Haircuts for an oblong face

How to tell

Face length is more than about one and a half times your cheekbone width, and forehead, cheekbones and jaw all measure close to each other. Nothing tapers dramatically. If the length is the standout number and the widths are unremarkable, you are oblong rather than oval.

What actually works, and why

Everything that helps a round face hurts here, and the reverse. Blunt bangs are genuinely useful because they cut the visible face length in half. Waves and curls add width exactly where the face has none. Cuts that land between the chin and the collarbone put a horizontal line across the middle of the shape. Volume at the sides rather than the crown widens rather than lengthens. Chin length bobs work well for the same reason they can fight a round face.

What tends to fight it

Very long straight one length hair adds more vertical line to a face that already has plenty, and the eye runs from hairline to ends without interruption. Height at the crown does the same. Centre parts with flat sides extend the vertical read. Tight slicked back styles remove the width entirely. None of these are unwearable, they just work against the shape rather than with it.