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Best beard styles for an oblong or long face
An oblong face is clearly longer than it is wide, with fairly straight sides. The beard that suits it adds width at the sides and keeps the chin short. Check your own face with one photo below: the test measures your length, jaw and chin against 73 men.
CostFree
TimeUnder 1 min
SignupNone
DataStays on device
Jaw, chin + length map
Step 1 of 2 · your photo
Add a front photo, mouth closed
Face the camera straight on, camera at eye level, chin level, mouth closed and relaxed. Even light from the front. A beard is fine: comb it down flat.
How it works
Add your photo
Camera or upload, either works.
Mapped in your browser
Your face length, jaw and chin measured against 73 men, and your beard plan drawn on your photo, entirely on your device.
Your measured result
Numbers and lines drawn on your photo.
On-device · never uploaded
478 landmarks
Free · no signup
The science
Why these beards work on an oblong face
01
On a long face the plan is the reverse of a round one. Hair below the chin lowers the bottom of the outline, so every 10 mm of beard there adds about 0.07 to a length that is already long for its width. The chin stays no longer than the sides, and the sides grow full, 13 mm or more, to add the width the face lacks.
02
A rounded full beard, a full boxed beard and mutton chops all put their volume at the sides. A mustache helps as well: it puts a horizontal line across the middle of the face and breaks up its length. The styles to avoid are the ones built on length at the chin: a Van Dyke, a faded beard with a long chin and a ducktail.
03
Keep the natural cheek line on a long face. Lowering it takes beard off the upper cheeks, which makes a face read longer and narrower, the effect a round face wants and a long face does not. The photo test tells you how long your face reads against other men.
The 3 best beards for an oblong face, and 2 to avoid
Best: a rounded full beard, a full boxed beard and mutton chops. Works against it: a Van Dyke and a faded beard. The same rules choose for the photo test, so a face that measures oblong gets these picks; yours may differ where your numbers do.
Pick 1
Rounded full beard
Adds width at the sides of a long face.
Pick 2
Full boxed beard
Adds width at the sides of a long face.
Pick 3
Mutton chops
Keeps the chin short on a long face. Adds width at the sides of a long face.
Works against it
Van Dyke
Its long chin adds length to a long face.
Works against it
Faded beard
Its long chin adds length to a long face.
Is your face really oblong?
Face shape by eye is a guess: hair hides the outline and a mirror flips it. The photo test at the top of this page reads the three measurements a beard works on and compares them with 73 men, so it picks your beard without needing the shape name. To name the shape, the face shape detector measures it from one photo, and the beard style finder has the full method and all 11 styles.
FAQ
Common questions
What beard suits a long face?+
A beard with full sides and a short chin: a rounded full beard, a full boxed beard or mutton chops, ideally with a mustache. Width at the sides balances the length; a long chin would add to it.
Should a long face grow a goatee?+
A goatee or a Van Dyke puts all its length at the chin with shaved cheeks, which makes a long face read longer. If you want one, keep it short and pair it with a mustache.
Does a mustache help a long face?+
Yes. A mustache is a horizontal line across the middle of the face, which breaks up its length. Keep it whatever beard you choose.