Hairstyles for a long face

What hairstyles for a long face need to do

The hairstyles for a long face in the gallery above each do at least one of three things: they add width at the cheeks and sides, keep the crown low, or cross the length with a fringe or with ends that stop at the chin or collarbone. The three skip cards do the reverse.

Long and oblong are two names for the same outline, and the face shape detector uses oblong. It returns that shape when the length, hairline to chin, is at least 1.5 times the cheekbone width and the forehead, cheekbones and jaw are within about 10% of each other.

With three widths that close, the sides of the face run almost parallel, so the length is what the outline shows first. A cut works against that with four moves, the same ones behind all hairstyles for long face shapes:

• Width at the cheekbones. Waves, layers and volume brushed out to the sides widen the middle of the face.
• A low crown. Height on top adds to the length, so the top stays smooth.
• A fringe. Bangs cover part of the forehead, so less of the length shows.
• Ends at the chin or the collarbone. A line at either point, with some movement, crosses the length.

Bangs that break up the length

Two of the six hairstyles for a long face on the cards are bangs, the quickest of these moves to try. They differ in coverage and upkeep.

• Curtain bangs part in the center and sweep toward the temples. They cover part of the forehead and break the vertical line without a straight edge across it. Ask for them long enough to reach the cheekbones, so they blend into the sides and grow out gently.
• Wispy full bangs cover more of the forehead and shorten it without a hard line. Ask for point-cut ends so the fringe stays light, and plan on a trim every three to four weeks to keep it at the brows.

A strong cowlick at the front hairline can push full bangs up or apart, so point it out before anything is cut; curtain bangs usually cope with one better. Either kind pairs with the other oblong face hairstyles on this page, from the chin-length bob to hair past the shoulders.

Long hairstyles for a long face: layers, waves and width

You do not have to go short. Length stretches an oblong face only when it hangs flat. Long straight hair without layers, one of the skip cards, falls past the shoulders in two straight lines, draws the eye down and adds to the length of the face.

Long hair adds width when it has shape at the cheekbones:

• Side-swept waves. Waves brushed out at the cheekbones add width.
• Layers from the cheekbones down. The shortest layer sits where the width should go, and the rest can fall well past the shoulders.
• A flat crown. Blow-dry the volume into the sides and leave the top smooth.

If long hair starts to feel heavy, the layered lob is the halfway point. Collarbone length with layers from the cheekbones widens the middle of the face, and it still ties back.

Short hairstyles for a long face: the chin-length bob

The chin-length bob is the shortest cut on the cards, and its length is the reason it is there. Ending at the chin puts fullness at the jaw and shortens the visible length in a single cut.

A few details keep it doing that:

• The line sits at the chin, where the ends put fullness beside the jaw.
• Some weight stays in the ends. Heavy thinning removes the fullness the cut is meant to add.
• A fringe finishes it. Wispy full bangs or curtain bangs shorten the face from the top while the bob works from below.
• The volume goes out, not up. A round brush at the sides and a smooth top keep it that way.

A bob holds its line for about six to eight weeks between trims. If you want to go shorter than the chin, give your stylist the same brief: fullness at the sides, a flat top and a fringe.

Wearing it up: a low side bun, not a top knot

A low side bun keeps the volume low and to one side, so it adds width instead of height. A high top knot stacks the volume on the crown, and the high pompadour on the skip cards does the same with short hair: height on top adds to a face that is already long.

Slicked-back styles, the slicked-back ponytail included, pull everything off the forehead and expose the full length. For a ponytail, tie it at the nape and leave your bangs or two front pieces loose, so part of the forehead stays covered.

None of these is off-limits. Each one simply adds length where the six cards add width.

Is your face long or oval?

Hairstyles for a long face assume the oblong outline, so it is worth confirming yours. A mirror or a single photo is easy to misread, because angle and distance change how long a face looks.

The deciding feature is the cheekbones. An oval face is 1.3 to 1.5 times as long as the cheekbone width, with the cheekbones widest and a softer, narrower jaw. An oblong face passes 1.5 and keeps its three widths close. The oblong face shape and oval face shape pages show how to measure both at home.

The scanner at the top of this page is quicker, and it is the same face shape detector as the home page: it maps 478 points on a front-facing selfie in your browser, and the photo never leaves your device. A face near the line comes back as Between Oval and Oblong, with the share of each. The more the oblong share leads, the more closely this page applies.

How to brief your stylist

Screenshots of hairstyles for a long face show the look you want. A stylist also needs to hear where the width should go, so add a few plain lines:

• "Keep the crown flat; I want the volume at the sides."
• "Start the layers at my cheekbones."
• "End it at my chin," or "at my collarbone."
• "Curtain bangs that reach my cheekbones," or "soft full bangs at my brows."
• "Leave face-framing pieces I can pull loose when I tie it back."

Say what your hair does on its own, too. Fine, straight hair tends to lie flat at the sides, so it needs layers and a little bend to hold width. Thick hair can rise at the crown; ask for bulk to come out on top rather than at the sides.

When the hairstyle try-on is open, you can preview a layered lob or curtain bangs on a live selfie before anything is cut. The selfie is sent only to make that one preview and is never stored, and every result is labeled AI-generated.

Hairstyles for men with a long face

Men's hairstyles for oblong face shapes follow the same rules. The two men's cards show them: a low textured crop, short on top and fuller at the sides so it adds no height, and a low-volume side part that lies flat and adds width without lift. The face shape guide for men has more cuts, plus beards and frames, for an oblong face and the six other shapes.

Updated 2026-09-29