What Is a Triangle Face Shape?
A triangle face is widest at the jaw and narrows toward the forehead, the reverse of a heart face. The jaw is often strong and the forehead relatively narrow. It's also called a pear face shape, and is easy to confuse with square, which has a jaw and forehead of similar width.
It's more common than its reputation. In Ollie's face scan of 4,032 celebrities, 14.5% came out triangle, the third most common shape, with 15.7% of men and 12.6% of women. Celebrities the scan measured as clearly triangle include Keanu Reeves, John Travolta, Matt Smith, Jodie Foster, Gwyneth Paltrow, Laura Dern, Lucy Liu and Ali Larter.
How to Tell Triangle From Square
Measure or compare your forehead and jaw widths. If the jaw is clearly wider, you're triangle; if they're about equal and the jaw is angular, you're square. Hairlines matter: a receding hairline at the temples can make a forehead look narrower than it is, so look at the bone, not the hair.
The free face scan in Ollie Stylist compares these widths in your browser and shows how likely each of the 7 shapes is.
Read more: Square Face Shape Hairstyles That Soften a Strong Jaw
Haircuts That Balance a Triangle Face
Add width at the top and keep it off the jaw. Volume at the crown and temples, from layers, root lift or a textured top, widens the narrow forehead. Side-swept fringes add width across the forehead. Layers that start at the cheekbones rather than the jaw put movement in the upper face.
For longer hair, a cut that falls well past the jaw, with the fullness higher up, works better than one that ends at the jawline. A pixie or short cut with height and some fullness at the sides suits a triangle face too. Avoid chin-length bobs that flare out at the jaw and styles that are flat on top with all the volume at the bottom.
Get new guides by email
Haircuts and Beards for Men With Triangle Faces
Keep some length and texture on top and some fullness at the sides above the ears, rather than skin-faded temples: a textured quiff, a side part with volume, or medium-length hair pushed back all work. Keanu Reeves' longer hair, falling past the jaw, is a good example of length balancing a triangle face.
A beard on a triangle face should not add more width at the jaw. Keep the sides of the beard short and tidy, or choose stubble. A goatee or a beard shaped longer at the chin than the sides can work. See beard styles by face shape.
Read more: Face Shapes: The 7 Types and How to Tell Yours Apart
Glasses for a Triangle Face
Choose frames that are wider or heavier on top, such as browline or cat-eye styles, to add width at the upper face. Bold top rims and coloured upper frames help. Avoid frames that are heavier at the bottom.