Below is an excerpt from the book The Real Woman’s Guide to Hair written by Hair Expert, Penny Martin and Fashion Stylist, Angela Barbagallo. They share 50 years of experience in the hair and fashion industry. They know what is troubling you when it comes to your hair and your style.
There is something so powerful about being happy with your hair – it frames your face, it lifts the colour on your face, and it is on display at all times. When it comes to suitable hair styles, the most important thing to consider in terms of style and colour recommendation, is your face shape. Your face will fall into one of three categories- round, angular or long. To work out where you fit, in the spectrum of face shapes, measure your face. If it is almost as wide as it is long, you have a round face; if it is angular and sharp in the jawline and chin, you have an angular face, and if it is longer than it is wide, you have a long face shape.
Simply follow the questions in the diagram below.
Every face shape has different guidelines for it’s hairstyles, in order to balance out your features. Below is a guide to the hits and the misses of hairstyles for your face shape.
Hair Styles For The Long Face Shape
Your goal is to look for hair styles that visually shorten and/or add width to your face, and soften your jaw line. The biggest blunder a person with a long face shape could make is to choose hair styles that create extra height, making your face appear even longer.
Great Hair Styles
Great hairstyles for you, will tick some, if not all of the points below.
✓ Pick natural-looking styles.
✓ Choose styles that add width at your temples.
✓ Hair that has some height (but not too much) on top of your head and some width above your ears is good.
✓ A fringe is good if you have a high forehead. For smaller-depth foreheads, a straight and wispy or swept off to the side and not-too-thick fringe is best.
✓ The sides should be off your face, either swept back or short.
✓ Use off-centre or side parts.
✓ Hair length should be medium to medium short.
✓ Long hair must have plenty of width at the neckline.
✓ Widening hair styles, such as soft curls or a long bob, really suit a long face shape.
✓ Use a lot of highlights so attention goes to the different shadings in your hair instead of your longer face. Preferably, you should use three colour highlights: one 3 shades lighter than your original colour, one 1 shade lighter, and one 1 shade darker than your original hair colour.
Hair Styles to Avoid
✓ Highly stylized styles, e.g., angular cuts, severely slicked down hair, extremely short hair, etc.
✓ Height only on top of your head.
✓ Long, straight hair.
✓ Hair close to the sides of your head.
✓ Centre parts.
✓ Hair combed straight back if you have a high forehead.
Hair Styles For The Round Face Shape
A round face is one that looks almost as long as it is wide and has full cheeks. Your goal, is to balance out the proportions of your face, by selecting styles that visually lengthen your face.
Great Hair Styles
To add extra length to your face, choose styles that tick the below boxes.
✓ Choose styles that add a little bit of height to the top of your head and temples to balance the width of your cheeks.
✓ You can use colour to balance your face shape by going darker underneath on the bottom part of the head and lighter on the top layer.
✓ A good hair length is medium to long length with some tapering at the back.
✓ Keep your hair off your face and close in at the sides to show your cheekbones.
✓ A diagonal fringe is a great way to add length and interest to a round face.
Hair Styles to Avoid
✓ “Roundish” hair styles.
✓ Straight fringes, especially those that are heavy.
✓ Fullness at the ear line.
✓ Very short hair that follows the roundness of the face.
Hair Styles For The Angular Face Shape
An angular face is one that looks almost as long as it is wide; has full cheeks; and a broad, shallow jawline. It is also a face shape that could become round with weight gain. Your goal is to look for hair styles that visually lengthen your face and soften your jaw line (if desired).
Great Hair Styles
The below check points will guide you in selecting a perfect hair style, to soften an angular face.
✓ Add volume to your hair in the area of the eyes and the top of the crown away from your jaw line.
✓ Create the illusion of height to offset the angular shape with unbalanced lines—curve and angle hair
across the forehead.
✓ Natural looking soft styles are essential to soften your angular face shape.
✓ Choose styles with broken or asymmetric lines.
✓ Use foils to soften your chin area, feminize it up by creating a sun-kissed look, or perhaps balayage (a freehand technique where the hair colour is applied by hand in a sweeping motion).
✓ Hair longer than the ears should be kept close to the face.
✓ Styles longer than your chin should have curves to soften your jaw line.
✓ Avoid showing too much or too little forehead.
✓ Use an off-centre part with a swept-to-the-side fringe.
✓ Keep your hair close at the ears to emphasize your cheekbones.
✓ Cut your hair a bit longer at the back to lengthen the face.
Hair Styles to Avoid
✓ Too much fullness at the ears.
✓ Straight fringes, especially those that are heavy.
By following these simple guidelines next time you are considering a change up in the salon, you will ensure that your hair style perfectly compliments your face shape. With great hair comes great confidence, so you can enjoy a newer, happier you!
To Purchase the Real Woman’s Guide to Hair
This book is about educating and empowering you so that your confidence about your hair and your body shape flourishes. Penny and Angela have put this passion project together filled with great insights about your hair colour, your hair style, your face shape and your body shape. They are truly honoured that you’re taking the time to read the fruits of their labour of love and passion.
About the Authors
Penny Martin has built a reputation as the most experienced, reliable and respected hair design specialist in Sydney.
She provides a personalised, enjoyable experience ensuring you look and feel amazing and this comes through in her writing experience.
Penny has over 20 years experience as a senior Train the Trainer for future hairdressers.
Penny’s love for people has led her to open a counseling practice. She has had the honour to work with many underprivileged groups helping them create a second chance in life during their rehabilitation process. Penny is passionate about empowering others and making life fun.
Angela Barbagallo is one of the brightest minds in personal styling and confidence coaching today. Angela has educated her clients in making great style choices, which translates into increased feelings of well-being and a positive attitude in life. Angela is a body shape and colour expert and Author of the book “8 Ways to Look Fabulous, Taller and Slimmer by Dressing the Best for Your Body Shape”.
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