Almost everything you read in a magazine or anywhere else, asks you to choose your face shape in order to determine which hair style looks good on you, but how can you really know? Learn how to determine your face shape by reading below! Determining your face shape is actually quite easy, and today we'll guide you through that!
How to Determine Your Face Shape
Step 1: Gather Your Tools
Before we get into it, you'll need a few tools. Sure, you can simply look at your face in the mirror, but in reality, that's not an exact way to determine your face shape. You'll need a few things:
- a tape measure (the soft type that tailors use)
- a pen and paper (or you can just use the notes in your phone)
- a mirror
These things are important because you'll need to measure your face in order to really determine the exact shape, so let's get to it!
Step 2: Measure Your Forehead
The best way to figure out the face of your shape, is to measure it! You'll need to figure out which parts are longer and which parts are shorter. Start by measuring the widest part of your forehead. This is usually halfway between your eyebrows and your hairline. Once you've measured the widest part of your face (the forehead), write it down.
Step 3: Measure Your Cheekbones
When it comes to choosing the perfect hairstyle for your face shape, the width of your cheekbones plays a crucial role. To measure your cheekbone width, place the tape measure across the pointiest part of your cheekbones, just below the outer corners of the eyes.
Step 4: Measure Your Jawline
Measure your jawline from the tip of the chin to below the ear at the point where your jaw angles upwards. Once you've measured one side, multiply that by 2 to get the jawline length.
Step 5: Measure the Length of Your Face
Did you know that the difference between a square face and a rectangle face is only about two inches? To measure to length of your face, lay the tape measure from the center of your hairline right down to the tip of your chin.
Step 6: Determining the Shape of Your Face
Now that you've (hopefully) written down all of your measurements, check to see which of these parts is the largest. Compare your numbers to the profiles below to see which will best described your face shape.
Oval Face Shape
For this face shape, the face length is greater than the width of the cheekbones and the forehead is greater than the jawline. The angle of the jaw is more rounded than sharp.
Round Face Shape
Circular shaped. Length is approx equal to width, meaning cheekbones and face length have a similar measurement. They are both larger than the forehead and jawline, and the angle of the jaw is soft and less defined.
Oblong/Rectangular Face Shape
For those with oblong faces or rectangular face shape: face is longer than it is wide with a long straight cheek line. The forehead, cheekbones, and jawline are similar in size. Usually, this is a long face.
Square Face Shape
Strong and broad forehead with angular jaw. For the square shape, all measurements are fairly similar.
Heart Face Shape
The heart shaped face is wide at the forehead and cheekbones, narrow at the jawline. The forehead will measure greater than the cheekbones and jawline and the chin will be pointed.
Diamond Face Shape
For the diamond shaped face, the forehead and jawline are narrow with wide and high cheekbones. For the diamond face shape, the length will have the largest measurement, and in descending order the following areas: cheekbones, forehead, and jawline (which will be smallest). The chin will usually be pointed.
Triangular Face Shape
Forehead and cheekbones are narrow with a wide jawline. The jawline will measure greater than the cheekbones which will measure larger than the forehead.
Still not sure how to measure correctly or which shape your face is? Check out this YouTube video courtesy of Ellabangs for more help!
So now that you know which face shape you have, you can go out and choose a hairstyle based on that shape, the right type of eyebrows to sport, and much more!
How to Determine Your Face Shape – Measuring Your Face
Equipment
- Tape Measure
- Pen and Paper
- Mirror
Instructions
Measure Your Forehead
- The best way to figure out the face of your shape, is to measure it! You'll need to figure out which parts are longer and which parts are shorter. Start by measuring the widest part of your forehead. This is usually halfway between your eyebrows and your hairline. Once you've measured the widest part of your face (the forehead), write it down.
Measure Your Cheekbones
- When it comes to choosing the perfect hairstyle for your face shape, the width of your cheekbones plays a crucial role. To measure your cheekbone width, place the tape measure across the pointiest part of your cheekbones, just below the outer corners of the eyes.
Measure Your Jawline
- Measure your jawline from the tip of the chin to below the ear at the point where your jaw angles upwards. Once you've measured one side, multiply that by 2 to get the jawline length.
Measure the Length of Your Face
- Did you know that the difference between a square face and a rectangle face is only about two inches? To measure to length of your face, lay the tape measure from the center of your hairline right down to the tip of your chin.
To see more posts like this one, check out our Beauty Tips Section!
Did you like this post? If so, please share:)
Thanks but I’m not sure I agree with the photo for Triangular. Her face looks more square to me.
I think that the way you can determine their face shape is by looking at the cheekbones forehead and cheeks
gosh, this cant help me. im pretty stupid when it comes to determining my own features… i think mine is some weird mix with round and heart. ha
Mine is square.
um im not sure whats mine, i’ve always thought it was oval
but now its either a heart or a diamond x]
I have an oval face shape, just need to know what eybrow shape would siut me best then i’m good to go 🙂
Definitely heart shaped.
Thanks =]
mine is in between oval and round.
And mine is between oval and heart shaped. I wish we could upload our photo and have a free generated software automatically detect it.
it’s weird; my face doesn’t seem to fit into either one of these categories. My cheekbones and jawline have the exact same width (I just measured). The width of these is much wider than my forehead. So Im kinda confused here…
I have an oval face shape, but the hint of cheekbones, lie under the fact that I have natural shadows under my cheekbones, which happen to be start at my temples before their apples stop just under my eyes (Or near them) but they don’t protrude. Front on, you can see them, but not as a much as when I hold my face at a certain angle.
i just wanted to leave a comment. i dont have a face shape. chealsi said it was diamond. now my chin is swollen. so i dont know nowww
I think I’m a heart or circle. Hmm… Maybe a circle and heart mixed lol
I think I’m either oval or round. I”m still not sure.
one way to figure out what face shape you are is to get some one too draw the out line of your face in the mirror 😀
I think mines a cross between a circle and a square.. is that possible?
I ain’t sure which face shape I’ve got.Maybe it’s diamond or heart.But anyway,thanx.That helped!!
I’m soooo confused! I don’t know if I’m oval or oblong… *sigh*
If you’re confused, the four MAIN face shapes is oval, heart, square, and round.
Mine is oval 😛
My face literally looks like those one weird parentheses.. you know, the { } things! How do I classify THAT? I’ll just call my face the “weird parentheses shape” {}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}
Cool, thanks! Just measured mine and it’s oval!