Why Oval Faces Are the Easiest to Cut For
An oval face is a little longer than wide, widest at the cheekbones, with a jaw that's slightly narrower and gently rounded. Because nothing needs balancing, barbers can cut for your hair type and taste. It's the most common shape among men: 21.2% of the men in Ollie's face scan of 4,032 celebrities came out oval.
Men the scan measured as oval include Timothée Chalamet, Bradley Cooper, Matthew McConaughey, Jude Bellingham, Harry Kane, Ewan McGregor, Jamie Dornan and Austin Butler, which covers short, medium and long styles. Here are 12 cuts to try.
1. Textured Crop
Short sides and a choppy, forward-styled top. Low effort and modern; it suits straight and wavy hair.
Read more: Haircuts for Oval Faces: Why Almost Everything Works
2. Classic Side Part
A tidy taper with a defined part. It looks smart, ages well and works at any length on top.
3. Quiff
Hair swept up and back at the front. On an oval face, keep the height moderate so the face doesn't look long.
4. Buzz Cut
Oval faces are among the best suited to a buzz cut, because the balanced outline looks good with no hair to hide behind. See buzz cuts by face shape.
5. Slick Back
Hair combed straight back with a light or medium hold. Works with tapered or faded sides.
6. French Crop
A short top with a straight, short fringe and faded sides. An oval face can carry a straight fringe that would shorten a round or square face too much.
7. Medium-Length Flow
Hair grown to the ears or collar and pushed back. It needs thick or wavy hair to look intentional.
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8. Curtains (Middle Part)
A middle part with hair falling to either side of the forehead. Oval faces are symmetric enough to suit it. More in middle part hairstyles for men.
9. Crew Cut
Short on top, shorter on the sides. The classic low-maintenance cut, and very hard to get wrong on an oval face.
10. Low Taper Fade With Texture
A low taper keeps some weight at the sides, which stops an oval face looking long. Pair it with a textured top. See fade vs taper.
11. Shoulder-Length Hair
Longer hair suits oval faces with thick or wavy hair. Layers stop it from looking heavy.
12. Messy Fringe
A longer, piecey fringe pushed forward and to the side. Easy to style with a little matte paste.
The One Trap: Too Much Height
Because an oval face is already longer than wide, a tall pompadour with skin-faded sides adds length the face doesn't need. If you like volume, keep a little more weight at the sides, or choose a lower quiff.
Make sure you're really oval before you build a cut around it; many men are oval-oblong or oval-square. The free face scan in Ollie Stylist measures your face in your browser and ranks haircuts and beards for your shape.