What Hairstyle Suits Me? Free Haircut Quiz
Answer eight quick questions about your face shape, hair texture and routine to find the haircut that suits you best, what to ask your stylist for and how to style it.
You have saved a hundred haircut photos, but you still are not sure which one would actually look good on you. That is normal. A cut that looks perfect on someone else can fall flat on you because your face shape, hair texture and morning routine are different.
This free hairstyle quiz asks eight quick questions about your face, your hair and your habits, then shows the haircut that suits you best, what to ask your stylist for and how to style it at home.
Quick answer: The hairstyle that suits you best depends on four things: your face shape, your hair texture, how thick your hair is and how much time you want to spend styling. Round faces usually look best with length below the chin, long faces with a bob or bangs, fine hair with blunt ends and thick or wavy hair with layers.
How to tell which hairstyle suits you
Stylists look at the same few things every time someone sits in their chair and asks what haircut they should get. You can check them yourself in front of a mirror.
- Face shape: pull your hair back and look at your face straight on. Is it about as wide as it is long, clearly longer, or widest at the cheekbones? Our face shape calculator measures it for you.
- Hair texture: let your hair air-dry once without products. Straight, wavy, curly and coily hair each need a different kind of cut. Not sure? Take the hair type quiz.
- Thickness: a small ponytail usually means fine hair, which looks thicker with blunt ends. A very full ponytail usually means thick hair, which looks lighter with layers.
- Your routine: a cut you have to style for 20 minutes is the wrong cut if you only have five.
- How often you can get it cut: short cuts look their best with a trim every 4 to 6 weeks, longer cuts can wait 10 to 12 weeks.
Best hairstyles for each face shape
| Face shape | Cuts that usually suit it | Go easy on |
|---|---|---|
| Round | Long layers, a lob past the chin, long curtain bangs, a side part | A blunt bob that ends right at the cheeks |
| Oval | Almost any cut, from a pixie to long layers | Very little; just keep your balance in mind |
| Square | Soft layers, a shag, waves and side-swept bangs | A sharp blunt bob that ends at the jaw |
| Heart | A chin-to-collarbone lob, side-swept bangs, a chin bob | Lots of volume at the crown |
| Long | A bob, curtain bangs, layers that add width | Very long hair in one length with no layers |
| Diamond | Curtain bangs, a chin bob, side parts | Height on top with flat sides |
Face shape is a guide, not a rule. If you love a cut that is not on your list, a good stylist can usually adjust the length or the part so it works for you. For bangs in particular, the bangs for your face shape quiz goes into more detail.
Best haircuts for your hair type
| Hair type | Haircuts that work | Usually skip |
|---|---|---|
| Fine or thin | A blunt bob, a lob, one-length cuts | Heavy layering and thinning shears |
| Thick | Long layers, a shag, internal layers | Very short blunt cuts that puff out |
| Wavy | A shag, a layered lob, curtain bangs | Long one-length cuts that pull the wave flat |
| Curly | A rounded curly cut, a curly shag | Cuts made on stretched, wet hair |
| Coily | Tapered shapes, rounded cuts, a TWA | Sharp lines that fight shrinkage |
Texture often matters more than face shape. A wavy shag on straight, fine hair will fall flat by lunch, while the same cut on thick, wavy hair looks great with almost no styling. See more ideas in our guides to haircuts for thick hair and hairstyles for thin hair.
What haircut should I get if I want it low maintenance?
The easiest cuts to live with are the ones that work with your natural texture. For straight hair, that is usually a blunt lob or a one-length cut. For wavy hair, a shag or layered lob that can air-dry. For curly and coily hair, a rounded curl-shaped cut. Long layers are also low maintenance because they grow out slowly and evenly, so you can wait longer between trims.
How to try a hairstyle before you cut it
- The pin-up test: fold your hair under and pin it at the length you are thinking about, then take photos from the front and the side.
- Clip-in bangs: cheap clip-in bangs show you how bangs sit on your forehead before you commit.
- The 2.25 inch test for short hair: measure from your earlobe to your chin. Our will short hair suit me test explains what the number means.
- Look at people with your texture: save photos of cuts on hair that looks like yours, not just on hair you wish you had.
What to tell your stylist
Bring two or three photos of the cut you want and one of a cut you do not want. Say how long you spend on your hair, whether you air-dry or blow-dry, and how often you can come back for a trim. Ask where the shortest layer will fall and how the cut will look in eight weeks, not just today. Our guide on how to choose a haircut walks through the full conversation, and the hair salon tip calculator helps when it is time to pay.
Want styling ideas rather than a new cut? Our guide on what hairstyle should I get covers everyday styles like ponytails, braids and half-up looks for your length and texture.
Keep going: measure your face with the face shape calculator, then find your perfect fringe with the bangs for your face shape quiz.
