20 Modern Haircuts for Women Over 40 With a Round Face

How to Choose a Haircut for a Round Face in Your 40s

Keep these five rules in mind at any length:

• Let the ends pass your chin. Ends that stop at cheek level repeat the curve of your face. Go at least an inch below the jaw, or clearly shorter with lift on top.
• Put height at the crown. A little volume on top adds visual length. Ask for shorter layers at the crown and blow-dry the roots up with mousse and a round brush.
• Move your part. A deep side part draws a diagonal line across the forehead, which breaks up the roundness. Center parts work best when the length falls well past the chin.
• Ask for angles at the front. Face-framing pieces should start at the cheekbone or below and slant down toward the collarbone. Skip blunt, rounded volume right at cheek level, such as a chin-length bob curled under.
• Know your styling time. Short textured cuts take 5 to 10 minutes with a pea-sized dab of paste. Long layers can air dry with a leave-in cream and a few twists at the front.

1. Textured Pixie With Crown Lift

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A pixie flatters a round face when the volume sits on top instead of at the sides. Ask for the sides cut close around the ears and 3 to 4 inches left at the crown. Your stylist can point cut the top so it breaks into separate pieces.

Rough-dry with your fingers, pushing the roots up and back. Then twist a little matte paste through the top so it stands up all day.

Styling time: 5 minutes.

2. Long Side-Swept Pixie

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This longer pixie keeps a sweep of fringe that crosses the forehead on a diagonal. That slanted line cuts across the widest part of the face, so it reads longer. Let the fringe reach the cheekbone rather than stopping at the brow.

Blow-dry the fringe across with a flat brush and bend the tip toward your ear. A short, tapered nape keeps the whole shape light.

Best for: straight or slightly wavy hair with medium density.

3. Curly Pixie With Height on Top

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Curls stacked on top give a round face instant height. Ask for tapered sides and 2 to 3 inches of curl at the crown, cut dry so your stylist can see where each curl lands.

Rake a curl cream through damp hair and diffuse with your head tilted back. The sides stay neat for weeks, and wash day takes about 15 minutes.

Ask your stylist for: a curly taper with the most height just behind the hairline.

4. Shaggy Bixie

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The bixie sits halfway between a bob and a pixie, and it feels current without trying too hard. Choppy layers on top and wispy ends around the ears make it look lived-in. For a round face, keep the sides piece-y and let the back hug the head.

Scrunch texture spray into dry hair and pinch a few ends with your fingertips. It looks best on day two.

5. Stacked Bob With a Tapered Nape

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Stacked layers at the back build volume high on the head, while the nape stays short and neat. The front falls about an inch below the chin. From the side, the shape slants forward and pulls the eye down past the jaw.

Blow-dry the back with a medium round brush, lifting at the crown. A light shine spray keeps the stacking crisp.

Styling time: 10 minutes.

6. Angled A-Line Bob

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An A-line bob is shorter in the back and grows longer toward the face. Its longest point should hit 1 to 2 inches below the jawline, framing the cheeks with clean lines. Worn sleek or with a slight bend, it moves easily from work to weekend.

Smooth the front with a flat iron and flick the very ends out. Trims every 6 to 8 weeks keep the angle sharp.

7. Asymmetric Bob With a Deep Side Part

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One side falls to the jaw while the other sweeps an inch or two longer. That uneven line keeps the eye moving, so the face reads less circular. Pair it with a deep part on the longer side for the most impact.

Stylist tip: on busy days, tuck the shorter side behind your ear. The longer side still frames your face, and the look stays intentional.

8. Tousled Wavy Bob With Root Lift

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Waves can widen a bob if they start too high. Ask for the ends to sit about an inch past the jawline and keep the bend from the cheekbone down, so the top stays smooth with a bit of lift.

1. Mist volumizing spray at the roots and blow-dry them straight up.
2. Wrap the mid-lengths around a 1-inch wand, leaving the last inch straight.
3. Shake the waves loose with your fingers and finish with dry texture spray.

9. Long Angled Lob

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A long lob gives you the ease of a bob with more length to frame a round face. The front sits on the collarbone and the back is about an inch shorter, a small slant that draws the eye downward.

Wear it straight with a side part, or bend the middle section with a flat iron for soft movement.

Best for: anyone growing out a bob who wants length past the jaw.

10. Textured Lob With Curtain Bangs

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Curtain bangs suit round faces when they are long enough to open into a soft V. Ask for the shortest piece at the top of the cheekbone, blending into the lob's layers. That V adds length right through the center of the face.

Blow-dry the bangs with a small round brush, rolling each side away from your face. Once you get the hang of it, the bangs take about 3 minutes.

11. Sleek Center-Part Lob

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Glossy, straight and parted down the middle, this lob draws two long vertical lines beside the cheeks. It works because the ends land 2 to 3 inches below the chin. Cut it shorter and a center part can make a round face look wider.

Smooth it with a flat iron on low heat and a drop of oil on the ends. A blunt edge looks the most modern, so book a trim every 8 weeks.

12. Choppy Shag Lob

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Short, choppy layers at the crown add height, while longer pieces fall well past the jaw. That mix makes the shag one of the friendliest trends for a round face. Ask your stylist to keep the layers off the cheeks so the sides never puff out.

Air dry with sea salt spray, then diffuse just the crown for extra lift.

Ask your stylist for: a shag lob with crown layers and the first face-framing piece just below the chin.

13. Collarbone Cut With Face-Framing Layers

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This length rests on the collarbone, with front layers that begin at the chin and slope down. It tucks behind your ears, twists into a claw clip and looks finished worn loose. Those sloped front pieces do most of the work for a round face.

Rough-dry until your hair is 80 percent dry, then round-brush only the front layers away from your face.

Styling time: 10 to 12 minutes.

14. Soft Wolf Cut

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A wolf cut mixes a shag on top with a longer, wispy back. The softened version blends the two lengths so it feels wearable at the office. Volume at the crown makes the face read longer, and the sides stay close to the head.

Scrunch a light mousse into damp hair and diffuse. Skip heavy creams, which flatten the layers.

15. Curly Shag at Shoulder Length

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Curls naturally spread wider toward the ends, which adds width near the jaw. A curly shag fixes that by cutting the shortest curls high on the head and keeping the ends light. You get height on top and a narrower shape near the jaw.

Apply gel to soaking-wet hair, scrunch and diffuse on low heat. Once it is fully dry, lift the roots with a pick.

16. Butterfly Cut

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The butterfly cut layers short pieces around the face over long lengths in the back. Blown out, the front pieces flip away from the cheeks like wings. For a round face, the first layer should land at the chin, not the cheek.

A large round brush and volumizing mousse create the swoop. Plan on 15 minutes for a full blowout.

Best for: medium to thick hair that holds a blowout.

17. Long Side-Parted Layers

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Long hair adds vertical length, and a deep side part adds an angle on top. Layers that begin below the chin keep the ends moving without adding width at the cheeks. Of all 20 cuts, this one is the easiest to grow into.

Flip your part toward the side where your hair naturally lifts. A light root spray at that spot gives height without teasing.

18. V-Cut Long Layers

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Cut into a V at the back, this long style tapers to a point between the shoulder blades. From the front, the layers slope down and away from the face. Every line points downward, which carries the eye past the cheeks.

Wear it straight to show off the shape, or curl the ends with a 1.25-inch iron for a softer finish.

Ask your stylist for: a V-cut hemline with layers starting at the collarbone.

19. Long Hair With Swoopy Side Bangs

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Short, blunt bangs can shorten a round face, but side-swept bangs do the opposite. The swoop starts at your part and angles across one brow toward the cheekbone. It softens the forehead and works with straight or wavy long hair.

Blow-dry the bangs to the side while they are still wet. Trim them every 4 weeks so they keep sweeping instead of hanging flat.

20. Long Layered Curls

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Long curls flatter a round face once the fullness moves up to the crown and the length keeps going. Ask for long layers cut curl by curl, with the shortest ones at the crown. This keeps the curls from spreading wide at shoulder level.

Refresh second-day curls with a mix of water and leave-in conditioner. While they dry, clip the roots up with small duckbill clips for extra lift.

What to Say at Your Next Appointment

Clear words keep you from a cut that ends in the wrong spot. Try these:

• On length: "I want the ends to land below my chin, not at it."
• On layers: "Please keep the shortest layers at the crown, away from my cheeks."
• On the front: "Can you angle the face-framing pieces down toward my collarbone?"
• On upkeep: "I have about 10 minutes in the morning. What will this cut need?"

For more shapes in every length, see our main guide to haircuts for women over 40. Planning to go short? These short haircuts for round faces add more pixie and bob ideas, and our roundup of haircuts for women over 40 with bangs covers every fringe from wispy to curtain.