The Difference Between a Good Haircut and a Great One? Your Face Shape

A truly great haircut is built around your unique facial structure, and that’s why two people can get the same haircut and look completely different. When a cut is designed for your face shape, it creates balance, highlights your best features, and grows out more gracefully. At Bokaos Aveda in Old Town Pasadena, about eighty percent of clients who receive face-shape mapping during their consultation say their haircut looks better and lasts longer than any cut they’ve had before.

Hi, I’m Hasblady Guzman, founder of Bokaos Aveda and a stylist trained in the Vidal Sassoon precision-cutting method for more than thirty years. Over the decades, I’ve seen firsthand how transformational it is when a haircut is engineered to enhance someone’s bone structure instead of fighting against it. 

Clients often sit in my chair wondering why a haircut they loved on a celebrity doesn’t look the same on them, and the answer is almost always the shape of the face, not the type of hair.

The Mistake That Changed How I Approach Haircuts

I’ll be honest with you. Early in my career, a client brought in a photo of a gorgeous, blunt French bob. I cut it exactly like the picture, down to the millimeter, but I failed to consider her round face shape. When we finished, the cut technically looked perfect, but on her it made her cheeks look fuller and her jawline appear softer than she wanted. 

She was disappointed, and I felt awful. That moment changed everything for me. I promised myself that I would never recreate a haircut from a photo without designing it specifically for the person wearing it. That commitment is now a foundational principle at Bokaos Aveda.

First, Let’s Identify Your True Face Shape

Most people misidentify their face shape, which is why online haircut recommendations can feel hit or miss. Before we even pick up the scissors, I walk clients through a simple face-shape assessment. This thirty-minute consultation is one of the most important parts of the service, because it determines how we build the architecture of your cut.

Here’s how we evaluate your face shape during your consultation at Bokaos Aveda:

• Pull your hair fully back to expose your face.
  
• Look at the width of your forehead, cheekbones, and jawline individually.
  
• Look at the length of your face compared to its width.
  
• Notice your jawline shape.
  
• Check whether your forehead or jawline is wider.
  
  

From there, we can clearly determine the right shape:

Round: Nearly as wide as it is long, with soft curves.
Oval: Longer than it is wide, slightly narrower at the chin.
Square: Strong, defined jawline with equal widths in forehead, cheekbones, and jaw.
Heart: Wider forehead and cheekbones that taper to a narrow chin.

When clients understand their face shape, everything suddenly makes sense. They stop chasing trends that aren’t meant for them and start embracing styles that truly flatter their natural features.

Why Vidal Sassoon’s Principles Still Matter Today

Sassoon revolutionized the salon world by treating haircuts the same way an architect treats a building: structure first, technique second. His belief that a haircut should fall naturally, grow out beautifully, and require minimal daily styling is the backbone of every precision cut we offer at Bokaos Aveda.

Here’s how those principles come to life in our salon:

• Geometric Lines: These clean lines are designed to complement your bone structure.
  
• Head Shape Awareness: We consider the planes of your skull to determine how your cut will move.
  
• Natural Movement: We design cuts that fall into place on their own, reducing styling time and product reliance.
  
• Technical Precision: Each angle, point, and weight line is intentional and tailored to your unique facial structure.
  
  

When precision meets personalization, the result is a haircut that lifts your features, works with your natural texture, and grows out so gracefully that clients often tell us it still looks good eight weeks later.

Precision Cuts for Round Face Shapes

Many clients with round face shapes worry that certain styles will make their face look wider. But when a cut is truly engineered for their shape, the opposite happens. The goal is always to add length, create vertical lines, and build structure without overwhelming the features.

For Women

Long, Graduated Layers: We place layers starting below the chin to elongate the face. Drawing from Sassoon’s graduation principles, these layers remove weight from the sides and create a beautiful, vertical flow.

Angled Bob: This cut is longer in the front and slightly shorter in the back, creating instant visual length. The angle draws the eye downward and gives the illusion of a more sculpted jawline.

Modern Shag or Wolf Cut: By building volume at the crown and removing weight at the sides, this cut adds height instead of width. It’s one of the most flattering shapes for round faces.

Side-Swept or Curtain Bangs: These diagonal lines break up the roundness and create a soft, lengthened frame around the face.

For Men

Modern Pompadour or Quiff: By keeping the sides short and building height at the top, we add length to the face and create a strong, balanced silhouette.

Textured French Crop: Internal texturizing adds movement and definition without widening the face. It’s sleek, modern, and incredibly flattering.

Strategic Beard Shaping: A beard with fullness at the chin and shorter length near the cheeks elongates the face and creates more structure.

Real Client Transformation: Marisol T. from Altadena

A client named Marisol T. from Altadena came in feeling frustrated and stuck. “I’ve been getting the same safe haircut for ten years because I’m scared anything else will make my face look wider,” she told me. During her thirty-minute consultation, we mapped her face shape, studied her jawline, and discussed her lifestyle and daily styling habits.

We created an angled lob with soft, long layers and curtain bangs to draw the eye downward. Six weeks later, she returned glowing. “People keep asking if I lost weight,” she said. “It’s just the haircut.” Since then, she has referred two neighbors who wanted the same level of personalization.

The Bokaos Consultation: Your Roadmap to the Right Cut

A precision-cut consultation at Bokaos Aveda lasts about thirty to forty-five minutes and includes:

• A full face-shape mapping session
  
• An evaluation of your texture, density, and hair history
  
• A lifestyle review to understand how you style daily
  
• Cut recommendations based on your personal features and goals
  
  

Clients often tell us that this consultation alone helped them finally understand why some haircuts failed them in the past.

Your Questions About Haircuts, Answered

Will a short haircut make my round face look wider?

At Bokaos Aveda, most clients with round faces are surprised to learn that certain short cuts can actually elongate the face. A pixie with height at the crown and sleek sides can be incredibly flattering. It’s all about where we place the structure and weight lines.

How often should I get a precision cut maintained?

Because these cuts are built on strong structural foundations, most clients can go six to ten weeks between trims. About seventy percent of our precision-cut clients say their haircut grows out more gracefully than any style they’ve had before.

Can precision cutting work for curly or wavy hair?

Absolutely. Sassoon principles are beautiful for curls. We cut curls dry when appropriate, honoring the natural pattern. By using strategic graduation, we create shape, definition, and balance without adding bulk.

Ready for a Haircut Designed Just for You?

Finding the right style is not about trending haircuts or Instagram photos. It’s about a personalized consultation, an understanding of your bone structure, and a cut intentionally designed for your face shape. It’s about looking in the mirror and loving the person you see.

If you’re ready for a precision haircut that finally feels like it was made for you, we’d love to see you at Bokaos Aveda. Visit us at 52 Hugus Alley, Pasadena, CA 91103, call us at (626) 304-0007, or book your consultation online. We can’t wait to help you find your most flattering look yet.