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Also called: inverted triangle face

Heart face shape

Line drawing of a typical heart face with forehead, cheekbone, jaw and length measurement lines
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Widest across the forehead and temples, narrowing to a slimmer jaw and a finer chin. On proportions alone our engine ranks the quiff, faux hawk and disconnected undercut highest for men and the curtain-bang layered cut, butterfly cut and shag for women.

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What does a heart face look like?

Length ÷ width
about 1.25 to 1.45
Widest point
the forehead and temples
Forehead ÷ jaw
about 1.15 or more (forehead 15%+ wider)
Jaw corner
soft, tapering to the chin

Even a textbook heart face is a mix

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

  • Heart80%
  • Oval20%

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

Take width away up top and add it lower down: fringes and side parts at the forehead, volume or length around the jaw.

Stylist rule of thumb

Heart vs diamond and triangle face: how to tell them apart

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

Heart face shape compared with diamond and triangle
ShapeLength ÷ widthWidest pointForehead ÷ jawAlso look atHow to tell it from heart
Heart (this page)about 1.25 to 1.45the forehead and templesabout 1.15 or more (forehead 15%+ wider)soft, tapering to the chin
Diamondabout 1.35 to 1.5the cheekbones, by a lotclose to 1.0; both narrowCheekbone prominence about 1.2 or moreIn a heart the forehead is widest; in a diamond the cheekbones are, and the forehead is narrower.
Triangleabout 1.2 to 1.4the jawabout 0.9 or less (jaw wider)often angularOpposites: a triangle face has the jaw wider than the forehead.

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

Haircuts ranked for heart proportions

Our scorer’s ranking on proportions alone, for the textbook heart 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. 01QuiffMedium · best on straight to wavy hairKeeps the temples tight, which balances a forehead that is wide next to the jaw.When it doesn’t work: Long or oblong faces; fine, low-density hair; hidden from hairline stage 3.
  2. 02Faux hawkShort · best on straight to curly hairKeeps the temples tight, which balances a forehead that is wide next to the jaw.When it doesn’t work: Long faces; conservative workplaces.
  3. 03Disconnected undercutMedium · best on straight to wavy hairKeeps the temples tight, which balances a forehead that is wide next to the jaw.When it doesn’t work: Conservative workplaces, bumps on the sides, fine low-density hair, long faces when styled up.
  4. 04Edgar cutShort · best on straight to wavy hairKeeps the temples tight, which balances a forehead that is wide next to the jaw.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).
  5. 05Long layered / man bunLong · best on straight to curly hairAdds vertical length, which balances a shorter, wider face.When it doesn’t work: A round face with full cheeks; a long face worn flat with a centre part; fine low-density hair; hidden from hairline stage 3 on; a 12–18 month grow-out (approximate).
  6. 06Modern mulletMedium · best on wavy to curly hairKeeps the temples tight, which balances a forehead that is wide next to the jaw.When it doesn’t work: A short, thick neck; conservative workplaces; trend-dependent (Janif 2014: rarer looks rate higher).

Women's cutsProportions only

  1. 01Curtain-bang layered cutMedium · best on straight to wavy hairHair falls over the sides of the forehead, which narrows a wide forehead.When it doesn’t work: A very round, short face (end the bangs below the cheekbone); a front cowlick.
  2. 02Butterfly cutLong · best on straight to wavy hairAdds width at the cheeks, which balances cheekbones in line with the forehead and jaw.When it doesn’t work: Fine low-density hair, 3C+ hair, no heat tools (it needs a blowout).
  3. 03ShagMedium · best on wavy to curly hairHair falls over the sides of the forehead, which narrows a wide forehead.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. 04Italian bobShort · best on straight to wavy hairAdds width at the cheeks, which balances cheekbones in line with the forehead and jaw.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.
  5. 05Classic pixieShort · best on straight, wavy and coily hairKeeps the temples tight, which balances a forehead that is wide next to the jaw.When it doesn’t work: A short neck, a jaw-heavy lower third, prominent ears, a crown cowlick, thick coarse hair (needs debulking); grows out awkwardly.
  6. 06Lob (long bob)Medium · best on straight to curly hairNo proportion rule applies here, so it ranks on how many hair types it works for.When it doesn’t work: Few — a dependable middle ground.

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

What is different about the heart list

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

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

The top picks for heart-shaped faces, rendered

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

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.

Heart face shape: questions

Is a widow's peak part of a heart face?
It's often mentioned, but it's a hairline shape, not a face proportion. We read your hairline separately because it changes which cuts work, whatever your face shape.
Which haircuts balance a heart-shaped face?
By convention: cuts with a fringe or side sweep that narrows the forehead, and cuts that add weight at the jaw, like a chin-length bob or medium lengths swept back. The ranked lists on this page show how our engine scores them on proportions.
Heart or inverted triangle?
Same shape, two names. Men's style guides tend to say inverted triangle; women's guides tend to say heart.
How do I know if I have a heart-shaped face?
With your hair pulled back, compare the width across your forehead and temples with the width of your jaw. If the forehead is clearly the widest part (about 15% wider than the jaw or more), the length is about 1.25 to 1.45 times the width, and the jaw tapers to a finer chin, it is a heart. If the cheekbones are the widest point instead, it is closer to diamond.
Does a heart-shaped face suit short hair?
It can. Short sides with some length or texture on top and a side sweep over the forehead keep the upper face from looking wide. Very tight sides with a high, voluminous top add width exactly where a heart is already widest.
How do I know if I have a heart 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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