Slimming Hairstyles
But what can your hair do for you? The number of things a flattering cut can do for you may just surprise you! The right haircut can make you appear slimmer while the wrong one can give the appearance of a few unwanted pounds.
Fortunately, there are many clever tricks that can create a sleeker look with the perfect haircut. Take note of the following guidelines and style concepts and on your next trip to the salon, your stylist can create your most flattering look. This article will provide you with the do's and don'ts for a slimmer appearance for specific face shapes and then offer our readers a list of general face slimming do's and don'ts.
Face Shapes
Let us talk about face shapes for a moment. If you are unsure of your face shape, stand in front of the mirror and use a marker to trace your shape onto the mirror, then step back and see what shape you have sketched out.
There are roughly ten different face shapes: Oval, Round, Square, Oblong, Long, Heart, Triangular, Inverted Triangle, Diamond, and Rectangle, but some shapes are relatively similar and thus follow the same guidelines for a slimming effect. Once you have an idea of what face shape you have, then you can understand what to avoid and what to do to help trick the eyes into thinking they are seeing a slimmer face.
Round: The goal is to make your face appear longer by increasing length, instead of width. Height in the crown area and layers under the chin are a great way to elongate the face. A side part minimizes the roundness as well. Hair length should be roughly one and a half times longer than the width to create proportionate features.
If you have a round face, you are in good company with the likes of celebrities such as Mila Kunis, Kirsten Dunst, and Adele.
Round Shapes Avoid: Heavy bangs and layers around the cheeks. Bob haircuts only draw attention to the roundness, emphasizing a double chin (if you have one). Chin-length bobs also add volume on the sides, which makes the face look even broader. Any type of volume on the side will do this, including curls. Instead, consider a longer hairstyle that lengthens the face or a shorter pixie with a lot of volume on top.
Square/Rectangle: Keeping layers and hair close to your face reduces a stout jawline. Side bangs adorn the face and instantly draw attention to the eyes instead of to the angular jawline. Texture, in the form of voluminous curls or jagged ends, skillfully downplay a strong jawline. Square-type jawlines fare really well with longer hair.
Square/Rectangle Avoid: Bangs that are too blunt, which accentuate square jaws as well as the blunt-cut bob style. The blunt-cut bob with the ends hitting right at the chin only draws attention to the jawline.
Long/Oblong: The goal with a longer face is to create width. Achieve this by adding voluminous curls or waves to the sides of the face. If you add bangs, you essentially cut the visible area of the long face in half and give the appearance of a shorter or smaller face shape.
If you have an oblong face shape, you are in a great group with Sarah Jessica Parker, Hilary Swank and Liv Tyler to name a few.
Long/Oblong Shapes Avoid: Short styles that add volume on top (like a pixie cut) and similarly long styles can make a long face look longer than it is. If you must have long hair, consider getting a perm for volume on the sides to make the face appear wider.
Heart/Inverted Triangular/Diamond: These faces all have narrow chins so you want to draw attention to the cheekbones and eyes. Do this by adding in side-swept bangs and an off-center part which opens up the cheekbones. Trim bangs vertically, rather than straight across. Lots of curls and texture around the neck area can help take away the focus from a narrow chin.
A bob style that hangs under the chin can give that area more width and help disguise the narrow chin. If you are set on having long hair, have layers that skim the cheekbones to emphasize them. Celebrities such as Reese Witherspoon, Christina Ricci, and Jennifer Love Hewitt all share the heart/triangle shape.
Heart/Inverted Triangular Shapes/Diamond Avoid: Blunt-cut bangs only make a pointy chin stand out more. If you're going to do bangs, make them wispy and side-swept, hitting at the eyebrow to emphasize the eyes.
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