The Best Way To Part Your Hair Depending On Your Face Shape

For many of us, our hair is a deeply personal form of expression, from cut to color. And while it may seem like an afterthought to some, even the way you part your hair can make a huge difference to your overall look. If you spend much time online, you probably already know about the cheeky generational divide between millennials' side parts and Gen Z's center parts, but let's be real: Current trends don't always determine what hairstyles actually look best on you. Rather, face shape is a much more critical factor in selecting the right part for your hair — aka a middle part or a side part.

"Both options will always be in style, and both options are timeless," hairstylist and colorist Brandon Curtis told Hair.com. However, Curtis quickly noted that these two stylings serve different aesthetic purposes: "A middle part will complement the symmetry of your face shape as well as elongate the face, and a side part will soften your features."

There you have it: Center parts can offer length and sharpness versus side parts' gentle roundness. But who needs each of these qualities? If you're not sure which of these two approaches will help you look your best, you'll first need to determine your face shape once and for all. With that in mind, here are the various face shapes that suit each style of hair parting.

Middle parts have been super trendy in recent years — so much so that a mechanical engineer even created a TikTok middle-part filter to help users perfect the centered placement of their parts. However, not everyone necessarily needs to follow this rule. Because middle parts add a sense of length to your features, this hairstyling works best for face shapes that are naturally a bit wider.

For instance, center parts look super flattering on round faces, which are just as wide as they are long; diamond-shaped faces, which have narrow foreheads and chins with wide cheekbones; and heart-shaped faces, which have broad, rounded foreheads and cheeks above a narrow chin. The perfect symmetry of middle parts helps balance these broad face shapes for a sleeker, more snatched appearance. Oval faces can also pull off center parts because this face shape, which falls between square and round with its long, blunt dimensions, is among the most versatile for hairstyling.

Ultimately, the choice to embrace the chic severity of a center part depends on what vibe you're trying to play up. As celebrity hair artist Lacy Redway told Refinery29, "If you want a more angular shape to your face, then a center part is great." In other words, middle parts add sharp lines that ground and contrast rounder faces. But if your face shape is already on the geometric side, you may be more interested in the softening potential of side parts.

Round faces may kill with a center part, but sharper face shapes often look their best with a gentler look — aka a millennial-favorite side part. Square-shaped faces can especially benefit from side parts, with their strong jaws and the straight line from the forehead to the cheekbones. Because square faces have very little curve, they look best with the softness and movement provided by side parts.

Still, folks with square faces aren't the only ones who can rock a side part. Angular diamond faces or heart-shaped faces with particularly pronounced bone structures also look great with this graceful swoop. "A side part really complements your strong cheekbones and bone structure," hairstylist Mika Fowler explained to Byrdie. Fowler further recommended shallow side parts for square face shapes and deeper, more dramatic side parts for heart-shaped and diamond-shaped faces. And versatile oval faces can once again get away with whatever style they like, flaunting side parts just as blithely as center parts.

Of course, these rules aren't set in stone. When in doubt, experiment with different styles to find the part that makes you feel like a million bucks, whether that's the one that suits your unique face shape or the one that chases a particular fad. You can even mix it up when you need a refresh. As it turns out, periodically swapping your hair part is an excellent idea, instilling your look with instant novelty while simultaneously defending the health of your hair against troubles like heat damage and hair loss.