Ever walked out of a salon feeling like you’ve made a terrible mistake? Not all short hairstyles work for every face shape – that’s the cold, hard truth I’ve learned after 15 years behind the chair. Some cuts can actually emphasize your least favorite features while others can throw your facial proportions completely out of whack. Let’s talk about which styles to avoid and how not to make them worse.
1. Blunt Bob on Round Faces
Round-faced beauties, I’ve seen the devastation a chin-length blunt bob can cause! Without layers or angles, this cut creates a helmet effect that amplifies fullness rather than creating definition.
The harsh horizontal line visually widens your face, when what you really need is something to elongate those gorgeous cheekbones.
2. Super Short Pixie on Heart-Shaped Faces
Though I adore pixies, they’re treacherous territory for my heart-faced clients. When cut too short on top, they leave nothing to balance your wider forehead and narrower chin.
Without enough length to create softness around your temples, your face shape becomes exaggerated in all the wrong places.
3. One-Length Lob for Long Faces
Honey, if your face is naturally long, a straight-hanging lob without layers is doing you zero favors! I’ve watched clients wince when they realize this cut creates a vertical line effect.
Without width-creating layers or face-framing pieces, you’re essentially creating an optical illusion that stretches your face even further.
4. Shaved Sides on Square Faces
Listen up, my square-jawed friends! Those trendy shaved sides you’re eyeing will highlight your angular jawline in ways that’ll make you reach for contouring makeup daily.
Without softness around the temples and ears, your face structure becomes all corners and edges – think less Instagram cool, more Minecraft character.
5. Micro Bangs on Oval Faces
Even with your versatile oval face, those super-short micro bangs can be catastrophic! They create an awkward proportion by chopping your face into uneven sections.
Where oval faces shine with balance, these tiny fringe bits introduce chaos. I’ve had clients in tears watching their forehead become the main attraction of their face.
6. Slicked-Back Undercut for Diamond Faces
For my diamond-faced darlings, that slicked-back undercut you spotted on your favorite celebrity? Pure trouble! When you pull everything back, you’re essentially creating a spotlight on your widest cheekbone area.
Without softness around the sides, your narrower forehead and jawline create a striking contrast that few find flattering.
7. Bowl Cut on Pear-Shaped Faces
However trendy they become, bowl cuts remain the nemesis of pear-shaped faces! The rounded heaviness sits right at your jawline – precisely where you don’t want extra visual weight.
Trust me, I’ve had clients begging for emergency fixes after realizing this cut makes their narrower forehead seem disproportionately small compared to their lower face.
8. Curly Shag for Rectangular Faces
While I love a good shag, rectangular faces should approach with extreme caution! Adding volume at the sides through curly layers often creates width exactly where you don’t need it.
The resulting effect? Your face appears even more elongated as the contrast between your new wide hairstyle and naturally long face shape becomes more pronounced.
9. Chin-Length Bobs on Triangle Faces
My triangle-faced clients learn this lesson the hard way: chin-length bobs create a visual disaster by adding volume precisely where your face is already widest! The cut forms a perfect horizontal line at your jawline.
Rather than balancing your narrower forehead with your wider jaw, this style practically draws a circle around your lower face.
10. Heavy Side-Swept Bangs on Oblong Faces
Though bangs can work wonders, heavy side-swept ones on oblong faces create an optical illusion that stretches your face further! The diagonal line across your forehead adds unexpected length.
Whenever I see clients with this combination, I notice how the sweeping motion draws the eye downward, creating a longer visual path than a straight-across fringe would.
11. Buzzcuts on Heart-Shaped Faces
Nothing reveals facial asymmetries faster than a buzzcut on a heart-shaped face! Without hair to create balance, your wider forehead and narrower chin become the entire story.
I’ve watched clients gasp when they realize this ultra-short style emphasizes the very proportions they typically try to downplay. Sometimes less isn’t more—it’s just less flattering!
12. Asymmetrical Cuts on Round Faces
While asymmetry creates interest, on round faces it often results in lopsided disaster! One side appears fuller while the other looks oddly deflated.
I’ve corrected countless asymmetrical cuts where the heavier side actually emphasized facial roundness rather than creating the angular definition my clients were hoping for. Balance is key, darlings!
13. Blunt Straight Bangs on Square Faces
Heavy, straight-across bangs on square faces? A recipe for facial geometry gone wrong! The harsh horizontal line echoes your strong jawline, creating parallel lines that emphasize squareness.
I’ve watched clients wince when they realize these bangs essentially frame their face in a box instead of softening those beautiful strong angles.
14. Tight Curly Pixie on Long Faces
Though pixies can be darling, tight curly versions on long faces create a mushroom effect that’s anything but flattering! The width at the crown contrasts sharply with your natural facial length.
Many of my long-faced clients have discovered too late that this style creates the appearance of a longer, narrower lower face by comparison.
15. Middle-Parted Bobs on Diamond Faces
Despite their popularity, middle-parted bobs on diamond faces highlight your widest points in the most unflattering way! The center part draws a vertical line straight to your cheekbones.
Meanwhile, the bob length creates a horizontal emphasis precisely where your face is already at its widest. I’ve seen this combination make even the most gorgeous clients look disproportionate.
16. Mistake: Excessive Heat Styling
Nothing ruins a short cut faster than frying it with excessive heat! I’ve watched clients transform cute pixies into crispy, damaged messes through daily straightening or curling.
Without length to distribute damage, short hair shows every heat-styling sin. Those frazzled ends and broken crown pieces make even the most suitable cut look like a styling catastrophe.
17. Mistake: Product Overload
Honey, more isn’t better when it comes to styling products on short hair! I’ve seen countless clients turn suitable cuts into greasy, heavy disasters by applying long-hair quantities to short styles.
That quarter-sized blob of mousse becomes a helmet-creating nightmare on a pixie. When your hair is plastered to your head, no face shape looks good!
18. Mistake: Wrong Brush For Styling
Using that giant round brush on your new bob? That explains the awkward flip-outs and strange volumes! Short hair requires specific tools – often smaller than you’d expect.
I’ve rescued countless clients using paddle brushes on pixies or massive round brushes on bobs, creating shapes that fight against their cut and face shape. Size matters, friends!