What Counts as a Long Face?
A long face is clearly longer than it is wide. Stylists call it oblong or rectangular when the sides are fairly straight, and some people with a tall forehead or a long chin have a long face too. If you're not sure which you have, the guide to the oblong face shape explains how to tell it from oval.
Every hairstyle that suits a long face does at least one of two things: it adds width, or it shortens the face.
Hairstyles for Women With Long Faces
Full fringe: a straight fringe at brow level shortens the face more than any other single change. Curtain bangs: softer, and they add width at the cheekbones. Chin-length bob: width right at the jaw, which balances length. Lob with waves: shoulder length with movement at the sides. Layers starting at the cheekbones: volume where the face needs width.
Curls and waves worn full at the sides suit long faces very well. Side parts with volume on the side away from the part add width. If you love long hair, keep it no longer than a few centimetres past the shoulders and add waves or layers at cheek level.
Read more: Oblong Face Shape: How to Tell and What Suits a Long Face
Haircuts for Men With Long Faces
Side part with fuller sides: ask for a taper rather than a skin fade so the sides keep some weight. Textured crop with a fringe: hair pushed forward shortens the forehead. Medium-length messy hair: fullness at the sides and front. Caesar cut: a short, straight fringe that cuts across the forehead. Curtains: a middle part with hair falling at the sides adds width.
Avoid tall quiffs and pompadours with skin-faded sides, which make a long face look longer. A beard that is fuller at the sides than at the chin adds width too.
Styles That Make a Long Face Longer
Height at the crown, slicked-back hair with no fringe, very long straight hair with a centre part, and tight sides with a tall top all stretch the face. So does a long, pointed beard. If you want one of these, balance it: a slicked-back style with some width at the sides, or long hair with waves at the cheeks.
The free face scan in Ollie Stylist checks whether your face reads as long and ranks haircuts for it. With Ollie Pro you can try them on your own photo before you cut.
Read more: Bangs for Round Faces: Which Fringe Works