Square Face Shape - Hairstyles That Suit You

A square face shape requires haircuts, styles and makeup that will help to soften the strong angles that are the trademark of the shape.

Square Face Shape

If you have a square face shape then you'll recognize the following characteristics:

Your face is very equal in regards to length and width.
Your forehead and jawline are a similar width in appearance.
Your chin is noticeably square and/or flat.
Your jawline is strong, broad and obviously square in appearance.
Your cheeks and the sides of your face are straight.
Your forehead is broad and most likely straight around your hairline.
Your face is widest at your cheekbones.

All of these characteristics add up to a strong looking face shape that can be flattered with the right hairstyle and makeup choices.

Hairstyles to Try

Wispy forward falling hair onto your face will soften your jaw line.
Wearing bangs swept over to one side will create diagonal movement to minimize square shapes.
Short to medium length hair will also suit you, especially if the style is rounded in shape or has wispy ends.
Styles with height at the crown will also work in your favor.

Hairstyles to Avoid

Avoid blunt bobs, especially sitting at chin length with straight heavy bangs as this will accentuate your jaw line and squareness.
Middle parts with solid bangs can also work against you.

Hairstyles

If you like any of the following hairstyles, click on each image for more info, how to style steps, and to try on each hairstyle. Or you can view TheHairStyler.com's entire range of hairstyles for square face shapes.

The Right Short Hairstyle

This short concave bob is a great looking hairstyle for a square face shape. The sides falling forward soften the jaw line, while the diagonal bangs also are ideal for minimizing squareness. The hairstyle has a rounded appearance making it the right choice for framing square face shapes. Other short styles that will work are looks with soft wispy side parted swept across bangs in wavy or curly textures.

The Wrong Short Hairstyle

This short cut illustrates really well what to avoid on square face shapes. Firstly, the top area has a very square shape about it. Secondly, the short tapered sides accentuate the squareness of the jaw line, and the square hairline only adds to what is doomed from the very start. Definitely the wrong cut for square face shapes.

The Right Medium Hairstyle

This hairstyle has all the right ingredients to suit and compliment square faces. The sides are soft and wispy, falling onto the jaw line hiding squareness, and the side swept bangs create a diagonal illusion that loses any focus on squareness. The graduated sides and back angle up creating a whole new shape to frame the face. Other variations in different textures will also work keeping to this theme.

The Wrong Medium Hairstyle

If a picture tells a thousand words, what does this say to you? Terrible in capital letters! The shape of the cut makes a square face shape look even squarer. The straight across bangs shorten the length of the face, while the chin length sides create width and draw attention to the jaw area. This shape should be avoided.

The Right Long Hairstyle

This long wavy hairstyle with side-swept bangs is just right for square faces. The waves are open ended and have curved lines that are softer to the eye, and the across bangs also help to change the perception of shape to the eye making it appear rounder rather than square. Other good long looks include wispy face framing layers in straight, wavy or curly textures.

The Wrong Long Hairstyle

This hairstyle looks very heavy and solid all over making it a bad choice for square face shapes. The heavy bangs create a very square shape alone, but once they are added to the straight sides and back, the result is very square and angular. The sides need layers, while the bangs need to be less heavy and more across. This is a good example of the wrong cut for the wrong face shape.

The Right Bob Hairstyle

One of the most flattering and versatile hairstyles is the bob. It looks great in a short, medium or long hair length, can be worn curly, straight or wavy, and there is one to suit just about everyone - all you need to know is how to choose the right one for you!

The most suitable bob hairstyles for a square face shape should feature all or some of the following:

A long length, particularly through the front.
Graduated in style/cut.
Soft, smooth lines.
Side-swept bangs.

Long Bob

This long bob is perfect for adding length and a rounded appearance to short, square face shapes.

Graduated Bob

Due to its rounded nature, a graduated bob will soften a square jaw line.

The Wrong Bob Hairstyle

To ensure your bob hairstyle is suitable for your face shape, select a bob that does not have any of the following hairstyle features:

Is blunt in cut/style.
Features heavy bangs.
Has a short length that accentuates the jaw line.

Blunt Cut Bob with Heavy, Full Bangs

A blunt cut bob, particularly one teamed with heavy, full bangs, will only further promote the squareness of your face shape.

Short Blunt Cut Bob

Because square faces have such a strong jaw line, any hairstyle that makes this the focus of your face, such as this short blunt cut bob, should be avoided in favor for longer, more rounded bobs that will flatter your jaw line.

Martha Plimpton has a square face shape and unfortunately is not doing it any favors with this style. The two pitfalls of this hairstyle are the bangs that are cut straight across the forehead and the jaw length blunt bob. Both of these features only emphasize a boxy look. Instead, bangs should be swept to the side, "wispy" or curved downwards near the temples to create an arc shape.

Now that you know which bobs to try, and which ones to avoid, take a look at the great range of bob hairstyles that we have available in our hairstyle categories.

The Right Bangs

Adding bangs to your hairstyle is a great way to create a new look without sacrificing the length of your hair or using hair color. But as with a new haircut or hair color, if you choose the wrong type of bangs, you could end up with a new look that isn't exactly the right look for you.

To avoid getting bangs you'll regret, do your research first and choose the right bangs by looking at the ultimate deciding factor - your face shape.

Square face shapes have an angular jawline so bangs that will draw attention to the upper part of your face, especially to the eyes, are ideal.

Full, Diagonal Bangs

Bangs that run fully across your forehead with a diagonal element should give your face shape the illusion of roundness rather than squareness.

Long, Side-Swept Bangs

Long, side-swept bangs will draw attention to the eyes, create softness, and will minimize the squareness of your face shape.

The Wrong Bangs

Bangs that shorten the length of your face, create a box around your features, or cover up the majority of the top section of your face will only enhance the square nature of your face shape.

Heavy Bangs

Heavy bangs that will hide your entire forehead will only bring attention to the square jaw area of your face shape.

Straight Across Solid Bangs

Solid bangs that run straight across will instantly shorten the length of your face shape and create a square shape across the top half of your face, which is something a square face shape needs to avoid.

By knowing which bangs to try and which ones to avoid, you can reap the rewards that bangs can offer to your face shape, hairstyle and look.

If you're after more options then visit our hairstyle categories for plenty of great bangs hairstyle ideas.

Makeup

To downplay the heaviness of a square face shape your makeup should create a delicate look. A good place to start is using lipstick and eye shadow in a dark tone and leaving all other makeup as light as possible. For further advice, try these tips:

Face

Use a shader that is one tone darker than your foundation under your cheekbones, out to your hair line and down under the points of your jaw to create a flattering shape.
To narrow down the top of your face, blend some shader just above your temples to the outer corner of your forehead.
Use shaping and shading tricks to lift the outer edges of your face so that your jaw line appears lifted.

Cheekbones

Apply a light colored blusher on your cheekbones and chin to give them the illusion of lift.

Eyes

Use a dark colored eye shadow under your eye, on your lid and from the inner point of your eyebrow to the outer edge.

Lips

Use a bright lipstick on your lips and apply it to your top lip with a slightly pointed shape to help make your chin appear more pointed. For more tips on shaping your lips, see our beauty article, Makeup Tricks: Shaping Your Lips.
To see the difference lipstick can make to your face shape visit the extras section in our Virtual Hairstyler and try out our selection of lipsticks.

When it comes to makeup, the number one rule is that you should always be comfortable. Use these tips as a guide for creating your own look and remember that all face proportions are different and the aim is to balance your own individual features within your face shape.

Now that you know your face shape and how to choose the right hairstyle, why not take a look through TheHairStyler.com's range of hairstyles for square face shapes? We also recommend taking a look at the following links:

To see if the hairstyles featured in this article will suit you, click on the images to try the virtual hairstyle on your own photo or our model.

We have 1,000s of different styles for you to choose from which can be viewed on your own photo or on one of our models. To find out exactly what will work for your square face shape when it comes to styling your hair and applying makeup, we recommend trying our Free Hairstyle Consultation:

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