For a woman, having a square face can be quite problematic when it comes down to picking a hairstyle to best complement her. If she’s unlucky enough to get a bad cut, then trouble for her is just beginning. However, stylists are telling us not to worry because there’s actually a simple way to get out of this, and that is by knowing what the perfect hairstyle for each type of face is.

Starting today with the square type, like actress Salma Hayek has, beauty experts warn us that we must bear in mind if we’re among those with this type of face that the cut and do we choose must soften the edges. In other words, blunt cuts or severe do’s must be avoided at all costs, because they will do nothing more but to add more sharpness to an already prominent face.

“For square shapes, it's all about softening the edges,” Charles Worthington of Charles Worthington Salons in London and New York City tells Marie Claire magazine. At the same time, Worthington advises against the above-mentioned cuts and do’s, stressing that a multi-layered cut, no matter its length, is what women with this type of face should consider.

“Pretty much any length will work, as long as you add shorter pieces to frame the face,” Kat, a stylist for Bumble and Bumble in New York City, also tells the same mag. So, now that women with a square face are allowed complete freedom in terms of the length of the hair, what they should pick is a cut “that incorporates graduated layers, razored ends or long, piece-y bangs to soften the strong lines of [their] jaw,” as Marie Claire advises. Loose ringlets are also a go for this type of face, adding more softness and femininity, and taking something away from all those edges. 

As for the part, the women’s magazine says here too there is plenty of room for experimenting. For instance, “a center part looks great paired with angle-softening curls,” while a “slightly off-center [one] [can] blur the bold edges of a square face” is the advice coming from Marie Claire.

If you wish to try out these tips on yourself, you can easily determine the shape of your face at home, with no extra help. Draw your hair back from your forehead and face, and stand right in front of a large mirror. Use your lipstick to draw the contour of your face on the mirror, then stand back and observe. Once you know exactly which type you are, you will be better “equipped” to pick out the perfect hairstyle for you. See you next time with another do for another type of face.