Hairstyle suggestions for the long face shape
A long face shape — also called an oblong or rectangle face shape — is noticeably longer than it is wide, with the forehead, cheekbones, and jaw staying close together in width.
Here's how to check the shape yourself, then hairstyle, beard, and glasses suggestions, each with a plain-language reason for why it balances that shape.
Your photo is analyzed on this device and is never uploaded or stored anywhere.
Key traits
- Length vs width
- Length is noticeably greater than width — the most elongated of the six shapes.
- Widest point
- Forehead, cheekbones, and jaw stay close in width down the face.
- Jawline
- Jawline is fairly straight, sometimes with a mild corner.
- Chin
- Chin tends to be long and either squared or slightly pointed.
How to check
- Measure face length from hairline to chin tip.
- Compare that length with your cheekbone width — a long face measures out at about one and a half times the cheekbone width or more.
- Compare forehead, cheekbone, and jaw width: a long face keeps them close together.
- Check the jawline: it runs fairly straight down rather than curving in sharply.
Often confused with
Hairstyles
Short
Feminine
Textured crop with side volume
Fullness kept at the sides adds horizontal width, shortening the overall vertical length.
Chin-length bob with waves
Waves at chin height add width at the sides, balancing a face that is longer than it is wide.
Masculine
Textured fringe with a side part
A fringe cut close and swept aside adds width at the temples instead of extra vertical length.
Crop with fullness at the sides
Fullness kept at the sides rather than the crown adds horizontal width to a longer face.
Medium
Feminine
Curtain bangs falling to the sides
Bangs parted at the center and falling to the sides add horizontal width across the forehead.
Layered midi with side volume
Layers with fullness at the sides add horizontal width, offsetting the face's vertical length.
Masculine
Side part with volume at the temples
Volume held at the temples adds horizontal width instead of extra height on top.
Medium length with side volume
Fullness carried at the sides adds width to balance a face that reads longer than it is wide.
Long
Feminine
Long waves with fullness kept at the sides
Waves that keep their fullness at the sides rather than at the ends add horizontal width overall.
Layered waves with no added crown height
Keeping the crown flat while layers add fullness at the sides avoids extra vertical length.
Masculine
Flowing length with fullness at the sides
Fullness held at the sides rather than the crown adds width to counter the face's length.
Textured length with a low crown
A flatter crown paired with side texture adds horizontal width instead of more vertical length.
What to avoid
One length with no layering
An unbroken single length runs straight down, adding to the vertical length rather than the width.
Added height or volume at the crown
Extra height at the crown stretches the vertical proportion the face already has plenty of.
Beard styles
Full through the cheeks, kept shorter at the chin
Fullness kept at the cheeks adds horizontal width without adding further length at the chin.
Short boxed beard
A squared, shorter shape avoids adding extra length below an already long face.
Chin beard with a separate mustache, no sideburns
Growth kept away from the cheeks and short at the chin avoids adding more vertical length.
Glasses
A useful starting point for any shape: frame width close to or a little wider than the cheekbone width, with the top edge sitting near the brow line.
Wide frame with extra lens depth
A frame with more height and width adds horizontal proportion to a face that reads longer than wide.
Browline frames
A bold top edge along the brow line adds horizontal width high on the face.
Oversized round frames
Extra width and lens height add horizontal proportion across a longer face.
Questions and answers
Does my photo get uploaded anywhere?
No. Your photo is analyzed entirely on your device, inside your browser. It is never sent to a server, and it's cleared from memory as soon as your result is shown.
Why does it need to download something the first time?
The first time you use the photo tool, your browser downloads about 15.8 MB of analysis files. Your browser keeps them, so you usually won't need to download them again.
How accurate is the result, and what does the confidence number mean?
Face shape has no single standard definition, so there's no ground truth to grade the result against. The confidence number shows how closely your measurements match the assigned shape compared with the other five — not the chance that the result is correct. When two shapes are close, the result says you're between them and lists suggestions for both.
Are these suggestions backed by research?
They reflect common, widely used styling principles — for example, adding height where a face is wide, or softening an angular jaw. There's no controlled study proving they work; each suggestion says what it balances so you can judge it yourself.
What if I don't want to take or upload a photo?
Answer the 7-question quiz instead. Answers that match your face point to the same shape as a photo would; if the quiz and a photo disagree, you're likely between two shapes.
How is a long face shape different from an oval face shape?
A long face shape (also called oblong or rectangle) is more elongated than an oval face, and its forehead, cheekbones, and jaw stay closer in width, instead of the cheekbones being clearly the widest point.