20 Square Face Hairstyles That Soften a Strong Jawline
A square face has one great advantage: a strong, defined jawline that photographers love. The only mistake is choosing a hairstyle that fights it — straight lines, blunt edges and chin-length cuts that sit exactly at the jaw make the face look wider and harder.
The good news? The fix is simple and it is the same in almost every look below: soft layers, side parts, waves and length that falls past the jaw. Every hairstyle in this list was chosen because it softens a square face instead of squaring it off.
We have included long, medium and short options, straight and curly — and under every look you will find the exact words to say to your stylist, so you can walk into the salon and get the cut in the photo.
Cheat Sheet: All 20 Looks at a Glance
| Look | Best for | Upkeep |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Long Layers with Face-Framing Pieces | Long, thick or wavy hair | Low |
| 2. Feathered Long Layers with a Side Part | Long, straight to wavy hair | Medium |
| 3. Side-Swept Layers | Medium to long hair | Low-Med |
| 4. Shaggy Layers with Soft Bangs | Medium, wavy hair that needs volume | Low |
| 5. Sleek Side-Parted Bob | Short to medium, straight hair | Medium |
| 6. Tousled Wavy Lob | Medium hair, all textures | Low-Med |
| 7. Deep Side-Part Wavy Lob | Medium, wavy or thick hair | Low |
| 8. Soft Wavy Bob | Short, wavy or curly hair | Medium |
| 9. Textured Layered Lob | Medium, fine to thick hair | Low-Med |
| 10. Long Hair with Blunt Bangs and Layers | Long, straight hair | Low |
| 11. Wispy Bangs with Long Waves | Long, wavy hair | Medium |
| 12. Classic Textured Pixie | Short hair lovers, fine to medium hair | Low-Med |
| 13. Sleek Pixie with a Long Top | Short hair, straight texture | Low |
| 14. Voluminous Curly Shag | Curly hair, medium length | Medium |
| 15. Deep Side-Part Curls | Long, curly hair | Low-Med |
| 16. Angled Long Bob with Soft Waves | Medium hair, office-friendly | Medium |
| 17. Long Straight Hair with a Deep Side Part | Long straight hair | Low |
| 18. Chin-Length Wavy Bob with a Side Sweep | Fine to medium hair | Medium |
| 19. Romantic Updo with Loose Tendrils | Weddings and formal events | High |
| 20. Half-Up Half-Down with Soft Curls | Medium to long hair, date nights | Medium |
1. Long Layers with Face-Framing Pieces
Long layers that start below the chin pull the eye downward and break up the straight line of a strong jaw. The face-framing pieces curve inward softly, so the corners of the jaw never look sharp.
Best for: Long, thick or wavy hair
Ask your stylist: “Long layers starting below the chin, with face-framing pieces that curve inward.”
2. Feathered Long Layers with a Side Part
A side part is the oldest trick for square faces: it cuts the face diagonally instead of straight across. Feathered ends keep all that length light, so the style moves instead of hanging like a curtain.
Best for: Long, straight to wavy hair
Ask your stylist: “Feathered layers with a deep side part and soft, textured ends.”
3. Side-Swept Layers
Side-swept front layers sweep across the forehead and soften a wide, straight hairline. The layers falling over one side of the jaw blur its corner exactly where it is strongest.
Best for: Medium to long hair
Ask your stylist: “Long layers with a long side-swept fringe blended into the front.”
4. Shaggy Layers with Soft Bangs
A modern shag adds messy texture at the top and sides, which makes a square face look narrower by comparison. Soft, broken-up bangs hide a straight hairline without adding a hard horizontal line.
Best for: Medium, wavy hair that needs volume
Ask your stylist: “A shag cut with choppy layers and soft, piecey bangs.”
5. Sleek Side-Parted Bob
Yes, a bob can work on a square face — the secret is length and parting. Keep it below the chin and part it on the side, and the sleek curve of the bob rounds off the jaw instead of copying it.
Best for: Short to medium, straight hair
Ask your stylist: “A below-the-chin bob, side parted, with the ends curved slightly under.”
Love short cuts? See more ideas in Short Hairstyles & Bob Haircuts →
6. Tousled Wavy Lob
The lob (long bob) ending at the collarbone is a square-face favourite. Loose, tousled waves add width at the sides and movement at the ends, so the jawline reads soft, not boxy.
Best for: Medium hair, all textures
Ask your stylist: “A collarbone-length lob with loose waves and textured ends.”
7. Deep Side-Part Wavy Lob
This version pushes the part even deeper, so one side of the hair falls over the corner of the jaw. The waves sit at cheek level, which balances a strong lower face.
Best for: Medium, wavy or thick hair
Ask your stylist: “A wavy lob with a deep side part and volume at the cheeks.”
8. Soft Wavy Bob
A bob that ends above the jaw can still flatter a square face when it is full of soft waves. The curls and bends create round shapes everywhere the face has straight lines.
Best for: Short, wavy or curly hair
Ask your stylist: “A chin-to-jaw length bob styled with soft, loose waves all over.”
9. Textured Layered Lob
Choppy, textured layers stop the lob from forming one solid block beside the jaw. Light, flicked-out ends draw attention away from the jawline and up toward the eyes.
Best for: Medium, fine to thick hair
Ask your stylist: “A layered lob with plenty of texture and lighter, flicked ends.”
10. Long Hair with Blunt Bangs and Layers
Blunt bangs sound risky for a square face, but paired with long layers they work: the bangs shorten the face visually while the long layers soften the sides. Keep the bangs slightly broken at the ends, never one hard line.
Best for: Long, straight hair
Ask your stylist: “Long layers with a blunt fringe that has soft, point-cut ends.”
More in Hairstyles by Face Shape:
Not sure about your face shape? Browse all Hairstyles by Face Shape →
11. Wispy Bangs with Long Waves
Wispy, see-through bangs are the safer cousin of blunt bangs. They soften the forehead without a strong horizontal line, and the long waves below keep the jaw area gentle and moving.
Best for: Long, wavy hair
Ask your stylist: “Wispy bangs blended into long, loose waves.”
12. Classic Textured Pixie
A pixie flatters a square face when the top stays long and textured. Height on top lengthens the face, and a soft side fringe keeps the hairline from looking straight and wide.
Best for: Short hair lovers, fine to medium hair
Ask your stylist: “A pixie with a long, textured top and a soft side fringe.”
13. Sleek Pixie with a Long Top
This sharper pixie keeps the sides clean and the top long enough to sweep across. That diagonal sweep is what saves it — it adds the angle a square face benefits from most.
Best for: Short hair, straight texture
Ask your stylist: “A sleek pixie, tapered at the sides, with a long sweeping top.”
14. Voluminous Curly Shag
Natural curls are a square face’s best friend: every curl is a curve. A curly shag builds volume at the sides and top, so the face looks oval inside all that softness.
Best for: Curly hair, medium length
Ask your stylist: “A curly shag with layers that keep volume at the sides, not the jaw.”
15. Deep Side-Part Curls
Big curls with a deep side part give you volume, curves and a diagonal line all in one style. Let the curls fall past the jaw so they frame it instead of ending right at its widest point.
Best for: Long, curly hair
Ask your stylist: “Long curls with a deep side part and layers starting below the chin.”
16. Angled Long Bob with Soft Waves
An angled lob is longer in front and shorter at the back, so the front pieces sweep diagonally past your jawline. That diagonal line is exactly what a square face needs — it cuts across the strong horizontal of the jaw.
Add soft waves through the ends and the whole shape turns gentle. The back stays neat and lifted, which keeps the style office-friendly while the front does the softening work.
Best for: Medium-length hair that needs a polished but soft shape.
Ask your stylist: “An angled long bob, longer in front, with soft waves through the ends to soften my jaw.”
17. Long Straight Hair with a Deep Side Part
If you love your length sleek and straight, the part is your secret weapon. A deep side part throws the hair diagonally across the forehead, and that one diagonal breaks the square face’s straight lines.
Let the front section fall slightly across one cheek. The asymmetry is what does the softening — the eye follows the diagonal instead of the jaw.
Best for: Long, straight hair worn sleek, with no time for daily heat styling of curls.
Ask your stylist: “Keep my length straight with long layers, cut to sit well with a deep side part.”
18. Chin-Length Wavy Bob with a Side Sweep
A chin-length bob sounds risky for a square jaw, but the waves change everything. Loose bends at chin level blur the corners of the jaw instead of drawing a line straight across them.
The side sweep adds one more soft diagonal. Worn tucked behind one ear, it looks fresh and modern — never harsh.
Best for: Fine to medium hair that holds a wave, and anyone who wants a shorter cut with softness.
Ask your stylist: “A chin-length wavy bob with a side sweep and loose, soft bends — no blunt straight edges.”
19. Romantic Updo with Loose Tendrils
For weddings and formal days, this updo does two kind things at once: the height on top lengthens the face, and the loose tendrils falling at the sides soften the jaw’s outline.
Keep the updo soft and slightly undone, not scraped back. A few curled pieces around the ears and jaw are the whole trick — they turn a strong outline into a romantic one.
Best for: Medium to long hair, weddings and formal events.
Ask your stylist: “A soft romantic updo with height at the crown and loose curled tendrils left out around my face and jaw.”
20. Half-Up Half-Down with Soft Curls
The half-up style is a square face’s best friend on dressed-up days. The lifted top half adds height, which balances the jaw’s width, while the loose curls below soften everything they touch.
Keep the curls big and brushed-out, not tight ringlets. Pinned slightly to one side, the style gains that extra diagonal line a square face loves.
Best for: Medium to long hair, date nights and parties.
Ask your stylist: “A half-up style with lift at the crown and big, soft brushed-out curls through the lengths.”
Got curls? Explore Curly Hairstyles →
FAQs
What is the most flattering hairstyle for a square face?
Long or medium layers with a side part are the safest choice. They add movement at the sides and a diagonal line across the face, which softens a strong jaw better than any single cut.
Should a square face avoid short hair?
No. Short hair works when the top stays longer and textured, like looks 12 and 13. Avoid only one thing: a blunt bob that ends exactly at the jawline with a centre part.
Are bangs good for a square face?
Yes — soft ones. Wispy, curtain and side-swept bangs soften the forehead. A heavy blunt fringe can work too, but only with long layers below it (look 10).
Which parting is best: side or centre?
A side part wins for most square faces because it breaks the face’s symmetry. A centre part can work with curtain bangs and lots of face-framing layers.
Does a square face suit curly hair?
Very well. Curls add the curves a square face lacks. Just keep layers starting below the chin so volume sits at the cheeks, not at the jaw.
The Final Cut
If you only remember one rule, make it this: curves soften corners. Layers, waves, side parts and length past the jaw will flatter a square face almost every time.
Short on time? Start with look 1 (long face-framing layers) for long hair, look 6 (tousled wavy lob) for medium hair, or look 12 (textured pixie) if you are ready to go short. Save this page to your Face Shape board — your stylist will thank you.
