The best bangs for your face shape are decided by two things. Your face shape decides the type: a straight, blunt line or a diagonal. The height of your forehead sets the length and weight: how much of it the bangs cover and how dense they can be. Get both right and the cut does what you wanted; get only one right and it can look borrowed.
Face shapes are a styling framework, so read the chart below as conventions about lines, not rules. If you do not know your face shape yet, the Face Shape Calculator gives it from four measurements, and the face shape chart shows the ranges.
What each type of bangs does
Bangs change a face in two ways. They cover part of the forehead, which moves the visible top of the face down and makes it read shorter. And they draw a line: a straight edge reads as a horizontal and widens the face where it sits, while a parted or angled edge reads as a diagonal and lengthens.
- Full, blunt bangs cut straight across, at or near the brows. The most coverage and the strongest horizontal line.
- Wispy bangs are thinned, see-through bangs. Partial coverage, a soft line.
- Curtain bangs are parted in the middle and sweep to both sides. Little horizontal, two diagonals opening toward the cheekbones.
- Side-swept bangs fall across the forehead in one long diagonal.
- Micro bangs are cut short, well above the brows. A high horizontal line that shows most of the forehead.
Bangs by face shape: the chart
| Face shape | Full, blunt | Wispy | Curtain | Side-swept | Micro |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oval | Works | Works | Works | Works | Works |
| Round | Avoid | Works if long | Very good | Very good | Avoid |
| Square | Avoid | Works | Very good | Very good | Avoid |
| Oblong | Very good | Weak effect | Good if full | Works | Avoid |
| Heart | Avoid | Very good | Very good | Very good | Avoid |
| Diamond | Good | Works | Good | Very good | Possible |
| Triangle | Good | Works | Good | Works | Possible |
The logic behind each row:
- Round and square faces are short, so they gain little from coverage and a lot from diagonals. A blunt line shortens a round face further and adds a box line to a square one.
- Oblong faces need coverage and width, so full bangs are the strongest choice. Wispy and micro bangs leave the length on show.
- Heart faces are widest at the forehead. Diagonals and soft bangs cover the corners; a heavy straight line runs across the widest part.
- Diamond and triangle faces are narrow at the forehead, so a horizontal line there adds width where it helps.
- Oval faces have nothing to balance, so the choice comes down to forehead height.
Your forehead height decides length and weight
The second axis is the height of the forehead compared with the rest of the face. Measure from your hairline to the space between your brows, and from there to the base of your nose. In the classic proportion canon the two are about equal; facial thirds and fifths explains the full map and why it is a reference, not a standard.
- High forehead (the top section clearly longer): you have room for full, dense bangs and for curtain bangs that start high and cover a good part of the forehead.
- Average forehead: any type works; follow the face shape chart.
- Short forehead (the top section clearly shorter): keep the bangs light, as wispy, side-swept or long curtain bangs. Dense bangs on a short forehead sit right on the brows and crowd the eyes. Micro bangs need some height to look intentional.
Curtain bangs: the half-truth about “they suit everyone”
Curtain bangs are often called universally flattering, and they do suit most shapes. But the length changes the effect, and the right length differs by shape.
- Round and square: let them open at the cheekbones, with the shortest point around cheekbone level. The diagonals then run down past the widest part of the face.
- Oblong: cut them shorter and fuller, so they cover more of the forehead. Long, wispy curtain bangs that leave most of the forehead visible barely change a long face.
- Heart: let them sweep over the forehead corners, where the face is widest.
- Diamond: let them open at the temples, adding a little width at the narrow forehead, and keep the ends above the cheekbones.
Before you cut
Curly and wavy hair springs up as it dries, so curly bangs are usually cut longer than they will finally sit. A strong cowlick at the hairline can make blunt bangs split; side-swept or curtain bangs work with it. Blunt bangs need a trim every few weeks to stay off the eyes, so pick a type you can live with at two lengths. Curtain bangs are the easiest to grow out, because they already sweep to the sides.
For the haircut around the bangs, see hairstyles for a square face, hairstyles for a long face and hairstyles for a round face.