Face shape · Hairstyles

Diamond face shape hairstyles

A diamond face is widest at the cheekbones, with both the forehead and the jaw narrower. That gives it the most defined cheekbones of any shape, and a haircut's job is to fill in above and below them, not to widen the middle further. Here is what that means in cuts, for women and for men.

What makes a face diamond

Face length divided by cheekbone width sits around 1.50, a little longer than oval. Jaw width divided by cheekbone width is about 0.76, narrower than oval's 0.80. Forehead width divided by cheekbone width is about 0.80, well below oval's 0.88. So the cheekbones are clearly the widest point, and the outline narrows in both directions from there: up to a narrow forehead and down to a narrow jaw and a chin that often comes to a point.

That is where the name comes from and also where the advice comes from. The middle of the face has plenty of width; the top and bottom do not. Every cut that works for a diamond face adds width at the temples or the forehead, at the jaw, or both. Every cut that fails does the reverse: it adds width at the cheekbones, or strips it away from the forehead and jaw at the same time and leaves the cheekbones standing alone.

Diamond is often mistaken for heart, which has the same narrow jaw with a wide forehead, and for oval, which has the same taper with much smaller differences. The face shape tool measures the forehead ratio that separates diamond from heart and reports which you are leaning toward.

The one principle

Fill in above and below, leave the middle alone. Fringes and volume at the temples widen the top; layers, flicks and length at the jaw widen the bottom; both make the cheekbones read as part of a balanced face rather than its only feature. Volume that sits at cheekbone level, or hair pulled tight away from the face, does the opposite.

Cuts at a glance

Cut	What it is	What it fixes
Curtain fringe + jaw layers	Fringe on top, layers flicking out at the jaw	The most complete cut: widens forehead and jaw at once, so the cheekbone reads normal
Chin bob with a fringe	Ends at the chin, forehead covered	Fills both gaps in one cut. The bob a round face should avoid is the one this face wants
Side-swept fringe, sides tucked	Fringe across the top, hair tucked at cheekbone level	Width at the top, nothing added at the middle, length still free below the ear
Soft full fringe	Covers most of the forehead, soft edges	The strongest single fix for a narrow forehead — keep the rest of the cut simple
Layers flicking out at the jaw	From the jaw, styled outward not inward	Outward ends add width at the jaw; inward ends narrow it further, which is the last thing this face needs
Waves from the ear down	Start at the ear, not the temple	Waves at the temple widen the cheekbone and make the shape more extreme
Deep side part, temple volume	One side fuller over the temple	Widens the top of the face. Works with or without a fringe
Half-up, sides left down	Take from the crown only	Pulling the sides back tightens the whole outline onto the cheekbones

Hairstyles that work for women

Curtain fringe with jaw-length layers

The most complete cut for a diamond face. The fringe widens the forehead; layers that end at the jaw and flick outward widen the bottom; between them the cheekbones look proportionate. This is the one to ask for if you take a single style from this page.

Chin-length bob with a fringe

A bob that ends at the chin puts width exactly where the jaw narrows, and a fringe covers the forehead. On a round face this bob is a mistake; on a diamond face it fills the two gaps at once.

Side-swept fringe with tucked sides

A long fringe swept across the forehead adds width at the top; tucking the hair behind the ears at cheekbone level keeps the middle from getting wider. Leave the ends loose below the ear so the jaw still gets some width.

Soft full fringe

A fringe that covers most of the forehead, cut soft at the edges. The strongest single fix for a narrow forehead. Keep the rest of the hair simple so the fringe does the work.

Layers that flick out at the jaw

Face-framing layers that begin at the jaw and are styled outward, not inward. Outward ends add width at the jaw; inward ends narrow it further, which is the last thing this shape needs.

Loose waves from the ear down

Waves add width wherever they sit, so start them at the ear rather than the temple: below the cheekbones, around the jaw. Waves that start at the temple widen the cheekbones and make the shape more extreme.

Deep side part with volume at the temple

A deep side part lets one side of the hair sit fuller over the temple and forehead, which widens the top of the face. Works with or without a fringe.

Half-up with the sides left loose

If you pull some hair up, take it from the crown only and leave the sides and front down. Pulling the sides back tightens the whole outline around the cheekbones.

Hairstyles that work for men

Diamond-face searches for men are among the least competitive of any face-shape query, and the advice is unusually consistent: cover some forehead, keep weight at the sides.

Textured fringe, forward

A crop with the top left longer and pushed forward onto the forehead, edges left uneven. The fringe widens the top of the face; the texture keeps it from looking like a helmet. Pair with a low taper, not a high fade.

Side-swept front, medium length

Two to three inches on top swept across and slightly forward so the hairline is partly covered. A side part adds a diagonal; the forward sweep covers forehead. The most versatile cut for this shape.

Low taper with fuller sides

Whatever the top, keep the sides scissor-cut or tapered low, with some weight left above the ear and at the jaw. Width there balances the cheekbones. A high fade strips it away and leaves the cheekbones as the only wide point.

Medium length with movement

Three to five inches all over, worn loose with the front falling toward the forehead and the sides sitting full. Works especially well with any natural wave.

Curls, front kept forward

Natural curl adds width at the sides without effort. Keep the front curls over the forehead rather than pushed back, and let the sides sit full around the jaw.

Short beard for jaw width

The single most effective change for a diamond face on a man: a short, full beard that follows the jaw adds width exactly where the face narrows. Keep it trimmed close on the cheeks so it does not add to the cheekbones.

What to avoid, and why

Hair pulled straight back with tight sides. Exposes the narrow forehead, narrows the jaw, and leaves the cheekbones as the only visible width. This is the diamond-face mistake.
Volume or waves at cheekbone level. Widens the widest point and makes the shape more extreme. Start volume at the ear or below.
Layers that curve inward at the jaw. Narrows an already narrow jaw. Ask for outward ends.
A tight, high ponytail or bun. Pulls everything away from the forehead and jaw at once. If you tie your hair up, leave the front and sides out.
For men: a high skin fade. Strips the width from the sides that this face needs. Taper low.
For men: a pointed goatee. Extends and narrows the chin. Keep the beard full along the jaw instead.

If you are leaning toward another shape

Diamond leaning heart (forehead ratio nearer 0.9): the forehead needs less help and the jaw needs more. Drop the fringe if you like and keep the layers and flicks at the jaw.
Diamond leaning oval (both ratios nearer 0.80 and 0.88): most of this relaxes. See the oval guide, keeping a light preference for width at the jaw.
Diamond leaning oblong (length/width above about 1.55): add the oblong advice about a fringe and width at the sides; both shapes want a fringe, so the two sets of advice agree.

How to measure the three ratios yourself is in how to tell your face shape. Glasses follow the same idea: oval, cat-eye or top-heavy frames add width at the brow line and soften the cheekbones.

FAQ

Questions people ask

What is the best hairstyle for a diamond face?

Anything that adds width at the forehead and at the jaw, the two places a diamond face is narrow. For women, a fringe plus layers that flick out at the jaw, or a chin-length bob with a curtain fringe; for men, a fringe or textured front with the sides left fuller at the jaw. The ratios explain it: cheekbones are the widest point, with the forehead about 0.80 and the jaw about 0.76 of that width, so the cut fills in above and below rather than adding to the middle.

Should a diamond face have a fringe?

Yes, more than any shape except oblong. A fringe covers part of the narrow forehead and visually widens the top of the face, which makes the cheekbones look less like the only wide point. Curtain, side-swept and soft full fringes all work. Avoid pulling the hair straight back off the forehead.

What hairstyles should a diamond face avoid?

Volume or width at the cheekbones, and anything that pulls hair away from both the forehead and the jaw at once. A slicked-back style with tight sides is the worst case: it exposes the narrow forehead, tight sides narrow the jaw, and the cheekbones become the only thing visible.

What is the best men's haircut for a diamond face?

A textured fringe or a side-swept front with medium length on top, and the sides tapered low so there is some fullness around the jaw. Searches for diamond face hairstyles for men are among the easiest face-shape queries to rank for and the advice is consistent: cover some forehead, keep weight at the sides. A short beard adds width to the jaw and is one of the most effective changes for this shape.

How do I know if my face is diamond or heart?

Both have a narrow jaw and pointed chin. The difference is the forehead: a heart face has a wide forehead, roughly as wide as the cheekbones; a diamond face has a narrow forehead, about 0.80 of the cheekbone width. Measure forehead width divided by cheekbone width, or let the tool do it from a photo.

Updated 2026-09-10

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Diamond, or heart with strong cheekbones?

The two shapes share a narrow jaw and differ at the forehead. The scanner measures your forehead-to-cheekbone and jaw-to-cheekbone ratios from a photo and tells you which you are closest to.

Front-facing, unobstructed, evenly lit photos work best. Your photo is analysed on your phone or computer and is never uploaded.