4 Hairstyles That Unintentionally Enhance Facial Roundness, According to Our Cosmetologist

Perhaps the most notorious cut that does a round face no favors is the pixie. “Rounded layers and pixie cuts are at the top of my list for making your face appear rounder because they frame the face by adding texture and dimension,” Stanley Nolan shares exclusively with Glam. Now, if you’re a diehard pixie fan, all hope is not lost; despite this style generally widening the face, it can be done in ways that have the opposite effect. 

Case in point: Lupita Nyong’o is a master of the pixie, and her naturally rounded face never looks short of amazing. To pull this off, she wears her natural curls and opts for a close cut rather than rounded layers, which gives her a lengthening effect. Similarly, Michelle Williams demonstrates that a pixie cut can still look beautiful on a rounder face by adding some sharper, angular features, such as short, choppy side bangs. Moreover, a punk pixie cut with jagged, textured piecey bits is going to be much better for a fuller face than a traditional rounded pixie.

At the opposite end of the scale, hair that’s long, voluminous, and curly can also make a round face seem rounder. In our exclusive chat, Stanley Nolan recommends avoiding an excessively volumized curly look (glamorous though it may be) since this can lead to a softening of the face. Of course, that doesn’t mean that all curls are off the table. If you want to rock curls with a round face, go for layers that start from the chin and below to reduce some of that horizontal volume while also giving your locks some movement. Otherwise, parting on the side can also give your hair more of a sleek and angular vibe, which will hopefully elongate your face.

Since frizz can add unwanted volume (and not of the glamorous variety), you’ll also want to stop your curls from heading to Frizzville. “RevAirʼs Moisture Rich Hair & Scalp Oil is the ultimate product to add to your collection for a hydrated and frizz-free look,” Nolan notes. You can also banish frizz when air-drying your hair by hydrating your strands in the shower and rinsing it off with cold water.

Blunt cuts can often make for a chic, intentional look (just ask Anna Wintour), but they don’t work for everyone. While bangs in general aren’t off limits for fuller-faced babes, you may want to stay away from blunt bangs particularly. These naturally draw the eye sideways, which creates the optical illusion that the face is even wider. 

Thankfully, we’ve curated a list of the best bang styles for a round face, and there are plenty of other styles to experiment with. Side bangs tend to be one of the best options for rounder faces because they travel in a direction that stops the eye from sweeping outwards. Similarly, long, wispy bangs will create the effect of the face being longer than it is. You can effortlessly style face-framing bottleneck bangs to create the illusion of a narrower face, too. When worn with long hair, they result in a sleek, flattering look that sculpts the area. 

Blunt bangs are a no-go when it comes to styling hair for a round face, so it shouldn’t come as a huge surprise that blunt bobs are also enemy territory. Bobs tend to end around the jawline or just above, and when these ends are flat and dense, they’ll create the effect of widening those areas of your face. 

The French bob and the Italian bob might be off the cards (unless you decide you don’t care — and all the power to you), but slightly longer lobs are actually a haircut that makes your face look thinner. If you’ve got your heart set on a blunt, short bob, though, you can reduce the widening effects with a side part. Overall, A-line, angular, and side-swept bobs that have more flow and texture are always going to make your face look less full than an Anna Wintour bob, so don’t be afraid to add in some layers and flippy bits.