See if this sounds familiar: You have spectacular curly hair that everyone admires, but you’d prefer it to be straight. Or maybe it’s the opposite: Your sleek, straight hair is the envy of everyone who spends hours wielding flat irons and styling products, but you find it totally boring and crave a little more body. Or, maybe you have a round face and you wished it looked a little longer—while those with long faces often want exactly the opposite.
Such are life’s little ironies: We always want what we don’t have. This is especially true when it comes to our hair. We want it to be blonder, darker, longer, wavier, thicker, straighter—anything other than the way it currently appears.
But rather than fighting what nature gave us, why not learn to make the most of it? The right haircut can do exactly that. Just as certain cuts can emphasize or soften different face shapes—round, long, square, oval, heart-shaped, and everything in between—they can also help create balance and highlight your favorite features.
Of course, there’s no single haircut that works for every round face—and words like “never” or “always” do not serve us when it comes to the very nuanced world of beauty. After all, hair texture, density, personal style, and individual features should all come into play. That’s why consulting an experienced stylist who can tailor a cut specifically to you is key.
Still, it can be helpful to know a few general guidelines. Here, Eduardo Sánchez of Maison Eduardo Sánchez and Quique Sánchez of Espacio Q share the haircuts they recommend most often for round faces—and the styling tricks that can help visually elongate and balance your features.
A midi haircut with long layers
Edward Berthelot/Getty Images
According to Eduardo, a good place to start is with “any cut that visually elongates the facial features.” Thus, he says framing the face is always smart and recommends “layered cuts with long layers that fall at the front, between the nose and the mouth,” which can help create balance and dimension.
Length matters, too. Ideally, Eduardo recommends something between very short and very long. “For very round faces, I don’t recommend styles that are too short—but styles that are too long aren’t flattering either,” he explains.
Of course, these are guidelines rather than hard-and-fast rules. The right length ultimately depends on your individual features, hair texture, and the overall effect you want to achieve.
