To find your face shape, pull your hair back and measure four things: forehead width, cheekbone width, jaw width, and face length (hairline to chin). Compare the numbers — if length is clearly greatest you’re oblong; if width and length are similar and the jaw is soft you’re round; a strong, wide jaw means square; a wide forehead tapering to a narrow chin means heart; and balanced proportions with a slightly narrower forehead and jaw is oval.
Table of Contents
The four measurements
Stand in front of a mirror with your hair tied back, or use a straight-on selfie and a ruler on the screen. Measure across the widest part of your forehead, across the top of your cheekbones, across your jaw at its widest point, and the vertical distance from the centre of your hairline to the tip of your chin.
Key takeaways
- You only need four numbers: forehead, cheekbones, jaw, and length.
- The largest measurement usually points to your shape.
- Jaw softness vs. angularity separates round from square.
- A front-facing photo makes this even easier than a tape measure.
How to read your numbers
Compare the four figures. When face length is the biggest by a clear margin, the shape is long (oblong). When cheekbones and length are similar and the jaw is rounded, it’s round. A jaw that is nearly as wide as the cheekbones with sharp corners reads square. A forehead wider than the jaw that narrows to a point is heart. Oval sits in the middle: length a little greater than width, and a jaw slightly narrower than the cheekbones.
The six common face shapes
Most people fall into oval, round, square, oblong (long), heart, or diamond. Diamond is less common — narrow forehead and jaw with the cheekbones as the widest point. Many faces are a blend of two, which is completely normal; style for the shape you most want to balance.
What to do next
Once you know your shape, match it to flattering cuts in what hairstyle suits my face shape. If you landed on oval, you have the widest choice; if round, jump to oval-face styles for versatile ideas or preview options on your own photo.
Frequently asked questions
How do I find my face shape without a tape measure?
Take a straight-on photo, tie hair back, and trace the outline. The overall silhouette usually makes the shape obvious even without exact numbers.
Can my face shape change over time?
The bone structure stays largely the same, but weight changes and ageing can slightly soften or sharpen how your face reads.
What if I’m between two face shapes?
That’s common. Choose styling that balances the feature you’re most conscious of, or default to oval-friendly cuts.
Know your shape now? Preview matching cuts with the SwapMyHair try-on, or read the basics of facial structure.