15 Flattering Hairstyles for Heart-Shaped Faces

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Find a Great Hairstyle for Your Heart-Shaped Face

Julia Roberts. Joe Kohen // Getty Images

Highlight your heart-shaped face with a new haircut and style. Whether you're going long or short, have natural waves, a few curls, or stick-straight hair, there are many flattering hairstyles that you can wear.

The main features of a heart-shaped face are a wider forehead and an outline that tapers down to a slightly pointy chin. The best styles will also accent your eyes and well-defined cheekbones. You can choose almost any hairstyle, from the short pixie to the long bob, and even gorgeous, long, and wavy locks like Julia Roberts is famous for.

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Long, Side-Swept Bangs

Reese Witherspoon. Alberto E. Rodriguez // Getty Images

Actress Reese Witherspoon is a prime example of a heart-shaped face and her hair always looks great. She has sported shoulder-length bobs, long waves, and even shorter hair, but she is rarely without side-swept bangs.  

Long bangs that sweep off to the side are one of the most flattering elements any woman with a heart-shaped face can add to her style. Heart-shaped faces are wider up top, which can look a bit top heavy, according to hairstylist Andy LeCompte in InStyle magazine. 

You can balance out the face with long, side-swept bangs that "draw attention down and towards the eyes," says LeCompte. He says the shortest pieces should hit your face at the arch of your brow. The longest pieces should hit the outer corners of your eyes. 

The best part is that these bangs can be incorporated into both long and short styles. They are also easy to maintain and grow out very well if you tire of them.

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The Pixie

Ginnifer Goodwin. Frederick M. Brown // Getty

Almost all pixie hairstyles look great on heart-shaped faces. "All those little pieces help emphasize the cheekbones and eyes; it's almost as if you build in cheekbones with this cut," says stylist Jimmy Paul in Allure magazine.

The pixie may seem like a wash-and-go type of haircut, and it is. However, you will need to get a trim every five to six weeks to maintain the look. This cut is also best for women who do not have kinky, curly hair, says stylist Rodney Cutler in Glamour magazine.

Not everyone can get away with a pixie. The cut can make a square face look more square and a long face look even more oblong. So if you have a heart-shaped face, you pretty much own the pixie cut.

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A Long Choppy Bob

Ali Larter. Jason Merritt for Getty Images

For a little more length, the long bob (or "lob") is an excellent choice for heart-shaped faces. It highlights the cheekbones and frames the face, while the layers soften the chin ever so slightly.

This long, graduated bob with a bit of wave on actress Ali Larter is a look that's particularly flattering on heart-shaped faces, says hairstylist Andy Lecompte in Allure. Lecompte is the stylist behind Larter's gorgeous cut. 

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A Classic Bob

Actress Katie Holmes. Photo by Getty Images/Getty Images for CDG

The bob offers a great variety of styles and the classic bob is another excellent choice for this face shape. This one is sleek and sophisticated, a timeless look that never goes out of style. It also looks great on women of any age.

Actress Katie Holmes shows off the classic bob with pure class. Notice how it is heavy near her chin. This balances her amazing cheeks with her pointed chin. Her fringe bangs also help draw attention to the center of her beautiful face.

Chin-length bobs are great for a heart-shaped face. Just make sure the ends are a bit tapered. This look is also fabulous with side-swept bangs.

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The Curly Bob

Actress Keri Russell. Photo by Michael Buckner/Getty Images

If you have curly hair, consider this gorgeous style worn by actress Keri Russell. Curls can get heavy, so you will want them to taper on the ends. You can also ask your stylist to cut out a lot of the heaviness in your hair. Many stylists choose to cut curly hair when it's dry to make it easier to see where the curls fall.

With this shorter cut and curls, you might find it best to cut down on shampooing because it can weigh down curls. Instead, use a heavy conditioner in the shower. This is a good choice anyway since curly hair tends to be pretty dry.

This style requires a styling gel to tame frizz and flyaways and hold the hair in place. Try Philip B styling gel. It's a secret weapon of stylists, according to InStyle magazine, because it's not expensive and it holds hair without making it stiff or crunchy.

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Bouncy Bob

Ashley Judd. Nancy Ostertag/Getty

If you have curls and want to go with a slightly shorter bob, you can. Ashley Judd looks gorgeous in this cut and it does a fantastic job of balancing out her facial features. You will also notice how most of the volume falls just below her cheekbones, but above her chin. This softens a well-defined bone structure.

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The Side-Part

Singer Michelle Williams arrives for the World Music Awards 2008 at the Monte Carlo Sporting Club on November 9, 2008 in Monte Carlo, Monaco. Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images

Another flattering way to wear a bob (or any hairstyle with a heart-shaped face) is to move your part off to the side. This is a natural choice with side-swept bangs and it really draws attention to your eyes and cheekbones, as it does on singer Michelle Williams. Again, this is a longer bob that falls at the chin and just below it.

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Short With Side-Swept Bangs

Keri Hilson. Jason Merritt // Getty Images

This is a great cut for any face shape, but on a heart-shaped face it cuts in at a great angle that shows off the bone structure. The long, side-swept bangs cover a large forehead, which is typical of heart-shaped faces as well.

Singer Keri Hilson makes this style even more spectacular with her choice of color. Adding a brilliant blonde top with super dark layers underneath is an eye-catching look that many African American women can also pull off.

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Shoulder-Length Layers

Deborah Kaplan. Stephen Lovekin/Getty

A shoulder-length cut is a favorite for many women who want to keep some length with an easy-to-maintain style. These long layers on director Deborah Kaplan are a great way to get that look. They frame her face and, with the bangs, the style is both playful and serious, perfect for a career-oriented woman.

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Bangs and Long Hair

Katharine Mcphee
Getty Images

Bangs work beautifully with very long hair and heart-shaped faces as well. The long side-swept bangs on actress Katherine McPhee draw attention to her eyes and flatter her amazing cheekbones while she enjoys long and super straight locks.

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Super Long, Straight Layers

Jennifer Aniston. Kevin Winter // Getty Images

Jennifer Aniston has a very strong chin and always has great hair. If you have long, thick hair, you can't go wrong mimicking an Aniston haircut.

In this look, she shows off long, straight hair with face-framing layers that end below her chin. There's no need for bangs here because she has a well-defined bone structure and the golden highlights give it tons of dimension.

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Blunt Bangs and Wavy Layers

Wavy hair and fun bangs can create a lively look on a heart-shaped face. Jennifer Garner is another A-list source of inspiration for great haircuts that flatter this shape. This one is a soft look that stays away from short, blunt-cut bangs and harsh, choppy layers. It's very romantic and offers easy styling with endless options for both day and night.

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Long Waves

Rachel Bilson. Frazer Harrison // Getty Images

Rachel Bilson's soft, long waves do a wonderful job of softening a pointy chin. Since most hair has natural wave in it, this look is not hard to get once you get the cut.

Simply let your hair air dry and scrunch it as it dries. Once it's dry, you can wind your hair around the barrel of a curling iron to get even more volume.

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Avoid Top-Heavy Looks

Jennifer Love Hewitt. Jason Merritt/Getty

So what type of styles should you avoid with a heart-shaped face? A lot of the "no-nos" come with the up-do. The secret is to balance out your chin, so you want to avoid styles that add volume up top. 

Be careful with too much height at the crown of your head. Here, Jennifer Love-Hewitt has her hair piled atop her head, making her heart-shaped face a bit top-heavy. Though she pulls it off, a slightly better look would emphasize fullness at the sides of her head.

Also, slicked-back hair can show off the face too much. That's why you will rarely see Jennifer Aniston with her hair slicked back into a high ponytail. You'll find it better to opt for softer, face-framing looks instead.