A chin length bob and side swept bangs balance a heart shaped face
You don't need a heavy fringe to even out a wide forehead and pointed chin. Here's how to confirm your face shape, which cuts add width at the jaw, what each one costs to maintain over a year, and the styles to skip.
Your forehead is a little wider than your jaw, your chin tapers to a point, and every guide tells you to cut bangs. You don't have to. A chin length bob or a set of side swept bangs does the same balancing job on a heart shaped face, and both are easier to live with than a heavy blunt fringe.
The idea behind it is simple. Add width where the face narrows and keep the crown and temples quiet. Below you'll find the cuts that do that, what they cost to keep up, and how to preview one on your own photo with an AI hairstyle try-on before anyone picks up scissors.
Measure first, because heart and oval faces get confused
Grab a soft measuring tape and stand in front of a mirror with your hair pulled back. Four numbers settle it, and the whole thing takes about two minutes.
You're looking at a heart shape when the cheekbones measure widest, the forehead comes second, and the jaw narrows to a pointed chin. Length usually beats width, too. If forehead and jaw come out nearly equal, you're closer to oval, and our face shape guide walks through the rest, from oval to diamond.
Cheekbones widest, forehead second, jaw narrowest with a pointed chin. That order of measurements is the heart shape in one line.
Haircuts for heart shaped face proportions start at the jaw
Whether you're browsing women's styles or short men's cuts, every flattering option does one of two things. It adds fullness between the cheekbones and chin, or it breaks up width across the forehead. Latest Hairstyles, which rounded up 43 looks for this shape, says keeping the ends no longer than chin length helps balance it.
Is a chin length bob the best hairstyle for a heart shaped face?
For most people, yes. A bob that stops at the chin puts its widest point exactly where the face is narrowest, so the jaw reads fuller with no extra styling. Ask for a little texture at the ends so they bend or flip; the best bob for heart shaped face proportions looks piecey rather than poker straight.
Long layers and face framing layers keep your length
If you'd rather not go short, long layers that begin around the chin do the same job further down. Face framing layers that brush the jaw soften its point and create the look of a broader chin. Curl or bend just the lower section and you add fullness right where this shape needs it.
Whichever length you land on, the details matter more than the name of the cut. Here are a few more haircut ideas for heart shaped face types to bring to your stylist:
Side swept bangs do the job without a heavy fringe
Bangs show up on nearly every list of hairstyles for heart shaped face types, and there's a reason: they cover part of the forehead, the widest zone of the upper face. The catch is upkeep. Aveda Institute recommends trimming bangs every 2 to 3 weeks, which is a lot of appointments for a fringe you might tire of.
Heart shaped face bangs, from side swept to curtain
Side swept bangs angle across the forehead instead of covering it, so they slim the top without the hard horizontal line of a blunt fringe. Once they grow past your cheekbones, they slide behind the ear. Curtain bangs with layers work in a similar way, parting at the center and framing the eyes.
Hair grows about half an inch a month, so a fringe that sits at your brows today is in your eyes a few weeks later. Angled bangs hide that growth far better than a straight-across cut.
Cuts that make the forehead look wider
Volume up top is the big one to avoid. Height at the crown and width at the temples exaggerate the top of the heart, while a scraped-back style leaves a pointed chin with nothing around it. Very long, one-length hair can drag the eye downward and make the chin look even narrower.
What should men with this face shape avoid?
FashionBeans lists the slicked-back look, a center part and a high-volume pompadour as the styles to skip. Its picks instead are a long fringe like Bradley Cooper's, a side-parted cut with short back and sides like Ryan Gosling's, and a textured quiff finished with matte clay rather than shine.
What each cut costs you over a year
Upkeep is where these cuts really separate. Healthline puts bobs and layered cuts on a 6 to 8 week trim schedule, short cuts like a pixie on roughly monthly visits, and long hair at every 3 to 6 months. With the average women's haircut at about $69, according to salon software company Goldie, that gap adds up fast.
| Cut | Trim every | Yearly cost |
|---|---|---|
| Chin length bob | 6 to 8 weeks | About $450 to $600 |
| Face framing layers | 6 to 8 weeks | About $450 to $600 |
| Pixie cut | 4 to 6 weeks | About $600 to $900 |
| Long layers | 3 to 6 months | About $140 to $280 |
So the bob is the pricier everyday choice, while long layers can run under $300 a year at average prices. Bangs add visits on top of that, though some salons trim a fringe free for regular clients between appointments. It's worth asking before you commit to a cut that needs a touch-up every few weeks.
At $69 a cut, a bob trimmed every 6 weeks costs about $600 a year. The same hair in long layers, trimmed every 6 months, costs about $140.
Try the cut on your own photo before you book
A face shape rule tells you where to add width. It can't tell you whether a bob suits your texture, your glasses or the way you part your hair. Upload one selfie to the Fravyn app and compare a chin length bob, long layers and side swept bangs side by side.
If the bob wins, our long bob with layers guide covers the slightly longer version. Fine hair? A pixie cut shows off cheekbones and avoids the see-through ends fine hair gets at longer lengths.
Questions people ask about heart shape haircuts
Which haircuts for women with heart shaped faces grow out best?
Long layers and side bangs. Hair grows about half an inch a month, so a layered cut drifts gradually instead of hitting an awkward stage, and angled bangs just tuck behind the ear. A chin length bob needs a trim every 6 to 8 weeks to hold its shape.
Can you wear a pixie cut with a heart shape?
Yes, and it's especially good on fine hair. A short cut puts the focus on your cheekbones and eyes. Plan on a trim roughly every month, since short styles look overgrown faster than anything past the shoulders.
Which celebrities share this face shape?
Latest Hairstyles names Reese Witherspoon, Halle Berry and Jennifer Love Hewitt. For men, FashionBeans points to Bradley Cooper, Ryan Gosling, Chris Pine and Nick Jonas. Their photos show how much range this shape can carry, from cropped cuts to long waves.
Ready to see whether a chin length bob or side swept bangs suits you? Try Fravyn and preview 50+ styles on your own photo in seconds. Get the app here: iOS.
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