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Framing your face with a hairstyle can help accentuate your good features and minimize others. A framing hairstyle's cut depends on facial shape. Shapes are usually categorized as long, round, heart-shaped, square or oval. Each style has a specific way to do a facial frame to accentuate your best features.

How to frame your face

Find your facial shape. To do this, after a shower when your bathroom's mirror is foggy, outline your face in the fog. The shape that you draw will show you what your facial shape is. Only outline your face when your hair is pulled back, so you don't accidentally use your hair in the shape. The top of your shape should be the hairline.

Your facial shape will either take the form of a square, heart, long, oval or round.

Frame your face with layers starting at chin length if you have a square face. This will help to play down your strong jawline and give your face a softer shape. Continue the hairstyle with layers that begin after the chin, and continue down for the duration of the cut. Also, waves and curls soften the contours of the face shape.

If you're not ready for a cut, consider styling your hair with waves and curls versus straight, flat styles. The curls and waves will make the style look as though it has more layers to it and will soften the jawline.

Direct attention to your eyes with side-swept bangs if you have a heart-shaped face. A heart-shaped face usually has a smaller, pointed chin and a wider forehead. You'll be able to soften different shapes between your forehead and chin by adding angular bangs. You can also cut layers into your hair beginning at the cheekbone to frame your face. This will also help to balance the difference of size between your forehead and your chin.

If you're not ready for a cut, consider a deep side part while styling your hair. The side of your head that will have more hair can be styled forward, creating a mock angular bang. Tuck the ends loosely behind your ear, or use a bobby pin to loosely hold the mock bang back.

Cover your forehead while framing your long face shape. The long face can be accentuated with lots of layers framing the face. It breaks up the elongated shape, and makes the eye think the face is shorter than it is. Avoid a long, blunt cut near the face with this shape. It draws the eye down making it seem as though your face is longer than it actually is.

A deep side part is also good for long facial shapes. It directs the eye away from the center of the face, which makes the overall shape appear shorter since the eye is no longer going from the middle of the forehead to the chin. Instead, the eye moves down the side of the face.

Select a either sleek or straight by the face style if you have oval face shape. Add side-swept bangs to accentuate your eyes. Play with different layers around the face to find a style you like.

Add layers below the chin if you have a round facial shape. The idea with round facial shapes is to keep bulk down around either side of the face. With longer layers, you'll draw the eye down, which will make your face appear slimmer. Also, avoid bangs on round facial shapes, since they cut down on the length of the face and will make a round face appear even wider.

If you're not ready for a cut, invest in a good straightening iron. By keeping the volume down in your hair, you'll make your face appear slimmer.