Hairstyles for Big Cheeks

Haircut for a woman with big cheeks
Photo: Malyugin/Shutterstock
Q: Can you give me some ideas for hairstyles for big cheeks? I'm looking for a new chin level or shorter hairstyle and would like to find a style that makes my big cheeks look less prominent.
 
A: Women who have large or somewhat disproportionate and prominent features often find themselves in a quandary over how to style their hair to compensate for these traits. Finding hairstyles for big cheeks is one of the common crises many hairdressers are tasked with helping to resolve.
 
The solution to the situation depends on a few other factors:
 
Are the "big cheeks" the only large feature of the face? If the big cheeks are paired with a thick neck and double chin because the individual is overweight, then you will want a different solution that helps to balance the features as a whole while creating the desired oval face shape. Simply addressing the needs caused by a single feature when others are present only serves to make the hairstyle fail.
 
If, however, the prominent cheeks are the result of an overly moon-shaped face, then you can usually balance the face by adding volume to the hairstyle to make the forehead and top portions of the head appear wider and fuller while having the hair lie close to the face as it draws to the cheeks.
 
Is the client willing to cut the hair to meet the needs of balancing her features? We all see clients who say they want a style that makes them look good, and then proceed to declare restrictions to styling the hair that make such a style harder and harder to achieve: "I don't want it cut shorter than my neck, and I don't want it layered." Such restrictions usually mean that they want a specific style and simply want us to tell them that it's right for them.
 
In cases of women with prominent cheeks, I generally recommend a style that is layered around the face and curves inward at the ends to frame not only the face but helps to camouflage the neck as well. The style should have enough volume to help keep the proper sense of proportion with the face and body, so don't forget to keep the whole picture in mind. Focusing solely on the appearance of the face is only going to keep you from crafting a wholly pleasing style.
 
©Hairfinder.com
 
See also:
 
Dealing with special facial features
 
Hairstyles for the heavyset woman
 
I'm overweight and have a fat face. What should I look for in a hairstyle?
 
Will short hair make you look skinny or fat?
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