It’s a common hair dilemma we hear often: “I need a new hairstyle, but what to do?” Here’s Under the Dryer to the rescue, as we show you the best hairdos for your face shape. What does your face shape have to do with your hairstyle? A lot! We will go old-school this week, showing you how to balance the proportions of your face with the styling and hairstyle you want to sport.

Let’s begin with the most common face shapes: 1. Oval 2. Heart 3. Long 4. Round 5. Diamond 6. Pear 7. Square

THE OVAL-SHAPED FACE

The oval face shape is considered “ideal”. Typically, the face is one-and-a-half times longer than its width across the brow and the forehead is slightly wider than the chin.

If your face is oval, you can sport any hairstyle.

HEART-SHAPED FACE

This face shape is widest at the forehead and tapers to its narrowest point at the chin.

Reece Witherspoon

For the grown-up look, ask your hairstylist to trim bangs vertically rather than straight across, and to stop between the eyelids and the brow. This cut draws the attention away from your pointy chin and accentuates your eyes.

Jennifer Aniston

A hairstyle like the long bob Jennifer Anniston sports will soften your strong jawline. This ‘do can highlight more than a pretty face if you have a great body.

Kerry Washington

You can sport this blunt, wispy-bangs look like Kerry Washington. Discuss this look with your hairstylist; it is achieved by cutting your bangs at your brows and blending them with wispy layers to the sides.

TIP: You may want to try a bouncy bob.

LONG-SHAPED FACE

This face shape is longer than one and a half times the width across the brows. Long faces are considered the most regal of all the face shapes.

Sarah Jessica Parker

Sarah Jessica Parker knows what suits her. She likes to add long waves and avoids volume on top of her head.

TIP: To help make the face appear more oval, keep hair on top short and add bangs. You may also style hair outwards from the cheeks to create the illusion of width.

ROUND-SHAPED FACE

Having a round face does not mean you are fat. This face shape has curved hairlines, chin lines and a wider width.

The best hairstyles for round faces include:

1. Layered bangs rather than straight or heavy bangs.

2. Short styles which give height.

3. Styles that add length.

4. Styles that keep the sides of your hair short or close to the face.

Model Miranda Kerr

Long hair is gorgeous on round faces because it gives the face length. If you have a round face, aim for hairstyles with hair below the chin and longer.

Actress Viola Davis

To balance a round face shape, the goal is to create the illusion of length by adding height through the crown of the head. Styling hair over the ears and cheeks and sweeping bangs off to the side will help to narrow the round face.

SQUARE-SHAPED FACE

The square face shape features a straight hairline, a square jaw and a wider face.

Hairstyles perfect for the square face:

Lily Aldridge

With this signature look from Lily Aldridge, start the first layer at the chin and turn the layers inward to make the face appear narrow.

Gwyneth Paltrow

Paltrow’s layers are ideal because they spotlight the face without creating breaks.

Miley Cyrus

Miley’s square face appears more rectangular in shape because of the extra height on top. Square faces are perfect for the Mohawk cut.

DIAMOND-SHAPED FACE

This face shape features a narrow forehead, greater width through the cheekbones and a narrow chin.

The hairstyles that work for this face shape

1. Tuck your hair behind your ears to show off your gorgeous cheekbones.

2. Side partings are better than centre parts as they soften your face.

3. Bangs really work with this face shape. They can either be swept to the side or be more wispy.

PEAR-SHAPED FACE

The pear-shaped face features a forehead that is narrower than the jawline. This face shape is an inversion of the heart-shaped face.

To balance the features of a pear-shaped face, create lots of volume around the forehead with a partial bang.

The deep side part on a pear-shaped face makes the face appear more oval-shaped.

Pull your hair into a full topknot. Adding more fullness to your topknot will even out the overall silhouette of your head shape and place less focus on your jaw.