Top Hairstyles for the Heart-Shaped Face
Side Part Styling your hair into a side part is a super easy way to flatter your heart-shaped face. Plus, it looks great no matter the length of your hair or the cut you have. The asymmetrical look actually balances your face, as the extra volume from your part helps your narrow chin appear wider. How to style: Use a comb to create a straight and neat part on whichever side of your head you prefer. Comb your hair to the sides and apply a bit of pomade to hold your hair in place. Note: If you’re not sure whether a hairstyle will flatter your face or not, master hair stylist Frankie Sanderson definitely recommends asking your barber or hairstylist for their opinion. They’ll take your face shape and hair texture into account to find a style that suits you best. Meet the wikiHow Experts Frankie Sanderson is a hair stylist and makeup artist. He’s also the founder of TheStudeo, which specializes in hairstyling, makeup, and personal image. Shun Pittman is a master cosmetologist, global salon educator, and author. She has over 25 years of salon experience. Ambia Elms is a master hairstylist and owner of olive + elm Hair Salon. She has 27 years of hairstyling experience.
Messy Fringe Any style that slims the width at the top of your head is flattering on a heart-shaped face, says master cosmetologist Shun Pittman. And adding messy fringe is a great way to do this, while also adding extra width to your narrow chin. It adds volume to the top of your head, too, which helps it appear longer. Simply keep your hair long in the front and add lots of choppy layers for extra texture. Either opt for tapered sides for a trendy look or longer sides for a classic style. How to style: Spritz your damp hair with sea salt spray and tousle it with your fingers. Then, scrunch your hair as you blow-dry it with a regular attachment or diffuser.
Side-swept Fringe A side-swept fringe gives you a similar flattering look to parting your hair to the side. Sweeping the fringe across your forehead helps slim it down, while the extra volume balances your chin. Just keep your hair long on top and cut your fringe at a slight angle so it swoops nicely across your forehead and along your brow line. Keep the sides longer, or go for short and tapered sides. How to style: Use your fingers to part your hair and fringe to the side. Then, run pomade, mousse, or styling cream through your fringe to sweep it to the side and give it a tousled look.
Textured Crop/French Crop The textured crop (also called the French crop) is a trendy style where you keep your hair long and layered on top, add a short and blunt fringe, and go with a low or high fade on the sides. The textured layers create dimension and soften your features, which is very flattering. How to style: For added texture, Sanderson suggests spraying your hair with sea salt spray while it's damp or dry. Then, blow-dry your hair. This gives you a tousled and messy look.
Curtain Hair Curtain hair is another trendy fringe style that looks great on heart-shaped faces. With this style, you keep your hair long on the top and part it in the middle so your fringe swoops down on either side of your face. The face-framing curtains make your forehead appear narrower, add width to your chin, and highlight your prominent cheekbones. How to style: Spritz your damp hair all over with sea salt spray and then part it in the middle. Blow-dry your hair, aiming the nozzle upward for extra volume. Then, run a bit of pomade or styling clay through your hair.
Quiff The quiff is a classic style that still has a trendy, modern feel. It’s great for heart-shaped faces because it helps add length and volume. With this style, you keep the hair longer on top and keep it short on the sides, whether you go with a simple trim or a dramatic high fade. How to style: Run gel, wax, or mousse through your damp hair. Then, use a hair dryer and a brush to sweep your hair upward and back across your head. Simply apply a bit of wax to smooth out any flyaways.
Taper Fade The taper fade is a version of the “long on top, short on the sides” style. Instead of making the sides all one length, though, your hair is cut at a gradual taper so it blends seamlessly into your neck. Whether you choose a low, medium, or high fade, the shorter sides help balance your face and make your forehead appear more narrow. How to style: Apply sea salt spray, pomade, or mousse to give your hair a bit of texture. Combine this style with a side part, fringe, or quiff for an even more flattering look.
Slick Back The slick back is a sleek and sophisticated look that helps elongate the heart-shaped face and highlight your cheekbones. The style just involves keeping your hair slightly longer on the top. Feel free to keep the sides longer or go with an edgy undercut or high fade. How to style: Apply gel or pomade to your hair. Then, use a comb to brush back your hair.
Buzz Cut The buzz cut is a classic and popular style that’s flattering on most face shapes. The cut is also easy to maintain, as it just requires trimming your hair to a short stubble (though you can opt for a fade on the sides rather than a uniform length). The super short look softens your forehead while emphasizing your cheekbones. How to style: For longer styles, apply a bit of pomade or gel to add a bit of texture or smooth your hair down. Otherwise, just get regular trims to maintain the look.
Butch Cut The butch cut is like a longer version of the buzz cut. With this style, you cut your hair to a uniform length, typically between ¼ and ½ inches (6-12 mm) long. The short, consistent style helps to narrow your forehead and balance out your chin. How to style: Run pomade or gel through your hair for a bit of texture, or to smooth down your hair.
Crew cut The crew cut is a classic style, where you keep your hair short on top and fade out the sides. It’s another low-maintenance style, similar to the buzz and butch cut. The longer top softens your forehead, while the shorter sides help slim it down and balance your chin. How to style: Tousle your hair with a bit of pomade or mousse to add some texture.
Layered Long Hair According to master hairstylist Ambia Elms, anything “from a bob to a long length [is] going to work with a heart-shaped face.” She says adding layers helps fill in the area around your chin and balance out the fullness of your forehead. So, Elms suggests getting layers that start around the chin. How to style: For extra texture and dimension, spritz your hair with sea salt spray or scrunch it with some mousse. Opt for a side-part, too.
Shag Cut The shag is another layered style that adds volume around your chin, helping your face appear more balanced. The cut is kept shorter in the front and longer in the back, and adds lots of choppy layers around your face. Simply opt for a short or long style, depending on your preference. How to style: Spray your damp hair with a texturizing spray, like sea salt spray. Then, scrunch your hair with your hands as you blow-dry it for extra texture.
Faux Hawk The faux hawk mimics the bold, edgy look of a mohawk without you having to shave the sides of your head. With the faux hawk, you keep the top of your hair long while you fade out the sides (either a low, medium, or high taper). This helps add length to your face and slim down your forehead. How to style: Apply mousse or cream to your hands and use them to brush the top of your hair upward into a spiky, mohawk look.
Pompadour The pompadour is another “long on top” style that adds height, volume, and balance to a heart-shaped face. With this cut, you keep the top of the hair fairly long and add a subtle fade along the sides. However, if you like a more dramatic look, opt for a high fade. How to style: Run pomade through your damp hair, using your fingers to brush your hair back and slightly upwards. Then, brush your hair upwards and back while you dry it with a blow dryer. Finish off with a bit more pomade to smooth out any flyaways.
Comb over The comb over is a sleek and classic style that helps to narrow your forehead and balance out your face. This style is longer on top and typically has a deep side part that you smooth to one side for extra volume. Either keep the sides full and long, or opt for a faded look. How to style: Part and comb your damp hair over to one side. Then, aim the nozzle of your hair dryer upwards to add more volume. Finish off with a bit of styling paste or pomade to slick back your hair.
Undercut If you’re after a bold look, try the undercut. With this style, your hair is longer on top with a high fade on the sides. The volume on top softens your face while the shorter sides help balance your chin. How to style: Use pomade, cream, or mousse to slick back your hair or create a voluminous quiff or pompadour. Or, spritz your hair with sea salt spray to create a more textured look.
Disconnected Undercut The disconnected undercut is an edgier and bolder version of the undercut. You typically buzz the sides of your hair into a very high fade, which means that there’s a more dramatic line between the top and sides of your hair. Like the regular undercut, this style also helps to balance your face. How to style: Slick back your hair or create a quiff or pompadour with pomade, cream, or mousse.
Waves or Curls Whether you’re rocking a French crop or long layered hairstyle, waves or curls are a great way to add dimension to your face. Plus, the extra volume helps balance out your chin, while the textured look softens your forehead. How to style: If you have natural waves or curls, apply a pomade into your damp hair and scrunch it as you dry it with a diffuser. If you have straight hair, use a texturizing spray to get messy waves. Or, use a curling iron to create curls.
Loose Man Bun If you have longer hair, pulling it back into a man bun is a very flattering style. Just keep your hair long on top and opt for a short drop fade, which helps balance out your narrow chin. Maintaining a looser style also helps to soften up your forehead. How to style: Brush your hair back to the crown of your head and use a hair tie to secure your locks into a bun or ponytail. Pull out a few pieces around your face to help soften up your look.
Beard Styles for the Heart-Shaped Face
Stubble Adding a beard to your look helps increase the width of your jawline and balance out your heart-shaped face. If you don’t like the look of a full beard, though, stubble is a great alternative. Just trim your beard (or let it grow out) to about 5 mm long to achieve the rugged and refined style. How to style: Trim your beard every few days to maintain the short, stubble look. To keep it looking healthy, wash it with beard shampoo and apply beard oil to keep your hair and skin moisturized.
Short Box Beard The short box beard is a sharp and defined style that balances your face by adding volume to your jawline. With this style, you keep your beard and moustache trimmed short. Then, you create a low, sharp line along your cheeks and a clean line just below your jaw. How to style: Brush your beard daily to keep it smooth, sleek, and polished. Wash it regularly and apply beard oil daily to keep it healthy-looking, too.
Hollywoodian Beard The Hollywoodian beard is a classic and polished full beard. It features a goatee, moustache, and chin strap, while the cheeks and sideburns are kept shaved. This defines your jawline and adds width, which is super flattering on your heart-shaped face. How to style: Keep your beard trimmed to about 1 to 2 inches (2.5-5 cm) long. Brush it and apply beard oil daily to keep it smooth, sleek, and healthy.
Full Beard The full beard is flattering on most face shapes, as the style fills in your chin area and defines your jawline. With this style, you grow out your facial hair all over your chin, jawline, and sideburns, and add a moustache. Just line up your beard below your cheekbones and above your Adam’s apple for a clean look. Then, opt for any length you prefer. How to style: Comb your beard to keep it smooth and apply a beard oil to ensure it stays moisturized. If your beard is long, apply a beard balm to add extra shine. Wash your beard regularly with beard shampoo to keep it clean, too.
How to Tell You Have a Heart-Shaped Face
The heart-shaped face is wide at the forehead and narrow at the chin. “If someone has a heart-shaped face…that means they're wider at the top, and they're narrow at the bottom,” explains Pittman. They also typically have prominent cheekbones that taper into a pointed chin. People with this face shape often have a widow’s peak hairline, too. Celebrity examples: Bradley Cooper, Donald Glover, Harry Styles, Ryan Gosling, Ncuti Gatwa, Joseph Gordon-Levitt To tell if you have this face shape, simply measure the width of your forehead, cheekbones, and jawline. If your forehead is the widest measurement and your jawline is the narrowest, you likely have a heart-shaped face. Still not sure if you have a heart-shaped shape or not? Check out our article on men’s face shapes, or take our Face Shapes Quiz!
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