It’s amazing how much your haircut and hair color can change your entire look. The right cut can accentuate your cheekbones, balance out your features, and even make your eyes pop. The wrong one? It can exaggerate what you don’t love — whether that’s length, width, or angles.


If you have a long (oblong) face shape, your forehead, cheeks, and jawline are all about the same width, and your face is longer than it is wide. Celebs like Liv Tyler, Kate Winslet, and Olivia Wilde share this face shape — and prove just how gorgeous it can look with the right haircut.


Here’s the truth: finding the right haircut for a long face is all about balance. And while the cut does the heavy lifting, your products are what make that cut work every single day.

BEST HAIRCUTS FOR A LONG FACE

Haircuts that Flatter a Long Face

The goal? Make your face appear more oval (the most balanced shape). That means creating horizontal lines, adding width at the cheekbones, and steering clear of styles that pull the eye straight down.

Best haircut types for a long face:

  • Round or square layers
  • Bobs (or lobs!)
  • Soft, sexy waves
  • Side-swept styles and retro curls
  • Short or mid-length cuts
  • Accessorize with a wide-brim hat for balance

    👉 Pro Tip: If your eyes sit closer together, creating horizontal lines at eye level (like bangs or wide curls) can help balance spacing.

Haircuts That Flatter A Long Face

1. Short Haircuts: Add Width, Not Height

Skip styles that create too much height or narrow the sides. Instead, aim for volume at the sides with flatter tops and side-swept bangs.

Ashley Simpson’s long, side-swept fringe is the perfect example — it shortens her face visually while creating width.

How to get Ashley's Bangs:

Prep bangs and layers with Cult & King Jelly (medium–thick hair) or Alter Ego CurEgo Filler Foam (fine hair). Both add fullness without stiffness.

Protect from heat styling with Ref Stockholm Heat Protection Spray before blow-drying or ironing.

Use a small flat or paddle brush, like Framar Mini Detangle Brush, to wrap dry one direct, then the next. This will remove cowlicks. Then use a 1 3/4 inch Olivia Garden Round Brush to slightly bevel the ends. Voila! That short cut delivers beautiful softeness and width.

2. Mid-length Haircuts - Layers & Movement

Side parts are your best friend; center parts will only elongate your face. A fringe paired with layered cuts slightly above or below the chin creates softness and balance.

Kelly Rowland’s textured, layered cut is a prime example — the layers add body and draw the eye side to side.

BEST HAIRCUTS FOR A LONG FACE

Create Her Look

Step 1: Apply O&M Rootalicious Root Lifting Mousse (for density) or Alter Ego Hasty Too Headged (for fine hair).

Step 2: Blow-dry with a paddle brush to set the fringe.

Step 3: Smooth any flyaways with Reverie Rake Styling Balm for texture and separation.

Step 4: Finish with Davines Strong Hold Hairspray for a lasting hold and humidity-blocking.

BEST HAIRCUTS FOR A LONG FACE

3. Long Hair

Long, one-length haircuts or long layers are not the best fit for the long shaped face. Rather, go for a look that creates width, such as heavily layered cuts or curtain bangs.



Curly hair is perfection! Take for instance, the two looks of our infamous Carrie Bradshaw, aka Sarah Jessica Parker.

BEST HAIRCUTS FOR A LONG FACE

4. Curls

Then curly...

Which hairstyle do you think accentuates Sarah's oblong face shape more? The straight? Or the curly?

The width and movement created by curls is perfect to create softness to the sometime angular long face shape.

Ask the Experts

If your bathroom cabinet is full of products that are not right for your hair, let our experts help you shop this time. Tell us all about your hair texture, type, and goals and receive a personalized routine.

START THE QUIZ

Best Products for Curly Hair

Ouidad VitalCurl+ Define & Shine Styling Gel-Cream - MANEPRINT

Ouidad VitalCurl+ Define & Shine Styling Gel-Cream

Ouidad VitalCurl+ Define & Shine Styling Gel-Cream

$26.00
$26.00

Curl Definition

Curl Definition

Liv Tyler is another stunner. Her oblong face shape lends to the perfect example of how a cut can create fullness and lift. As you can see in the left photo, Liv's primary hairstyle is straight and long. The narrow silhouette and longer vertical flow accentuate her longer face shape. In contrast, her long locks with heavier layering on the right widens her face and accentuates her beautiful high cheekbones. What a difference the right cut and a fringe makes, right?

Men's Hairstyles

For the gorgeous men in our lives, we suggest going for something fuller on the sides with no height, or just a close, even height to sides ratio to minimize elongation. We tend to stay away from tight sides and height as it elongates the face.

When you are going for softer waves, go with hair products for men that deliver softness, volume, and movement. Two our favorites include REF Stockholm Rough Paste, a lightweight cream-based paste with medium hold or Cult and King Balm. This unisex hair product also acts as a amazing beard balm so you can sport the entire Jake Gyllenhal look.

Men's Long Haircuts

Are you daring enough to add length? We hope so, because this is one of the sexiest looks on a long face shape. Slight length is your friend as it creates width but doesn’t add height. Don't go for the middle part, one length but have shorter layers that create the horizontal balance. See the difference in Keanu Reeves' two different haircuts. The left accentuates his oblong face, while the right softens it.

Use a product like for a messy air-dried look that still calms frizz and adds movement, like Sparrow 4 Everyone The Magic or Verb Ghost Air Dry Whip.

Best Hair Color for a Long Face

When it comes to color, you want the eye to follow a horizontal silhouette. One all over color creates a vertical line (a big no-no) so go for multidimensional color with a longer shadow root.

Another good look is an ombre or sombre where the highlights get heaviest around the cheekbone. This will cause the eyes to look horizontally widening the silhouette.

Best Hairstyle for a Long Face

When it comes to styling your hair, focus on less height and more body. A bouncy, full blow out with small to large waves is your best bet. Side-parts and side-swept bangs are your best friend.

Stay away from top-buns or any styles that create height and narrowing around the side of your face. See the difference between Sandrah Oh's Updo and luscious curls.

Create This Look

Create maximum width and body using the following steps:

Step 1: Apply milk_shake Incredible Milk (For medium to thick hair types) or Ref Stockholm Detangling Spray (For fine to medium hair types) to your mid-shaft and ends. Next apply OUAI Thickening Spray to your mid-shaft and ends.

Step 2: Rough Dry until dry. As you will be using a curling iron, it is unnecessary to blow out your hair using a round brush or other tool. Section your hair into 3 horizontal sections:
a. from nape to behind the ears,
b. from behind the ears to the crown, and
c. from the crown and recessions to the top of the head.)

Clip the top two sections out of your way.

Step 3: Starting at the bottom section, begin taking square inch subsections and curl toward the face. Always use a heat protection spray before using any hot iron, like Rahua Heat Protection Spray or Alter Ego Hasty Too Hi‑T Security Heat Protection Spray.

Use a 1 1/2 inch or 1 1/4 curling iron. Alternate directions you are curling from subsection to subsection.

Step 4: Continue to drop each horizontal section working toward the top. Curl all the hair on the heavy side of your head. When you reach the front sections of your hair, remember to always curl away from the face.

Step 5: Spray hair with Davines Strong Hairspray, then let cool. Hair needs to set to hold its curl, so spray it then work on your makeup or putz around the house so you are not tempted to touch it.

Step 6: Once your hair has set and cooled, use a wide-tooth comb and lightly brush your hair from mid-shaft to ends. Use O&M's Desert Dry Volumizing Texture Spray throughout waves to create fullness. It is Victoria's Secret hair in a bottle!

Step 7: Set with Hairspray again. If you want to glam it up, barrette one side back.

My Fav Dry Texture Sprays

Texture sprays are your last step on dry hair to create mega volume, fullness, and definition.

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Best Upstyles for a Long Face

Looking for an upstyle for an upcoming event? No problem! Focus on low-set chignons with soft waves around the face, like Jennifer Lawrence. This look creates width without adding height or length.

Want to know more about your face shape? Stay tuned for our monthly series where we will be dissecting each shape and sharing the best looks for you! 

 

XOXO,

MANEPRINT

Written by Natalie Palomino

Natalie Palomino Is a Master Stylist, educator and Founder of MANEPRINT. Through advanced education and commitment to her craft, she built a vast clientele providing haircare education and hair services.

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