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Also called: rectangle face, long face

Oblong face shape

Line drawing of a typical oblong face with forehead, cheekbone, jaw and length measurement lines
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Is your face actually oblong? Free · about 10 seconds

Clearly longer than it is wide, with forehead, cheekbones and jaw close to the same width. On proportions alone our engine ranks the french crop, mod cut and caesar cut highest for men and the french bob with bangs, blunt chin bob and italian bob for women.

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What does an oblong face look like?

Length ÷ width
about 1.5 or more
Widest point
none; widths are even
Forehead ÷ jaw
close to 1.0
Jaw corner
moderate

Even a textbook oblong face is a mix

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

  • Oblong91%
  • Oval9%

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

Shorten and widen: less height on top, a little width at the sides, and a fringe to break the length. For longer cuts, ends near the chin work best.

Stylist rule of thumb

Oblong vs oval and square face: how to tell them apart

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

Oblong face shape compared with oval and square
ShapeLength ÷ widthWidest pointForehead ÷ jawAlso look atHow to tell it from oblong
Oblong (this page)about 1.5 or morenone; widths are evenclose to 1.0moderate
Ovalabout 1.3 to 1.45the cheekbones, by a littleabout 1.0 to 1.15, forehead slightly widersoft to moderateAn oval face is shorter and narrows at the jaw; an oblong face keeps its width all the way down.
Squareabout 1.0 to 1.25none; widths are evenclose to 1.0sharp and angular (high angularity)Same even widths, but a square face is about as wide as it is long.

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

Haircuts ranked for oblong proportions

Our scorer’s ranking on proportions alone, for the textbook oblong 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. 01French cropShort · best on straight to wavy hairCovers part of the forehead, which balances a longer face.When it doesn’t work: A low forehead, a front cowlick, a round face without fade contrast.
  2. 02Mod cutMedium · best on straight to wavy hairCovers part of the forehead, which balances a longer face.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. 03Caesar cutShort · best on any texture hairShortens the overall line, which balances a longer face.When it doesn’t work: A very round face (add fade contrast).
  4. 04Buzz cutBuzz length · best on any texture hairNo proportion rule applies here, so it ranks on how many hair types it works for.When it doesn’t work: Puts bumps, a flat back of the head and prominent ears on show.
  5. 05Curtains / middle partMedium · best on straight to wavy hairCovers part of the forehead, which balances a longer face.When it doesn’t work: A prominent nose; an off-centre front cowlick; hidden from hairline stage 2.
  6. 06Edgar cutShort · best on straight to wavy hairCovers part of the forehead, which balances a longer face.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).

Women's cutsProportions only

  1. 01French 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.
  2. 02Blunt chin bobShort · best on straight to wavy hairPuts weight at the jawline, which balances a longer face.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.
  3. 03Italian bobShort · best on straight to wavy hairShortens the overall line, which balances a longer face.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.
  4. 04Curtain-bang layered cutMedium · best on straight to wavy hairAdds width at the cheeks, which balances a longer face.When it doesn’t work: A very round, short face (end the bangs below the cheekbone); a front cowlick.
  5. 05ShagMedium · best on wavy to curly hairAdds fullness at the temples, which balances a longer face.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.
  6. 06Lob (long bob)Medium · best on straight to curly hairPuts weight at the jawline, which balances a longer face.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 oblong faces and women’s cuts for oblong faces.

What is different about the oblong list

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

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

The top picks for oblong 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.

Oblong face shape: questions

What should an oblong face avoid?
By convention, anything that adds more length: tall quiffs and pompadours, and long, flat hair worn with a centre part.
Is rectangle the same as oblong?
Yes. Rectangle, oblong and long are used interchangeably; some charts reserve “rectangle” for an oblong face with a squarer jaw.
Do fringes really help a long face?
A fringe covers part of the forehead, so the visible face is shorter. It's one of the more mechanical stylist rules. It does depend on your hair: a front cowlick can make a straight fringe hard to wear.
How do I know if I have an oblong face?
Measure from hairline to chin and from cheekbone to cheekbone with a soft tape or a ruler on a straight-on photo. If the length is about 1.5 times the width or more, and your forehead, cheekbones and jaw are close to the same width, the face is oblong. Between 1.25 and 1.5 it usually reads as oval.
What is the difference between an oblong and a long oval face?
Width at the jaw. An oval face narrows toward the chin, while an oblong face keeps its width all the way down, so the sides look straight rather than curved. Length alone does not decide it.
Should a man with an oblong face grow a beard?
A short beard that stays close to the chin is a common choice because a long beard adds more length. Fuller sides and a trimmed chin keep the width balanced. Beard styles are part of the paid preview options.
How do I know if I have an oblong 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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