- POPSUGAR Australia
- Beauty
- The Best Layers For Your Face Shape, According to a Hairstylist
The Best Layers For Your Face Shape, According to a Hairstylist
Getty / Taylor Hill
- Finding the most flattering layers for your face shape is easier than you might think.
- Layers are a great way to add movement and body to your hair.
- Whether your face is oval, heart, square, long, or round, you’ll find the best type of layers for you.
Getting bangs is a commitment, as is chopping your hair off or dyeing it a new colour. But if you want to change up your look without doing anything too drastic, layers are the way to go. Want to add (or remove) volume? Layers. Wish your hair had more movement? Layers. Tired of your hair lying flat against your head and wearing you (as opposed to you wearing it)? You guessed it: layers.
Unless you only get one-length cuts, chances are you’ve probably had layers before. Most haircuts feature them – even if they’re super long and blended – and hairstylists will often incorporate them into a hairstyle naturally when they’re giving you a trim or adding shape to your new look. Recent hair trends like the shag and bixie rely heavily on layers to give the cuts their signature look, and while layers are pretty universally flattering, there is a science to finding the best layers for you. It has to do with your face shape.
“Layers have exceptional power to change the silhouette of the haircut and can therefore be extremely versatile when creating custom shapes,” Tom Smith, celebrity hairstylist and Evo Hair’s international color creative director, tells POPSUGAR. “Layering as a technique is a fundamental element of hair cutting and can be adjusted to create limitless styles.”
If you have a hair appointment coming up on the calendar, consider the following tips from a hairstylist to help you find the right layered haircut for your face shape.
Getty / Jean Baptiste Lacroix
The Best Layers For a Round Face Shape
Round faces are characterised as being the same length and width. “Long layers are best so as to keep the hair silhouette longer and leaner, keeping the widest point below the chin rather than close to the face,” says Smith. Layers that fall any higher, like at the cheekbones, could make your face look wider.
Getty / Jon Kopaloff
The Best Layers For an Oval Face Shape
Of all the face shapes, an oval face is the easiest to flatter with a variety of different haircuts. This is thanks to its proportional shape. “Instead, look for other features that you might want to draw the attention towards or away from, such as highlighting cheekbones or tapering under a neat jawline,” Smith says.
Getty / Taylor Hill
The Best Layers For a Square Face Shape
A square face shape usually features an angular jaw and forehead. Smith says adding face-framing layers is a great way to “soften hard angles or corners of a square face.” Long, layered bangs or layers that fall around the jawline will most flatter you.
Getty / Axelle/Bauer-Griffin
The Best Layers For a Long Face Shape
If you have a long face shape, adding layers to the middle of the face to highlight the cheekbones will help “add thickness and width to a long, narrow face,” says Smith. “Avoid long layers that are longer than chin length.”
Getty / Jon Kopaloff
The Best Layers For a Heart Face Shape
Heart-shaped faces have a wider forehead and cheekbones and a slim, narrow jaw. Smith recommends layers that hit the middle or end of your face. “More texture from layers sitting around the lower face will help to open up a narrow lower face and conceal a wider forehead,” he says.
