What Actually Slims a Face
A haircut can't change the face underneath, but it decides where the eye goes and which lines it follows. Fuller faces look slimmer with vertical and diagonal lines (long layers, side parts, angled cuts) and with height at the crown. They look fuller with horizontal lines at the cheeks or chin and with volume at the sides.
These principles overlap with advice for round faces, because full cheeks soften any face shape toward round. If your face is round even when you're lean, see haircuts for round faces.
Haircuts for Women With Fuller Faces
Long layers: length past the shoulders with layers starting below the chin. Angled lob: longer at the front, ending a few centimetres past the chin. Deep side part: an instant diagonal. Side-swept bangs: a diagonal across the forehead rather than a straight block. Face-framing layers: pieces that start at the chin and angle down past the jaw. Textured pixie with height: if you want short hair, put all the volume on top.
Read more: Haircuts for Round Faces: 15 Cuts That Slim and Lengthen
Haircuts for Men With Fuller Faces
High fade with a quiff: narrow sides and height on top. Side part with a taper: a clean line and tight sides. Textured crop pushed up: not flat and forward. Undercut: length on top styled up or to the side. Avoid long, puffy sides, bowl cuts and buzz cuts on their own; a buzz cut works better with a beard.
Get new guides by email
Hairstyles That Downplay a Double Chin
Avoid any cut that ends at the chin or jaw, because the hemline points at the area you want to soften. Choose lengths that end clearly above (a pixie with height) or clearly below (a lob or longer). Layers that angle down past the jawline lead the eye down toward the neck and collarbones.
Men have a stronger tool: a beard. A well-shaped beard with a defined neckline, set about a finger's width above the Adam's apple, creates a jawline. Keep the sides shorter than the chin so the face looks longer. See beard styles for round faces.
Read more: Round Face Haircuts for Men: 12 Cuts That Add Angles
Styling Habits That Make the Biggest Difference
Lift at the roots with a blow-dryer or texture spray; flat hair widens a face. Tuck one side behind an ear for asymmetry. Choose glasses with angular frames slightly wider than your face. And good posture, with your chin slightly forward and down for photos, reduces a double chin more than any haircut. More on that in how to look good in photos.
The free face scan in Ollie Stylist measures your face shape in your browser and ranks cuts for it, and with Ollie Pro you can try them on your own photo first.