts are the ones to be careful with. A buzz cut or a crew cut with tight sides shows the whole outline, forehead and all, and leaves nothing at the jaw. If you want it short, keep a fringe and take the sides no shorter than a number two.

Medium cuts

Medium length is where a heart face does best. A side part with moderate length, the top combed across rather than up, is the classic answer. The part breaks the width of the forehead, the hair falling to one side covers a corner of it, and there is no height to speak of.

A medium-length cut pushed to one side does the same with less structure. The front sweeps across the forehead, the sides sit at a moderate length, and the back has a little weight. It reads relaxed and suits thicker hair that does not want to lie flat.

A textured fringe on a medium cut, worn forward and slightly to one side, is the most direct fix. It narrows the forehead visually by covering part of it, and the softness of the texture keeps the line from reading as a hard edge.

Long hair

Long hair suits a heart face better than most shapes, because length at the sides and back adds exactly the weight the lower face lacks. A medium-long cut with the hair falling around the jaw, a longer layered cut, or hair tucked behind the ears with length at the back all widen the jaw level.

The style to avoid is long hair pulled up and back. A top knot or a man bun with the sides tight lifts every bit of weight to the crown and exposes the forehead. If you wear long hair up, leave the sides and front loose.

Sides, fades and the neckline

The sides on a heart face should be short but present. A low taper, where the hair shortens gradually toward the ears and the shortest point sits low, keeps width at jaw level. A mid taper is acceptable if the top is kept flat.

Do not take a high skin fade. It removes all the width from the sides above the jaw, which is the one place a heart face needs width, and it makes the forehead look wider by contrast. If a barber suggests a high fade, ask for the shortest point to be lowered.

A rounded or tapered neckline follows the narrow chin and looks natural. A square neckline gives the lower head a corner, which adds a little width at the back. Either works; the square line helps if the chin is very pointed.

Fringes

A fringe is the single most useful element for a heart face. Brought forward and worn down, it covers part of the forehead and shortens the wide top. Textured and slightly uneven fringes look softer than a blunt line and do not draw a hard horizontal edge across the widest point.

A side-swept fringe does the same job while showing some forehead. Sweep it across from a part set to one side, and let it sit above one brow rather than both.

The fringe to avoid is a heavy, blunt one cut wider than the forehead. It draws a line at the widest point and makes the top look broader. Keep the fringe no wider than the eyebrows and lighten the ends.

Curly, wavy and thick hair

Curls on a heart face want to sit forward and to the sides, not up. A curly fringe worn down, a medium curly cut with weight at the sides, or a taper with the curls falling forward all cover the forehead and widen the jaw. Keep the sides long; curl adds width.

Thick, straight hair holds a side part well. Thin it out a little at the crown with texturising shears so it does not stand up, and leave the bulk at the sides.

Thinning hair and receding hairlines

A receding hairline shows more on a heart face because the forehead is already the widest part. Do not comb the hair back to expose it; bring the front forward or to one side. A textured crop with the fringe down, or a side part across the temples, covers the corners where recession shows first.

If the top is thinning, keep it at a moderate length rather than very short, so a fringe is still possible. A close crop with a short forward fringe hides more than a buzz cut, and a low taper at the sides keeps weight near the jaw.

Pairing the cut with a beard

A beard on a heart face does what no haircut can: it adds width at the chin, the narrowest point. A full beard kept fuller at the chin and jaw, a squared or rounded chin beard, or a boxed beard with a low cheek line all fill the lower third and even the taper.

Keep the cheek line low so the beard does not add width at the cheekbones, and avoid thin goatees, soul patches and long pointed chin beards, which sharpen the chin. The beard styles for a heart face page has the lengths and lines.

A full chin-heavy beard pairs with a side part, a forward fringe or a moderate taper. Do not put a high wide pompadour above a full beard: weight at both ends leaves the cheekbones pinched between.

Glasses and the cut together

Bottom-heavy frames, rimless frames and light colours suit a heart face, because they put visual weight at the cheeks and jaw rather than the brow. Avoid heavy brow bars and top-heavy frames, which repeat the width of the forehead. The glasses guide covers frame width and bridge fit.

A fringe and a light-topped frame work together: the fringe narrows the forehead, the frame keeps the eye from resting on it, and the weight of the frame sits low where the face is narrow.

What to avoid on a heart face

• A high, wide pompadour or a tall quiff that stacks weight on the crown.
• A high skin fade that removes all width at jaw level.
• Slicked-back styles that expose the full forehead and hairline.
• Very short cuts with tight sides and no fringe.
• A heavy blunt fringe cut wider than the forehead.
• Long hair pulled up into a top knot with the sides tight.
• Thin goatees and pointed chin beards that sharpen the chin.

Check your proportions first

Heart is easy to confuse with oval from a photo taken with the chin tilted down, which narrows the jaw and widens the forehead. Take the photo from a metre away with the camera at eye level, face it straight on, and read the runner-up if the confidence is under 50.

The face shape test for men gives the forehead to cheek ratio, the jaw to cheek ratio and the chin angle, measured in your browser. Forehead to cheek near or above 1.0 with jaw to cheek under about 0.6 is a firm heart. Above 0.65 at the jaw, the oval advice may fit better.

Frequently asked questions

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

A cut with moderate length, no height at the crown and a fringe or side-swept front: a side part, a textured fringe brought forward, or a medium cut pushed to one side, over a classic taper. The fringe covers part of the wide forehead and the taper keeps width at the narrow jaw.

Should a man with a heart face get a fade?

A low taper, yes. A high skin fade, no. A high fade strips all the width from the sides at jaw level, which is exactly where a heart face has none, and it leaves the wide forehead as the only thing you see. Keep the sides short but present, with the shortest point low.

Do slicked-back styles suit a heart face?

Rarely. Slicking the hair back exposes the full forehead and hairline, the widest part of a heart face, and pulls all the weight to the crown. If you want the hair off your face, push it to one side with a side part rather than straight back, and keep the height low.

Does a beard help a heart-shaped face?

More than on any other shape. A beard grows on the narrow part of a heart face, so one kept full at the chin and along the jaw adds the width the lower face lacks. Keep the cheek line low and avoid thin goatees and pointed chin beards, which make the chin sharper.