Face shape

Haircuts for a
oval face

Proportion is already balanced, so nothing needs correcting. Choose on upkeep and how much styling you are willing to do each morning.

Is this you

Your face is a little longer than it is wide, with a jaw slightly narrower than your cheekbones and no hard corners.

23 cuts that work
01Drop FadeThe fade line curves down behind the ear instead of running level around the head.Guard0-1Chair35-45mBack in2-3 wks02Low FadeThe gradient starts just above the ear and stays low around the head.Guard1Chair25-35mBack in2-3 wks03Mid FadeThe gradient begins around the temple, halfway between a low and a high fade.Guard0-1Chair30-40mBack in2-3 wks04High FadeThe gradient starts at or above the temple and takes most of the side down to skin.Guard0Chair35-45mBack in2-3 wks05Low TaperA taper is not a fade.Guard1-2Chair20-30mBack in3-4 wks06Mid TaperThe taper starts higher, around the temple, so you get more shape than a low taper without committing to a fade.Guard1-2Chair25-35mBack in3-4 wks07High TaperTaper work carried up above the temple.Guard1-2Chair30-40mBack in3-4 wks08French CropShort back and sides with the top left textured and pushed forward into a blunt fringe.Guard1-2Chair25-35mBack in2-3 wks09Textured CropA crop with the weight broken up through the top so it sits in separated pieces rather than one solid mass.Guard1-2Chair30-40mBack in3-4 wks10Curtain FringeLength through the front, parted in the middle and swept to both sides.Guard1-2Chair35-45mBack in4-5 wks11QuiffVolume lifted at the front and swept back, shorter at the sides.Guard1-2Chair35-45mBack in3-4 wks12Modern MulletShort and tight through the sides and front, length kept deliberately at the back.Guard0-2Chair45-55mBack in4-5 wks13Messy Mod CutMod length and shape, but cut to fall apart rather than hold a line.Guard1-2Chair30-40mBack in3-4 wks14TaperThe oldest instruction in barbering: shorten gradually towards the neckline, leave everything else.Guard1Chair25-30mBack in3-4 wks15PompadourSerious height at the front, swept back and up, with the volume carried further back than a quiff.Guard1-2Chair35-45mBack in3-4 wks16Slick BackAll the length combed straight back with no part.Guard0-2Chair30-40mBack in3-4 wks17Buzz CutOne guard, whole head, done.Guard—Chair15-20mBack in1-2 wks18Side PartA defined part with the bulk swept to one side.Guard1Chair30-35mBack in3-4 wks19Mod CutScissor-cut throughout, sitting forward with a defined fringe and length over the ears.Guard—Chair30-40mBack in4-6 wks20Wolf CutHeavy layering through the top with length kept underneath, so the shape is wide at the crown and shaggy at the ends.Guard—Chair45-55mBack in5-6 wks21FlowGrown out and swept back off the face with no part, sitting over the ears and onto the neck.Guard—Chair35-45mBack in5-6 wks22ShagLayers stacked short at the crown and long at the ends with a heavy fringe.Guard—Chair45-55mBack in5-6 wks23Crew CutShort and graduated, slightly longer at the front than the crown, tapered at the sides.Guard1-2Chair25-30mBack in2-3 wks

Guard 0 through 4 · skin to scissor length

Sides and top together

Pairings that suit a oval face.

A cut is two decisions, and the two have to agree. These combinations are the ones whose halves pull in the direction a oval face needs.

Low Taper + Textured Crop

Guard 1-2 · 35-45m · back in 3-4 wks

Low Taper + Curtain Fringe

Guard 1-2 · 40-50m · back in 4-5 wks

Mid Fade + Quiff

Guard 0-1 · 45-55m · back in 2-3 wks

Drop Fade + Textured Crop

Guard 0-1 · 40-50m · back in 2-3 wks

Low Fade + French Crop

Guard 1 · 30-40m · back in 2-3 wks

Taper + Flow

Guard 2-3 · 30-40m · back in 6-8 wks

Low Taper + Messy Mod Cut

Guard 1-2 · 40-50m · back in 4-5 wks

High Fade + Slick Back

Guard 0 · 45-55m · back in 1-2 wks

Mid Taper + Mod Cut

Guard 1-2 · 40-50m · back in 3-4 wks

Drop Fade + Modern Mullet

Guard 0-1 · 45-55m · back in 3-4 wks

Low Fade + Side Part

Guard 1 · 35-45m · back in 3-4 wks

High Taper + Crew Cut

Guard 1-2 · 25-35m · back in 2-3 wks

Mid Fade + Textured Crop

Guard 0-1 · 40-50m · back in 2-3 wks

Low Taper + Flow

Guard 1-2 · 35-45m · back in 5-6 wks

Low Fade + Curtain Fringe

Guard 1 · 40-50m · back in 3-4 wks

Drop Fade + Wolf Cut

Guard 0-1 · 50-60m · back in 4-5 wks

Mid Fade + French Crop

Guard 0-1 · 35-45m · back in 2-3 wks

Taper + Shag

Guard 2-3 · 45-55m · back in 6-8 wks

Other shapes
RoundSquareHeartDiamondOblongTriangle