Gray Hair Styles for Different Face Shapes

Gray Hair Styles for Your Face Shape

Whether you just found your first gray hair or already have a full head of silver locks, there are many factors to consider with gray hairstyles, and the shape of your face is a good place to start. There are seven common face shapes: round, square, heart, long, oval, triangular, and diamond.

Though it is not as rigid as a “square peg meets a round hole,” the following collection of tips is a great guide for finding yourself flattering haircut options.

Round

A round face is about as wide as long, with round edges around the forehead and jaw.

The goal for many people with round faces is to elongate the face. To do this, try graduated layers and wispy ends. Stay away from styles that add volume at the sides, and avoid thick bangs as they diminish the height of your face. Instead, keep the volume at the crown to add height. Allure magazine recommends asymmetry, long layers, angled bobs, and defined pixie cuts.

Some round-faced celebrities include Oprah Winfrey and Catherine Zeta-Jones.

Square

A square face has a broad forehead and strong, wide jaws.

Flattering haircuts for square faces involve softening the strong jawline. Curls and choppy ends do just that, as do layers that start at the jawline. Short, blunt bobs that accentuate the strong jawline need not apply. A thinned-out bob, tousled shag, wavy ends, and long straight styles are also good options.

Demi Moore and Gwyneth Paltrow have square faces.

Heart

Heart-shaped faces are wider at the forehead and narrow at the jawline.

Try side-swept bangs, bobs, and long layers to vertically balance out the face shape. Also, avoid volume at the crown since your face shape is already wider at the top than at the bottom. Styles such as a bouncy bob, a deep side part, long layered waves, and a pixie with side-swept bangs all softly frame this delicate face shape.

Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Love Hewitt, and Jennifer Lopez have heart-shaped faces, easily found in Hollywood.

Long

Also called rectangular or oblong, long-faced individuals have slender faces with a fairly consistent width from the hairline to below the cheeks.

Long faces are best paired with hairstyles that do not weigh down the eye. Short and medium cuts with fullness at the sides are recommended for balance, as are bangs. Chin-length bobs, curls, and waves also pull the eye up.

Many resources advise against too much length for long faces, but Sarah Jessica Parker and Liv Tyler are good models of long-faced hairdos, whether short or long.

Oval

An oval face, also known as the holy grail of face shapes, is about 1.5 times as long as it is wide, with curved edges. It’s the “model” face shape.

Most hairstyles work well with oval-shaped faces. Just stay away from styles that counteract your naturally well-proportioned shape. Anything from a sophisticated bob to long waves will flatter your face.

Actresses like Julia Roberts, Kate Hudson, and Charlize Theron all have oval faces.

Triangular

Triangular faces are narrower at the forehead and cheeks but wider at the jawline.

Shorter hairstyles provide balance with the strong jawline of this “reverse heart” face shape. Try layering and adding volume around the temples. A graduated bob and styles that taper at the jawline also do the trick.

Kathy Ireland, Victoria Beckham, and Fantasia Barrino all have triangular faces and hairstyles that work for them.

Diamond

Diamond-shaped faces have narrow foreheads and jawlines but wide, high cheekbones.

The diamond shape is balanced like oval faces are, but the high cheekbones provide more drama. Just pay attention to the area between the cheekbones and the chin. Extra volume there provides your delicate chin with more weight.

Linda Evangelista and Scarlett Johansson have diamond-shaped faces.

Show Off Your Shape

You may have noticed that other face shapes aim to look more oval. Now, we could get symbolic and claim foul play in favor of conformity. The favoritism toward softer jaws on actresses and models could be interpreted as an industry fear of strong women.

But rules are meant to be broken. These style tips are just a guide, and they’re certainly not written in stone, just like the rule that says gray hair must be dyed.

To see more gray hairstyles for different face shapes, check out these online resources:
Short Gray Hair Styles
How to Soften a Square Hairline