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Also called: diamond-shaped face

Diamond face shape

Line drawing of a typical diamond face with forehead, cheekbone, jaw and length measurement lines
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Cheekbones clearly widest, with a narrower forehead and jaw, often ending in a finer chin. On proportions alone our engine ranks the buzz cut, mod cut and edgar cut highest for men and the blunt chin bob, italian bob and shag for women.

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What does a diamond face look like?

Length ÷ width
about 1.35 to 1.5
Widest point
the cheekbones, by a lot
Cheekbone prominence
about 1.2 or more
Forehead ÷ jaw
close to 1.0; both narrow

Even a textbook diamond face is a mix

Our engine’s own reading of the face drawn above:

  • Diamond76%
  • Oval24%

Face-shape labels are fuzzy. We score on measurements.

The seven shapes are a stylists' convention, not a validated classification. Charts draw the lines in different places, and judging by eye is unreliable: in one study, visual face-type calls agreed with caliper measurements at a kappa of just 0.19.

The best published face-shape classifier reached about 85% accuracy on noisy photos. So we don't hand you one label. We show your shape as a mix, like 62% oval and 25% oblong, and our scorer never uses the label at all.

Proportions are also only part of the story. Your texture, density and hairline decide what a cut can physically do, so they carry more weight than face geometry.

What stylists aim for

Fill out the forehead and jaw, keep hair close at the cheekbones: fringes, some fullness at the temples, and weight near chin level.

Stylist rule of thumb

Diamond vs oval and heart face: how to tell them apart

The shapes most often confused with a diamond face, with the proportions that define each. A length ÷ width of 1.0 means as long as wide.

Diamond face shape compared with oval and heart
ShapeLength ÷ widthWidest pointForehead ÷ jawAlso look atHow to tell it from diamond
Diamond (this page)about 1.35 to 1.5the cheekbones, by a lotclose to 1.0; both narrowCheekbone prominence about 1.2 or more
Ovalabout 1.3 to 1.45the cheekbones, by a littleabout 1.0 to 1.15, forehead slightly widersoft to moderateBoth are widest at the cheeks; in a diamond the forehead and jaw fall away much more sharply.
Heartabout 1.25 to 1.45the forehead and templesabout 1.15 or more (forehead 15%+ wider)soft, tapering to the chinA heart face is widest at the forehead, not the cheekbones.

All seven shapes side by side, and a free check of your own proportions: face shape detector.

Haircuts ranked for diamond proportions

Our scorer’s ranking on proportions alone, for the textbook diamond face above. Proportions are about 15% of a real score; your hair type, thickness and hairline decide more, so your own list can look quite different.

Men's cutsProportions only

  1. 01Buzz cutBuzz length · best on any texture hairAdds straight lines and sharp edges, which balances a soft, rounded jaw.When it doesn’t work: Puts bumps, a flat back of the head and prominent ears on show.
  2. 02Mod cutMedium · best on straight to wavy hairAdds fullness at the temples, which balances prominent cheekbones.When it doesn’t work: A low forehead, a round or short face (the fringe and side fullness shorten and widen it), fine hair (falls flat), a front cowlick, heavy glasses frames; possible with a caveat at hairline stage 3 and hidden beyond; trend-dependent (Janif 2014: rarer looks rate higher).
  3. 03Edgar cutShort · best on straight to wavy hairKeeps the cheek line slim, which balances prominent cheekbones.When it doesn’t work: A low forehead, a front cowlick, prominent ears (skin fade); the hard front line shows temple recession from stage 3; trend-dependent (Janif 2014).
  4. 04Curtains / middle partMedium · best on straight to wavy hairAdds fullness at the temples, which balances prominent cheekbones.When it doesn’t work: A prominent nose; an off-centre front cowlick; hidden from hairline stage 2.
  5. 05French cropShort · best on straight to wavy hairAdds straight lines and sharp edges, which balances a soft, rounded jaw.When it doesn’t work: A low forehead, a front cowlick, a round face without fade contrast.
  6. 06Shaved head / bald fadeBuzz length · best on any texture hairAdds straight lines and sharp edges, which balances a soft, rounded jaw.When it doesn’t work: Shows an irregular skull shape or scars. Trade-off from a US study (Mannes 2013): a shaved head reads as more dominant and about 4 years older, and scored lower on looks than a full head of hair.

Women's cutsProportions only

  1. 01Blunt chin bobShort · best on straight to wavy hairPuts weight at the jawline, which balances prominent cheekbones.When it doesn’t work: A square jaw or a large chin (end above or below the chin), 2C+ hair (turns into a triangle), dense coarse hair.
  2. 02Italian bobShort · best on straight to wavy hairPuts weight at the jawline, which balances prominent cheekbones.When it doesn’t work: A square jaw or a large chin (an end right at the jaw draws the eye there), a very round, short face, 3B+ curls (it spreads into a triangle), wanting to keep length past the shoulders.
  3. 03ShagMedium · best on wavy to curly hairAdds fullness at the temples, which balances prominent cheekbones.When it doesn’t work: Very fine low-density hair; a round face if the volume sits at cheek level (move it to the crown); straight 1A–1B hair needs daily styling.
  4. 04French bob with bangsShort · best on straight to wavy hairShortens the overall line, which balances a longer face.When it doesn’t work: Round or short faces, a low forehead, a front cowlick, 3A+ hair, a jaw-heavy face, heavy frames.
  5. 05Lob (long bob)Medium · best on straight to curly hairPuts weight at the jawline, which balances prominent cheekbones.When it doesn’t work: Few — a dependable middle ground.
  6. 06Curtain-bang layered cutMedium · best on straight to wavy hairAdds fullness at the temples, which balances prominent cheekbones.When it doesn’t work: A very round, short face (end the bangs below the cheekbone); a front cowlick.

The full top 10 with guard numbers, upkeep and when each cut doesn’t work: men’s cuts for diamond-shaped faces and women’s cuts for diamond-shaped faces.

What is different about the diamond list

In the men's list, no cut makes the proportions top 10 for diamond faces alone. Classic taper (short back & sides) is in the top 10 for all seven shapes, so it says little about diamond faces in particular.

In the women's list, no cut makes the proportions top 10 for diamond faces alone. Long pixie / bixie is in the top 10 for all seven shapes, so it says little about diamond faces in particular.

The top picks for diamond-shaped faces, rendered

Reference pictures of the highest-ranked cuts on our synthetic cast. Tap one for the full spec.

AI reference on a synthetic model — not a real person. Swipe for more.

Checking by hand

Possible, but people tend to overestimate their face's width and underestimate its length. A photo taken at arm's length also distorts it, so stand back or use a timer.

  1. 1

    Pull your hair back

    Forehead, hairline and ears visible. Neutral expression, looking straight ahead.

  2. 2

    Measure four lines

    Forehead width, cheekbone width at the widest point, jaw width at the jaw corners, and length from hairline to chin.

  3. 3

    Divide

    Length ÷ cheekbone width, and forehead ÷ jaw. Compare with the ranges in the tables above.

  4. 4

    Look at the jaw corner

    A sharp angle points to square or triangle; a curved one to round, oval or heart.

Diamond face shape: questions

What haircuts suit a diamond face?
By convention: fringes and textured tops that fill the forehead, and cuts that carry weight at the jaw. Styles that add width right at cheekbone level usually score lower on proportions.
Why do different tools give me different face shapes?
Every tool draws its own lines between shapes, so a diamond in one calculator can be an oval in another. That's why we show your result as a mix and score cuts on the measurements, not the label.
Are diamond faces hard to cut for?
Not especially. The main trade-off is at the cheekbones: volume there widens the face's widest point. Your hair texture decides how easy it is to keep the sides close.
How do I know if I have a diamond face?
Look for three things on a straight-on photo with your hair pulled back: the cheekbones are the widest part of the face, the forehead and the jaw are both narrower and close to each other in width, and the chin is fairly narrow. The length is usually about 1.3 to 1.5 times the width. If the forehead is the widest point, it is a heart instead.
Is a diamond face rare?
We do not publish a share for it. Counts from other sources depend on how they define the shape, and most people sit between two shapes, which is why the detector shows a mix instead of one label.
How do I know if I have a diamond face?
Use the free face shape detector: it measures your proportions in your browser in about 10 seconds, and your photo never leaves your phone. You'll get your shape as a mix with a confidence level, plus three cuts that fit your proportions.

The other six shapes

Want the list for your hair, not a textbook face?

The free analysis adds your hair type, thickness and hairline and names your best fit, with the reason. Members get every pick explained, on their own face.

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