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Best beard styles for an oval face
An oval face is a little longer than it is wide, with a gently tapered jaw. Almost any beard works on it; the best ones keep that balance. 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 oval face
01
An oval face sits in the middle of men on all three measurements a beard changes: length for its width, jaw width and chin width. There is nothing to correct, so the plan is to keep the balance: a chin a little longer than the sides and medium sides, with the natural cheek line.
02
A short boxed beard does exactly that, and a rounded full beard or a full boxed beard does it at more length. The styles that change a balanced face most are the ones that push one part hard: a Van Dyke adds a long point with shaved cheeks, and mutton chops add full sides with a shaved chin. They can still be a look you want; they just move the face away from its balance.
03
Many faces people call oval read differently when measured, a little short or a little narrow at the jaw, and then the plan shifts. The photo test reads your own numbers and says which part, if any, moves the plan.
The 3 best beards for an oval face, and 2 to avoid
Best: a short boxed beard, a rounded full beard and a full boxed beard. Works against it: a Van Dyke and mutton chops. The same rules choose for the photo test, so a face that measures oval gets these picks; yours may differ where your numbers do.
Pick 1
Short boxed beard
With a little length at the chin and medium sides, it keeps proportions that already sit in the middle of the men we measured.
Pick 2
Rounded full beard
With a little length at the chin and full sides, it keeps proportions that already sit in the middle of the men we measured.
Pick 3
Full boxed beard
With a little length at the chin and full sides, it keeps proportions that already sit in the middle of the men we measured.
Works against it
Van Dyke
Of the styles here, it moves your proportions furthest from the middle of the men we measured.
Works against it
Mutton chops
A shaved chin with full sides pulls the face wider.
Is your face really oval?
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 is the best beard for an oval face?+
A short boxed beard: sides 6 to 10 mm and a chin about 13 mm keep the face in balance. A rounded or boxed full beard works the same way at more length.
Can an oval face have a long beard?+
Yes, as long as the sides grow with it. A long beard that is all chin, such as a ducktail, makes an oval face read longer.
Does an oval face suit a goatee?+
It can, but a goatee with shaved cheeks moves all the attention to the chin. A circle beard, which joins the mustache to the chin, changes the face less than a pointed Van Dyke.