17 Hairstyles for Round Faces That Create Length

The Golden Rules for Round Face Hairstyles

Before we dive into the specific styles, let’s understand the core principles. The goal for round faces (where the width and length are roughly equal with soft, curved jawlines) is to create contrast. We aim to add height, length, and angles to offset the roundness.

Do: Seek out styles that add volume at the crown (height), employ side parts (asymmetry), and incorporate layers that start below the chin (length). Angular, face-framing pieces are your best friend. Avoid: Blunt, chin-length bobs that echo the face’s roundness, severe center parts, or excessive width at the cheeks. Remember, these are guidelines, not strict rules—personality and confidence always win!

Chic Short & Medium Cuts

Short hair on a round face can be incredibly striking when cut with precision. It’s all about creating angles and avoiding helmet-like shapes.

1. The Angled Lob

The long bob (lob) is a timeless classic, but for round faces, ask for an angled version. Cut shorter in the back and gradually longer towards the front, this style creates a deep, diagonal line that draws the eye downward, instantly elongating your face. It’s sophisticated, low-maintenance, and universally flattering.

2. Asymmetrical Pixie

Don’t shy away from pixie cuts! An asymmetrical pixie with longer, side-swept bangs and choppy layers on top adds fantastic height and dramatic angles. The uneven balance breaks up the roundness, and the textured top draws attention upward, creating the illusion of a longer face shape.

3. Shag with Curtain Bangs

The modern shag is a round face’s dream. With its layered, piece-y texture and face-framing curtain bangs, it distributes volume throughout the crown and lengths, avoiding any bulky width at the jaw. The bangs split in the middle, creating a flattering V-shape that leads the eye down the face.

Face-Framing Layers for Long Hair

Long hair provides the perfect canvas for layers that carve out cheekbones and create movement. The key is to ensure layers begin below the jawline.

4. Long, Face-Framing Layers

Avoid one-length, heavy long hair. Instead, opt for long layers that start at the chin or lower, with wispy pieces cut around the front. These layers add movement, remove weight from the sides, and create a natural, sliming frame around your face without adding volume where you don’t want it.

5. Soft, Textured Waves

Style your long layers with soft, loose waves. The vertical S-shape of the waves creates lines that lead the eye up and down, rather than side-to-side. Use a curling wand to create waves that start mid-length, avoiding tight curls at the cheek level which can add width.

6. Voluminous Old Hollywood Waves

For a glamorous look, try deep, voluminous waves brushed out into a classic Hollywood style. The height at the crown is crucial, and the structured wave pattern creates strong, vertical lines. A deep side part complements this style perfectly.

The Power of Bangs (Done Right!)

Bangs can be a game-changer, but the type matters immensely. The right bangs create angles and vertical lines.

7. Side-Swept Bangs

The undisputed champion for round faces. Side-swept bangs create a diagonal line across the forehead, breaking up the face’s circular shape and adding asymmetry. They pair beautifully with almost any length, from pixies to long layers.

8. Wispy, Piece-y Bangs

If you love the idea of fringe but want something softer than a blunt cut, wispy bangs are perfect. They allow the forehead to peek through, adding lightness and drawing the eye upward without creating a hard, horizontal line that can shorten the face.

Styling Techniques to Elongate

Your everyday styling routine can make a world of difference. Here are quick tricks to incorporate.

9. The Voluminous Blowout

Master the art of the blowout with root lift. When blow-drying, use a round brush to lift hair at the roots, especially at the crown. This added height instantly creates the illusion of a longer, more oval face shape.

10. Deep Side Part

This is the simplest, most effective trick. Switching from a center part to a deep side part automatically creates an asymmetrical, less circular silhouette. It also allows hair to fall across the face in a slimming way.

Updos & Special Occasion Styles

Yes, you can wear your hair up! The key is to avoid pulling hair straight back into a tight ballerina bun, which exposes the full roundness of the face.

11. High, Textured Ponytail

A high ponytail lifts the features. Tease the hair at the crown slightly before securing it, and pull out a few face-framing pieces. This style pulls the eye upward and adds fantastic vertical length.

12. Messy Top Knot with Face Framers

Position your bun or top knot high on the crown, not at the nape of your neck. Keep it loose and messy, and deliberately leave out strategic pieces around your face to soften and frame it. The height is what gives the elongating effect.

Styles for Curly & Wavy Round Faces

Embrace your texture! The principles remain the same: create height and definition.

13. Layered Curly Shag

For curly hair, a layered shag is perfection. It removes bulk from the sides, encourages curls to spring upward at the crown, and uses the natural texture to create a gorgeous, face-framing shape that’s full of movement and length.

14. Defined Curls with a Side Part

Enhance your natural curl pattern with defining products and a deep side part. This helps direct volume vertically rather than horizontally. Scrunch curls upward at the roots for extra lift.

Final Flair: Accessories & Color

Small details can amplify the lengthening effect of your chosen hairstyle.

15. Strategic Highlights

Ask your colorist for face-framing highlights or a subtle balayage that is lighter around the face and at the ends. This technique draws light to the center and bottom of your hair, leading the eye downward and creating depth.

16. Sleek, Long Hair with a Middle Part (The Exception)

While side parts are generally recommended, an ultra-sleek, straight style with a middle part can work if the hair is very long and the focus is on the vertical line from the part down the length. The key is no volume at the sides.

17. The Modern Mullet

For the fashion-forward, a softened, modern mullet (short at the front and sides, longer in the back) creates interesting angles and a directional shape that defies roundness. It’s edgy, fun, and naturally draws the eye back and down.

Embrace Your Unique Beauty

Finding the perfect hairstyle is a journey of self-expression. While these 17 styles are designed to create flattering length and definition for round faces, the most important factor is how a cut makes you feel. Use this guide as inspiration for your next salon consultation. Bring pictures, discuss these principles with your stylist, and together, you can tailor a look that highlights your favorite features and gives you that confident, elongated look you desire. Remember, the best hairstyle is one that lets your personality shine through.