How To Find The Right Haircut For Your Face Shape

We tend to think of contouring as the most efficient way to bring out our best features. But, according to John Frieda International Creative Consultant Harry Josh, who tends to the manes of beauties like Miranda Kerr and Gisele Bündchen, a haircut is actually the best investment you could make in your face. In fact, a good cut could be the only thing holding you back from a much lower-maintenance beauty routine.

That's why Harry came to visit four lucky staffers at Refinery29, who were brave enough to get their strands chopped under his expert eye — on camera. Ahead, see how something as simple as a snip could totally change what you see in the mirror. And, who knows? It might finally put an end to that age-old question: “Should I get bangs?” (Hint: Harry has the answer.)

The Heart-Shaped Face
When Harry met Sharon, he immediately decided that a major cut was in order. He said her heart-shaped face, which he characterizes as being widest at the cheeks with a narrower chin, would do best with a collarbone-grazing length — instead of being dragged down by a longer style.

On top of that, Sharon was actually in the process of growing out her fringe, but he talked her into bringing it back. "I love soft bangs for these types of faces, because they draw attention to your eyes," he explains. "You don't want any angular cuts, because that will only further define stronger features." Sharon's new length and freshly trimmed fringe gave her a chicer, slightly more sophisticated polish. (That killer blowdry helped, too.)

The Round Face
With round faces, the key is to embrace length. "Longer hair will elongate, and a great bang would even break up the roundness," Harry says. Marni, our lovely model for this video, has great jawline structure, but her cheeks keep her safely in circular territory.

She was long overdue for a cut, and had always been afraid of the salon — so bangs weren't even a question. Instead, Harry switched things up by giving her a center-part and Gwyneth Paltrow-esque, face-framing layers, which he defined with help from his flat iron and a little Frizz Ease, because, hello. "When the hair frames the face like this, [this haircut] adds structure," Harry explains.

The Oval Face
Athena was game for a bigger change, and Harry knew exactly what was in order: the b-word. "How do you feel about bangs?" he asked a cringing Athena, who had only recently finished a painful growing-out process.

"Many styles look good on oval shapes, but volume everywhere always looks good — it will round the appearance of the face," Harry says. Adding bangs would be the perfect way to break up the shape in an on-trend, totally chic way.

The result? A Bardot-esque style that would look just as cool with second-day texture. "My favorite thing about these bangs is that when you put your hair up, you get a totally different look," Harry adds. "It's like two haircuts in one."

The Square Face
"Square shapes have a hairline about as wide as the jawline, and the face appears strong and angular," Harry says. "Essentially, that means you want to avoid hard lines with your cut and opt for something soft." (Think long, blended layers, or angled bobs for shorter styles.)

Sydney's face strikes the right balance between square and round — a rare breed — but the same principles apply to her ideal cut. Harry cut off a significant amount in the front, but only trimmed the strands in the back. To finish, he enhanced Sydney's natural texture with a curling iron, and she was good to go.