Haircuts for Heart-Shaped Faces: Wide Forehead, Narrow Chin

How a heart-shaped face is built

A heart-shaped face is widest at the forehead and temples, slightly narrower at the cheekbones, and tapers to a small or pointed chin. Seen straight on, it looks like an inverted triangle with a rounded top.

Many heart-shaped faces also have a widow's peak, which exaggerates the width up top by drawing a V into the centre of the hairline. The contrast with a diamond face is where the widest point sits: forehead for a heart, cheekbones for a diamond. Use the face-shape measuring method to confirm which one you are.

Medium lengths suit a heart-shaped face

Medium lengths of roughly 5 to 10 centimetres (2 to 4 inches) on top give enough hair to shape across the forehead without stacking height. Very short cuts expose the full width of the upper face; very tall ones add to it.

The sides can stay neat but should not be shaved so high that the temples look even wider by contrast with the narrow jaw. A low taper, or scissor work over the ears, is usually the right balance.

• A textured crop with a longer, piecey fringe brushed slightly to one side.
• Medium-length cuts with layers, worn down and loose rather than blow-dried up.
• Curtains with an off-centre part, so the fringe covers the corners of the forehead.
• A longer Ivy League cut, parted and combed forward at the front.

Why a side part works so well

A side part moves hair diagonally across the forehead, which breaks up its width and takes attention away from the temples. It also gives you a natural way to hide or soften a widow's peak by placing the part slightly off where the peak sits.

Keep the part soft rather than a razor-shaved hard part, which draws a sharp line across the widest area. A classic side part combed with a light cream, falling slightly forward, is the easiest version. If you have a widow's peak, see our notes on cuts that work with a widow's peak.

Beards that add weight at the jaw

A beard is the strongest tool a heart-shaped face has, because it builds width exactly where the face is narrowest. The aim is fullness along the jaw and at the chin, with the cheeks kept close.

A full beard or a Garibaldi-style beard with a rounded bottom adds both width and a bit of length below a small chin. A short boxed beard with the jaw corners left full works for men who want something tighter. Even heavy stubble helps if it is kept slightly longer on the chin and jaw than on the upper cheeks.

Booking a Haircut + Beard matters here, because the transition from a low taper into beard fullness at the jaw is what sets the new outline.

Cuts that exaggerate a wide forehead

Styles that expose the full forehead or add bulk at the temples make the top of a heart shape bigger and the chin look smaller. These are the ones we usually talk clients out of.

• Tall pompadours and quiffs pushed straight up and back.
• Tight slick backs that pull the hair off the hairline entirely.
• Very short buzz cuts with no beard, which leave nothing to balance the narrow chin.
• Volume at the temples, such as fluffy sides on thick or wavy hair.
• A pointed goatee on its own, which sharpens the chin further.

How we approach a heart-shaped face in the chair

We start by looking at the hairline, because a widow's peak or a high forehead often decides whether a fringe or a side part is the better route. Then we check beard growth along the jaw, since that determines how much weight we can add down there.

The haircut itself is usually scissor-led, with a low taper at the nape and around the ears. We keep the front slightly heavier at the corners so the fringe or sweep covers the temples, and we set a soft lineup rather than squaring off the forehead.