Embracing your natural curls is a beautiful journey, but finding the perfect cut to flatter your specific face shape can feel like solving a complex puzzle. For those blessed with both an oblong face and a head of fabulous curls, the quest is for a style that balances, softens, and celebrates your unique features. The oblong face, characterized by its length, meets its perfect match in the natural volume and width that only curly hair can provide.
This guide is your definitive resource for understanding how to make your curls work for your face shape, transforming length into a beautifully balanced canvas. We'll explore everything from sassy short bobs to luxurious long layers, all designed to create harmony, add flattering width, and make you fall in love with your hair all over again.
Understanding the Oblong Face Shape
First, let's identify what makes a face "oblong." Also known as a "long" face shape, it is defined by the following characteristics:
- Length is greater than width: The face is noticeably longer than it is wide.
- Consistent Width: The width of your forehead, cheekbones, and jawline are all relatively similar and almost equal.
- Often a Rounded Hairline and Chin: Unlike the more angular rectangle shape, the oblong face typically has softer, more rounded edges at the hairline and chin.
- A High Forehead (Sometimes): Many individuals with oblong faces also have a higher forehead, which contributes to the overall length.
The primary goal for any hairstyle, especially a curly one, is to create the illusion of width and reduce the appearance of vertical length. You want to build volume horizontally, drawing the eye outward rather than upward. This is where curly hair becomes your greatest asset. Its inherent body and texture are the perfect tools for the job.
Why Curls are an Oblong Face's Best Friend
While those with straight hair have to work hard to create volume, you have it built-in. Curls naturally expand outward, which is exactly what an oblong face needs.
- Natural Width: The bounce and spring of your curls add instant body to the sides of your face, right where it's needed most. This visually "widens" your face, balancing the length.
- Softening Effect: The soft, rounded shapes of ringlets and waves break up the long, straight lines of the face, adding softness and detracting from vertical length.
- Versatile Layering: Curls respond magnificently to strategic layering, allowing a stylist to build a custom shape that directs volume precisely to your cheekbones and jawline.
The key is to choose a cut that unleashes this power, rather than one that fights it. Avoid styles that add volume on top of your head (which only adds more height) or that hang long and straight, dragging the eye downward.
The Best Curly Hairstyles by Length
The right cut is all about silhouette. Here are the most flattering styles for oblong faces, broken down by length.
1. Short & Sassy Curls
Short hair can be incredibly flattering, provided it’s cut to build width, not height.
- The Bouncy Curly Bob: A chin-length bob is perhaps the most perfect cut for this combination. The length hits right at the jawline, allowing your curls to burst outward, creating a beautiful, wide silhouette that directly counters the face's length. Ask for light layers to ensure the shape is rounded and full, not triangular.
- The Layered Pixie with Curly Top: If you dare to go shorter, a pixie cut can work if it's styled correctly. Keep the sides and back relatively close, but leave the top long enough for your curls to flourish. The trick is to style them forward or to the side (like a deep side part), not spiked upwards. A curly fringe sweeping across the forehead is a must-see.
- The Asymmetrical Bob: A slightly angled or asymmetrical bob, where one side is a touch longer than the other, creates dynamic, diagonal lines that break up the face's verticality. This adds a modern edge while the curls provide essential width.
2. The Versatile Mid-Length
Medium-length cuts offer the most versatility, providing enough length to be styled in various ways while remaining short enough to build incredible volume.
- The Curly Shag: This is a show-stopping, on-trend look that seems tailor-made for you. The shag cut is defined by heavy layers, especially around the crown and face. For an oblong face, ask your stylist to focus the layers from the cheekbones down. This builds a full, wide shape around the center of your face. Pair it with a curly fringe or curtain bangs for the ultimate face-framing effect.
- The Layered Lob (Long Bob): A lob that ends anywhere between your chin and your collarbone is a universally flattering choice. For an oblong face, this length is ideal. It’s long enough to be sophisticated but short enough that your curls don't get weighed down. Ask for layers that start at your lip or chin to ensure the volume is concentrated at the sides.
- The Shoulder-Length Cut with Round Layers: A simple, shoulder-grazing cut is a classic. The magic is in the layering. Request "round layers" or "internal layers" to encourage your curls to form a full, rounded shape. This prevents the dreaded "pyramid" effect and ensures volume is distributed evenly from your temples to your ends.
3. Luxurious Long Curls
Yes, you can have long hair with an oblong face! The myth that you must go short is false—it just requires a strategic approach.
- Long Layers Starting at the Cheekbones: The golden rule for long, curly hair on an oblong face is layers. Long, one-length hair will drag the face down, making it appear even longer. Ask your stylist to begin the face-framing layers high up, around your cheekbones. This will build an "A" shape that flares out, adding width and interest to the mid-face.
- The "Curly Cut" with Face-Framing: Specialty cuts like the DevaCut or Rezo Cut are designed for curly hair and focus on cutting each curl individually to build a harmonious shape. This customized approach is perfect for ensuring your long layers create a beautiful, wide halo of curls rather than hanging limply.
- The Deep Side Part: Simply changing your part can work wonders. A deep side part on long, curly hair creates a dramatic sweeping effect across the forehead, which visually shortens it. This one-sided volume also breaks up the symmetry of a long face, adding instant glamour and balance.
The Secret Weapon: Bangs
If you try only one thing to balance your oblong face, make it bangs. Bangs are the single most effective way to visually "shorten" a face, as they create a horizontal line that breaks up the length.
- Curly Fringe: Don't be afraid to let your bangs be curly! A soft, "see-through" curly fringe that kisses your eyebrows is playful, modern, and incredibly flattering. It softens your forehead without looking too heavy.
- Curtain Bangs: This '70s-inspired style is a perfect match. Parted in the middle and angling down to blend with your face-framing layers, curtain bangs open up your face while effectively covering the corners of a high forehead. They draw the eye directly to your cheekbones.
- Side-Swept Bangs: A long, sweeping side bang is a classic for a reason. It cuts across the face on a diagonal, which is ideal for minimizing length and drawing attention to your eyes.
Styling Tips and What to Avoid
How you style your hair is just as important as the cut.
Do:
- Embrace the Side Part: A center part can sometimes emphasize the length of an oblong face. A deep side part is your best friend, as it creates asymmetry and horizontal volume.
- Use Volumizing Products: Apply a curl-defining mousse or cream to damp hair, focusing on the roots and mid-lengths at the sides of your head, not the top.
- Diffuse for Volume: When blow-drying, use a diffuser. Tip your head to each side (rather than upside down, which can create too much root lift on top) to encourage maximum volume at your cheekbone level.
- "Clip" Your Roots: While your hair is air-drying, use small clips at the roots on the sides of your head to lift the hair off your scalp, encouraging it to dry with more horizontal body.
Avoid:
- Volume at the Crown: This is the cardinal sin for oblong faces. Any style with a "bump" or significant height on top (like a high poof or bun) will only add more length. Aim for a flat or softly rounded crown.
- Long, One-Length Styles: As mentioned, this drags the face down. Curls need layers to live their best life.
- Slicked-Back Sides: Styles that pull the hair tightly away from the sides of your face will only emphasize its narrowness and length.
- Pin-Straight Styles: While this guide is for curly hair, it’s worth noting that flat-ironing your hair into a sleek, straight style is the least flattering look for an oblong face. Embrace the body your curls give you!
By choosing a cut that builds horizontal volume and pairing it with smart styling, you can create a stunning look that makes your oblong face appear perfectly oval and beautifully balanced. Your curls are not something to be tamed—they are the perfect solution, full of life, body, and balance.