This Is Where You Should Part Your Hair, Based On Your Face Shape

If you’ve been imagining a big, confidence-boosting change for your hair, but aren’t quite ready for the pixie, never fear. The quickest (and easiest) way to change up your look for spring is actually also the go-to trick for covering greasy strands après sweat: Change your part.

“Your part plays a big role in the vibe of your overall look,” says Christine Symonds, a Los Angeles-based celebrity stylist who works with high-wattage stars such as Chelsea Handler and Kaley Cuoco. “Part changes are a quick fix to make you look and feel different,” agrees Gracie Odoms, a Los Angeles-based hairstylist at the Andy Lecompte Salon.

To find the most flattering part, both stylists say you should consider your face shape first and foremost. “To round out an oblong face, try a middle part,” Christine advises. Gracie adds that this can help to accentuate your eyes or jawline, too, because there’s an added element of symmetry with how hair falls.

Square face shapes, meanwhile, do best with a part that is just off center. “It will help to elongate the face,” Christine says. Those with heart-shaped faces should try a deep side part, which can soften strong bone structure or a more prominent chin (and it’s perfect for the hair flip, too, if you ask me). Women with oval-shaped faces? Part wherever you please (lucky gals).

If you’ve been rocking the same part since the ’90s, however, Christine warns it will take time to train your hair to do something new. “It may be a week before it becomes more manageable,” she says. “However, [your hair] will eventually listen.” The caveat? If you have a cowlick in a specific area, steer clear of it for determining your part.

Otherwise, according to Christine, to train your hair to lay in a new place, you should start when your hair is dripping wet (right after you get out of the shower). Towel it off a bit, then add a golf-ball-size dollop of mousse directly to the roots to help provide some hold to your strands. Part your hair in the new locale and blow it dry. Use two clips on either side to hold hair down as it cools, and once it’s set, remove the clips and spray a dry shampoo to help fend off oily roots. And there you have it: a new style, with no trim required.

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