Will Short Hair Suit Me? The 2.25 Inch Test
A pencil, a ruler and seven quick questions. Find out if a pixie, a bob, a lob or longer hair suits your face shape best, and which cut to ask for.
Thinking about cutting your hair short? There is a quick test stylists use, and it takes about ten seconds. It is called the 2.25 inch rule, made popular by celebrity stylist John Frieda, and it measures the one thing that decides whether short hair flatters you: your jawline.
Take the test below, then answer six more questions about your face shape, texture and routine. You get the length that suits you best, from a pixie to a bob, a lob or longer hair, plus the cuts to ask for.
How to do the 2.25 inch test
You need a pencil and a ruler. Pull your hair back off your face.
- Hold the pencil flat under your chin, so it sits level like a shelf.
- Hold the ruler straight up and down, with the zero at the bottom of your earlobe.
- Read the ruler where it meets the pencil.
| Your measurement | What it means |
|---|---|
| Under 2.25 in (5.7 cm) | Short hair suits you. A pixie or a chin-length bob shows off your jaw. |
| About 2.25 in (5.7 cm) | You can go either way. A bob or a lob is a safe pick. |
| Over 2.25 in (5.7 cm) | Longer hair balances your face. Try a lob or shoulder length and longer. |
Why the jawline decides it
Short hair puts all the attention on your jaw and neck. When the distance from ear to chin is short, the face looks balanced with the hair cropped close. When that distance is longer, short hair can make the lower face look longer, so a little length around the jaw evens things out.
Face shape and short hair
Oval, heart and diamond faces usually suit short hair well. Round and square faces often look best with a lob that ends below the jaw, because length adds a vertical line. Long faces look great in a chin-length bob, which cuts across the length.
Texture changes the answer
Fine hair often looks thicker short, especially in a blunt bob. Thick hair can feel heavy in a short cut unless it is thinned and layered, so a lob is often easier. Curly hair shrinks as it dries, so ask for any short cut to be a little longer than you want.
The test is a guide, not a rule
Plenty of people with a longer measurement wear short hair beautifully. Confidence, styling and the right cut matter too. If you are unsure, start with a lob. It gives you a real change, and it grows out without an awkward stage. Not sure of your face shape? The face shape calculator works it out from four measurements.
Keep going: find your exact shape with the face shape calculator, then browse 24 pixie cut ideas.
