The best oblong face hairstyles men can wear add width at the sides, keep the top low and put some hair across the forehead. An oblong face is longer than it is wide, so the wrong cut stretches it and the right one balances it.
This guide explains how to confirm your face shape, the nine cuts that work at short, medium and long lengths, and the mistakes that make an oblong face look longer.
In this guide
Quick answer: which haircut suits an oblong face?
A textured crop, French crop or side part with a low fade suits most men with an oblong face. All three keep hair over the temples, stay under about 3 inches on top and allow a fringe, which shortens the face.
What is an oblong face shape?
An oblong face is clearly longer than it is wide, with a forehead, cheekbones and jaw of roughly the same width and a rounded jawline. If your face length is about one and a half times its width, treat it as oblong.
It is often confused with two close shapes. The difference matters because each one needs a slightly different cut.
| Face shape | How to spot it | What the haircut should do |
|---|---|---|
| Oblong | Long, even width, rounded jaw | Add width and cover part of the forehead |
| Oval | Slightly long, jaw narrower than forehead | Almost anything works; avoid extreme height |
| Rectangle | Long, even width, sharp square jaw | Add width and soften the corners with texture |
Barbers use the same idea when they match a cut to a client. The London School of Barbering face shape guide is a useful reference if you want to compare all the shapes.
9 best oblong face hairstyles men should try
These nine cuts are grouped by length so you can start from the hair you already have. Short cuts are the easiest to maintain; medium cuts give the most width.
Short cuts
Textured crop. About 2 inches on top, pushed forward, with a low fade. The short fringe covers the forehead and the choppy texture stops the hair from lying flat.
French crop. A blunt fringe just above the eyebrows. It is the strongest option if you have a high forehead, because it hides the most length.
Ivy League. A neat, office-friendly cut with enough length in front to sweep to one side. Ask for a taper, not a skin fade.
Medium cuts
Side part. Hair travels across the head instead of up. Use a scissor taper so the temples stay full.
Side-swept fringe. A diagonal line across the forehead breaks the vertical line of the face.
Curtain bangs. A middle part with a fringe that falls to the cheekbones. The hair opens outward and widens the upper face.
Long cuts
Bro flow. Hair pushed back and out so it fans at ear level. It needs some natural wave or a light layer cut.
Shoulder-length layers. Layers that start at the cheekbones build side volume. A blunt one-length cut does the opposite.
Two-block cut. A long, full top that falls over shorter sides. It works especially well on thick straight hair.
For a longer list with a barber script for every cut, read our main guide to hair for long face men.
What to tell your barber
Tell your barber your face is long and that you want width at the sides and little height on top. That one sentence prevents most bad cuts.
Then confirm three details: the fade height (low or a taper), the top length (2 to 3 inches) and the fringe (long enough to wear forward). If you are unsure how high a fade should go, our guide to the high taper fade shows where each fade line sits on the head.
Mistakes that make an oblong face look longer
Anything that adds height, removes the sides or exposes the whole forehead will lengthen an oblong face.
- Too much height. Tall pompadours and high quiffs add inches. A short, forward quiff hairstyle is the only version that works.
- Skin-tight sides. High skin fades strip the width at the temples.
- Slicked-back hair. It shows the full forehead and adds shine, which flattens the hair.
- Tight top knots. They pull everything up and back.
- A long pointed beard. It adds length under the chin.
Glasses, beard and other details
Small details around the face change how long it looks. Wide frames with some depth, such as square or aviator shapes, cut across the face and shorten it. Small, narrow frames do the opposite.
A beard helps when it is fuller on the cheeks than on the chin. Heavy stubble or a short boxed beard adds width to the lower face. Keep the bottom edge flat and close to the jaw.
A hat worn low on the forehead works the same way as a fringe. Caps and beanies pulled down to the brow hide length; a beanie perched high on the head adds it.
How to style an oblong face cut at home
Style the hair forward or sideways and finish with a matte product. Height and shine are the two things to avoid.
- Towel-dry until the hair is damp.
- Blow-dry while pushing the hair to the side or forward with your fingers.
- Rub a pea-sized amount of matte clay between your palms.
- Work it through from back to front and pinch the fringe into loose sections.
Loose, textured styling suits this face shape best. Our messy hairstyles for men guide has more low-effort looks that keep the top wide instead of tall.
Oblong face hairstyles by hair type
Your hair texture decides which of the nine cuts will actually hold its shape. Pick the cut that works with your texture instead of fighting it.
- Straight hair. It lies flat, so it needs texture cut into it. Choose a textured crop, a French crop or a two-block cut, and finish with a matte clay. Avoid long, one-length styles.
- Wavy hair. This is the easiest texture for an oblong face, because waves add width on their own. A side-swept fringe, curtain bangs or a bro flow all work with little styling.
- Curly hair. Keep the curls at medium length with a low taper so they spread sideways. Do not cut the sides very short; curls stacked only on top add height.
- Thinning or receding hair. A short textured crop or a longer crew cut pushed forward covers the corners of the hairline. Keep the sides a little longer than usual so the contrast with the top is softer.
Thick hair of any texture benefits from having some weight removed on top, so it bends to the side instead of standing up. Fine hair is the opposite: keep it shorter and blunt at the fringe, because short hair looks denser.
If you are between two cuts, choose the one that needs less daily styling. A cut that looks right without product will still look right on a rushed morning, and that matters more than a style that only works after ten minutes with a blow-dryer.
FAQs
What are the best oblong face hairstyles men can get?
The best oblong face hairstyles men can get are the textured crop, French crop and side part with a low fade. Each one keeps width at the temples, limits height on top and allows a fringe, which makes the face look shorter.
Is an oblong face the same as a long face?
Yes, in haircut terms they are treated the same. Oblong is the technical name for a face that is clearly longer than it is wide with an even width from forehead to jaw.
Should men with an oblong face have a fringe?
Yes. A fringe is the single most effective change, because it covers part of the forehead and shortens the visible length of the face. Even a short textured fringe helps.
Is a fade good for an oblong face?
A low fade or scissor taper is good. A high skin fade is not, because it removes the hair at the temples that gives the face width.
Can men with an oblong face have long hair?
Yes, if the hair has layers and volume at ear level. Flat, straight, one-length hair frames the face with two vertical lines and makes it look longer.
Final word
The right oblong face hairstyles men choose all follow one idea: wider, lower and with a fringe. Start with a textured crop or side part and a low fade, then adjust the length to your hair type.
Next step: read our full guide to hair for long face men for 12 cuts with a word-for-word barber script.
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