Bob haircuts are classic, stylish, and versatile — they truly never go out of style. Not only are they consistently in vogue, but they also transition perfectly from season to season, adopt texture and length changes easily, and are simple to style. From angled bobs to French ones, there's a perfect bob haircut for every face shape and hair type.
The Wonderful World of Bobs
Hairstyles come and go, but bobs have been around for decades. You can transform the classic style into something fresh and new with a unique cut or styling technique.
Several iconic bob styles have made it center-stage, including:
- Angled bob: The angled bob is usually blunt and cut above the shoulders, tapering from the nape of the neck towards the jaw.
- Inverted bob: An inverted bob is a trendier version of the classic cut. The back is tapered towards the chin like an angled bob but stacked with layers in the back.
- Layered bob: A layered bob can be any length and offers lots of volume and movement with heavy layering throughout.
- Shoulder bob: A shoulder bob rests in a single length along the shoulder and has plenty of versatility. Long, face-framing bangs are a wonderful addition to this textured style.
Which Bob Haircut Is Right for You?
The bob is a highly customizable style that makes it well-suited for any face shape or hair texture. You just need to find the right bob style for you! Thankfully, we've matched up the best bob cuts depending on your face shape and texture to make your next consultation a breeze.
Bobs for a Heart-Shaped Face
A perfect bob for someone with a heart-shaped face is a lob, aka the long bob. While a traditional bob stops at or just below your chin, the lob is much longer typically resting around the shoulders. This extra length softens your jaw's narrowness and accentuates your shoulder width.
Lobs work well on all hair types, whether curly, coiled, wavy, or straight. More textured hair types can benefit from layering and dry cuts to ensure the lob rests in the correct way when it's dry.
If you don't have naturally textured hair, give it some body with this styling technique:
- Apply a heat protectant to your hair.
- Let it dry completely and spritz on some dry shampoo. This will make it easier to lock in those waves.
- Use a curling iron or wand to curl the hair from the root to the middle, avoiding the ends.
- Brush through the curls with your fingers or a wide-tooth comb.
Bobs for a Pear-Shaped Face
With a pear-shaped face, your jawline is wider than your hairline. Much like with a heart-shaped face, a long bob can be flattering. But so can a traditional bob that hits below the jawline. A shorter bob requires more upkeep than a longer bob, which is something to consider when picking out your next style.
Heavy layering at the top and bangs can help draw attention away from your jaw by adding volume to the smaller part of your face structure. This will create a beautiful balance.
Textured hair works especially well with this style since it creates the volume all on its own!
Don't have naturally textured hair? Get a little boost with this styling technique:
- Apply a texturizing spray to your roots.
- Scrunch your hair upwards using your fingers to add some volume.
- Use a roll brush and blow dryer to lock in that root-lift if applied to wet hair.
- Curl the ends of your hair using a curling iron or wand to balance out the top volume.
Bobs for an Oblong-Shaped Face
With oblong faces, your face is longer than it is wide. Because your lower face catches the eye, chin- and medium-length bobs look fantastic as they can add fullness and width. Go too short and you'll end up looking a bit like little Lord Fauntleroy. Meanwhile, longer bobs will exaggerate your face's length.
Folks with straight and wavy hair can ask for a chin-length bob at the salon without issue. But if you have curly hair, make sure you find a stylist who can do dry haircuts because your hair will fall differently when it's wet than when it's dry. Similarly, you'll need some extra layering to keep the volume from accumulating right at your chin.
However, a little volume can go a long way. Try adding some to your chin-length bob with this styling technique:
- Apply a heat protectant to your hair.
- Wrap medium-sized sections of hair around hot rollers. Read the instructions to know how long you should leave them on.
- Remove the rollers and tousle the curls with your fingers.
- Apply a flexible-hold hairspray to set them in place.
Bobs for a Square-Shaped Face
Square-shaped faces typically have a lot of sharpness around the edges (chins, cheekbones, and temples). The best bob for you will soften those edges, balancing out your structure. It's best to keep your bob at or below your chin, though a graduated angle will create some interesting dimension.
The main objective with your bob is to add volume with layering. Whether you prefer the piecey look achieved with a lot of layering or want a little added texture with face-framing pieces is up to you!
If you have ringlets or coils, it might be better to stick with a shaggier bob that's less pristine. Take advantage of all that natural volume while working in tandem with your hair rather than against it.
Styling a piecey bob is super easy:
- Run a little mousse through damp, straight hair or leave-in conditioner through damp, curly hair.
- Use your blow dryer and a round brush or diffuser to define your piecey sections.
- Lock it in with hairspray where needed.
Bobs for a Rectangle-Shaped Face
Rectangular faces are similar to square-shaped ones in that they have some sharp squareness around the edges but they're noticeably longer. A medium-length bob with soft layers and styled waves will soften those harsh edges.
Need to Know
Avoid ultra-short bobs or severely angled bobs because they'll accentuate the corners of your face.
Keep things soft and sweet by styling your bobbed straight hair like so:
- Apply a smoothing cream to damp hair.
- Blow dry the ends of your hair outwards using a round brush.
- Add definition by curling the ends outwards with a flat iron or curling iron.
If you have natural curls or coils, you can also add some softness with a protective bob style. Senegalese twists will add that volume and keep your hair healthy for days.
Bobs for a Triangle-Shaped Face
A wider forehead with a narrower jaw is a major feature of the triangle-shaped face. A shoulder-length bob helps balance this tapered angle by widening the eye's focus from the forehead to the shoulder instead of the forehead to the chin.
If you've got a triangle-shaped face, you've hit the bob jackpot because every hair texture can easily be cut and styled at shoulder length. Of course, tight natural curls may not be able to reach shoulder length because of the direction and density they grow. Instead, consider braiding your hair to that length.
When it comes to styling, you're free to leave it completely natural or add a little texture with a hot tool. Just make sure you apply a heat protectant before using any heat on your hair.
Quick Tip
Want to decrease the size of your forehead? Add a large side-swept bang to your bob.
Bobs for an Oval-Shaped Face
Since the oval-shaped face has a more balanced proportion than many other shapes, it can handle all kinds of different bobs. The focus is less on creating balance and more on keeping things that way.
If you've got an oval-shaped face, there are so many bobs to choose from. Feeling a little rock 'n roll? Give a shaggy a-line bob with a ton of layers below the chin a try. Love keeping your hair short? Give yourself a grown-out pixie with a ton of hair on top.
At the end of the day, you want to work with your hair and not against it. If you've got curly hair, don't try to go for a super severe angled cut, and if you hate styling your straight hair, don't choose a heavily texturized cut.
But if an edgy a-line bob sounds like your perfect look, all you need to do is:
- Apply a texturing spray or dry shampoo all over your head.
- Work the product through with your fingers by scrunching, twisting, and pulling in an upward motion. This will create that delicious bedhead style.
Bobs for a Round-Shaped Face
Round faces have a lot of volume in the center, and a slightly longer bob helps elongate your face and minimize the width. Avoid adding extra fullness with heavy bangs or center parts.
However, if your hair's on the shorter side you can always go with an a-line bob instead. A-line bobs are perfect if you like that super-straight-slicked look because they draw a sharp line from the nape of your neck to below your chin. But if you want volume, an inverted bob — which has the same base cut but stacks layers at the back of the head — will work great.
To give your long inverted bob plenty of polish:
- Apply a heat protectant to your damp hair.
- Blow dry until your hair is completely dry.
- Use a flat iron to remove any waves, curls, or natural texture, curving the back around the natural shape of your crown.
- Add a shine spray to finish things off.
Meanwhile, curly-haired folks should avoid these severe cuts and go with fluffy tapered bobs instead. This marries your natural texture with the dynamic lines of the aforementioned styles.
Bippity, Boppity, Bob
If you're tired of the fast-moving trend train, hop on board the bob bike and head full-speed towards a timeless hairstyle. Whether your face shape suits an inverted bob or a lob best, there's a bob tailor-made for you.
