Haircuts for a triangle face, for men

The rule

A triangle face reads with the jaw wider than the forehead: jaw to cheek beats forehead to cheek by more than about 0.04, the chin angle is over about 108°, and the jaw corners show. Narrow top, wide bottom; some call it a pear face. The haircut's job is to widen the top.

Two moves do that. Build height and width on top, at the crown, the front and the temples, so the upper face gets the width the jaw already has. Keep weight off the jawline, so nothing hangs at the widest point. Every cut that suits a triangle face does one or both.

A naming note. The "inverted triangle" other guides describe is the opposite shape, wide forehead and narrow chin; on this site that is the heart face. This page is for the jaw-heavy triangle.

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

Short cuts

A textured crop with volume is the short cut to ask for. The sides go down with clippers to short but not skin, and the top is left long enough to push up and forward with product. The lift adds height at the front, and the short sides make the top look wider by contrast.

A short quiff over a mid taper is the sharper version. Two to three inches at the front, lifted and pushed back a little, sides tapered above the ears. The height is the point: it makes the forehead read taller and wider, and the eye lands at the top rather than the jaw.

A crew cut works if the front is left a touch longer and brushed up. The classic flat crew cut with no lift is the one to avoid; it gives the top no width and leaves the jaw as the wide end of the outline.

Medium cuts

Medium length is where a triangle face does best, because there is enough hair to build width on top. A pompadour is the classic answer: length on top, swept up and back with height at the front, sides short. The volume widens the forehead and the swept sides stop anything sitting at the jaw.

A medium quiff with texture is the looser version. Lift the front, keep the top a little messy for width, and taper the sides. It reads relaxed and suits thick hair that does not want a hard shape.

A side part with volume works if the part is cut high and the top is lifted rather than combed flat. The height across the whole top is what matters; a flat side part combed down adds nothing at the forehead.

Long hair

Long hair suits a triangle face only when it is kept off the jaw. Hair that falls around the jawline adds weight exactly where the face is widest. If you wear it long, tie it up loosely with volume at the crown, or push it back with height and tuck the sides behind the ears.

A long top with the sides short, worn up or swept back, is the safest long style. It gives the top all the width and length, and there is nothing at the jaw. Long hair worn down and flat around the face is the style to avoid.

Sides, fades and the neckline

The sides on a triangle face should be short. A mid or high taper, where the hair shortens from the temples down and the shortest point sits above the ears, removes width at the sides and makes the top look wider. It also takes the eye away from the jaw corners.

Skip a skin fade taken right down to the jaw. It leaves a hard, bare edge just above the widest part of the face, which frames the jaw rather than hiding it. Keep the shortest point at a number one or two, not skin, and let it start above the ear.

A tapered neckline that narrows toward the centre keeps the back of the head from adding width low down. A square neckline gives the back a corner at jaw level, which a triangle face does not need.

Fringes

A fringe on a triangle face needs to go up or across, not down. A lifted fringe, brushed up and back from the forehead, is a short quiff by another name and adds height. A swept fringe, pushed across from a side part, adds width diagonally at the temples.

The fringe to avoid is a heavy one lying flat on the forehead. It covers the top of the face, the part that needs to be seen and widened, and leaves the jaw as the only feature in the outline. If you like a fringe, keep it light and lift it at the roots.

A short, textured fringe brushed up at the front with the rest of the top pushed forward is a good compromise: it looks like a fringe from the front and still adds height.

Curly, wavy and thick hair

Curls are an advantage on a triangle face, because curl adds width where the hair is. Keep the curl on top and at the temples, taper the sides above the ears, and let the top grow a little longer. A curly quiff or a curly crop with short sides does the job.

Thick, straight hair holds a pompadour or a quiff well. Ask for the sides to be taken short and the top left full, thinned only at the back so the height sits at the front.

Thinning hair and receding hairlines

A receding hairline is less of a problem on a triangle face than on most, because the forehead is narrow and the corners already sit inside the outline. Do not cover it with a flat fringe; that removes the height the top needs. Lift what is there at the front and keep the sides short.

If the top is thinning, a short textured crop brushed up keeps height better than a longer cut that falls flat. A mid taper at the sides is still right; a full buzz cut leaves the wide jaw as the whole outline and gives the top nothing.

Pairing the cut with a beard

A beard on a triangle face needs care, because it grows along the jaw, the widest part. A full beard adds width at the jaw corners and makes the bottom of the face broader. Keep the beard short along the jaw, stubble to a number two, and put any length at the chin.

A goatee, a short boxed beard kept tight at the sides, or a chin beard with the cheeks and jaw close-cropped all bring the chin forward without widening the jaw. The beard styles for a triangle face page has the lengths and lines.

A short beard pairs with a quiff, a pompadour or a lifted crop. Height on top and a tight jaw put the width back where it belongs. A full beard under a flat top is the combination to avoid: all the weight at the bottom.

Glasses and the cut together

Browline frames, aviators and any frame with a strong top bar suit a triangle face, because they put a wide horizontal line at the brow, where the face is narrow. Keep the lower rim thin or absent, so nothing adds weight toward the jaw. The glasses guide covers frame width and bridge fit.

A browline frame and a quiff work together: the frame draws a wide line at the brow, the quiff adds height above it, and the two together widen the top of the face more than either alone.

What to avoid on a triangle face

• A flat top with no height, which gives the forehead no width.
• A heavy fringe worn down that hides the top of the face.
• Long hair worn down around the jaw, adding weight at the widest point.
• A skin fade taken right down to the jawline.
• A square neckline that adds a corner at jaw level.
• A full, wide beard that broadens the jaw corners.
• Frames with a heavy lower rim and no top bar.

Check your proportions first

Triangle is easy to confuse with square when the forehead is only a little narrower than the jaw, and with round when the jaw corners are soft. A camera held below eye level widens the jaw on any face, so take the photo from a metre away, at eye level, face straight on.

The face shape test for men reports one of five shapes, so a triangle face comes back as square or round, whichever is closer. A jaw to cheek ratio above the forehead to cheek ratio by more than about 0.04 is the triangle pattern, and the card says so.

If it reads square with the forehead near the jaw width, the square page applies; if round with soft corners, the round page does. The jawline test gives the jaw angle on its own.

Frequently asked questions

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

A cut with height and width on top and short sides: a quiff, a pompadour, or a textured crop with real volume, over a taper that stops well above the jaw. The height widens the narrow forehead and the short sides keep nothing sitting at jaw level, where the face is already wide.

Should a man with a triangle face get a fade?

Yes, a mid or high taper suits it, because removing hair above the ears makes the top look taller and takes weight away from the jaw. Skip a skin fade taken all the way down, which leaves a hard edge above the widest part of the face; keep the shortest point at clipper length.

Does a fringe suit a triangle face?

A lifted or swept fringe, yes; a flat one worn down, no. A fringe pushed up or across adds height and width at the top of the face. A heavy fringe lying flat hides the top and leaves the jaw as the only thing you see. Lift the front or sweep it to one side.

Does a beard help a triangle-shaped face?

Only a short one. A full beard grows along the jaw, the widest part of a triangle face, and makes it wider. Keep the beard short along the jaw and put any length at the chin alone, a goatee or a short boxed beard, which brings the chin forward without widening the jaw corners.