Best hairstyles for guys rectangle face: Your Ultimate Guide

Choosing the right hairstyle is a transformative experience, capable of enhancing your best features and balancing your overall look. For men with a rectangle face shape, the right cut can soften strong angles, add desirable width, and create a harmonious, well-proportioned appearance. This comprehensive guide delves into the nuances of the rectangle face, identifies the most flattering hairstyles, and offers essential styling tips to help you achieve your ideal look.

Understanding the Rectangle Face Shape

Before diving into specific styles, it’s crucial to understand the characteristics of a rectangle face. Often confused with an oval or square shape, the rectangle face is essentially a longer version of a square, or a more angular version of an oval.

Key characteristics include:

• Length: The face is noticeably longer than it is wide.
• Width: The forehead, cheekbones, and jawline are typically of similar width.
• Angles: There’s often a strong, defined jawline and a prominent, sometimes high, forehead.

The challenge with a rectangle face is that its inherent length and angularity can sometimes make it appear too severe or elongated. The goal of any flattering hairstyle for this shape is to:

1. Reduce the illusion of length: By adding width or breaking up vertical lines.
2. Soften sharp angles: Through texture, layers, or a strategic fringe.
3. Create balance: By ensuring the hair complements, rather than exaggerates, the face’s natural dimensions.

Avoid hairstyles that add excessive height on top or are too flat on the sides, as these will only make your face appear longer and narrower. Instead, focus on styles that bring volume to the sides and incorporate softness through texture or a well-placed fringe.

Key Principles for Styling a Rectangle Face

To effectively choose and style your hair, keep these fundamental principles in mind:

1. Add Width, Not Height: This is the golden rule. Your primary objective is to make your face appear wider, not longer. Opt for styles that have volume on the sides or incorporate horizontal elements. Steer clear of towering pompadours or spiky styles that push hair upwards.
2. Soften Angularity: Rectangle faces often feature strong, defined lines. Introduce softness through layers, texture, or a fringe. Messy, textured styles work wonderfully to break up severe lines and add a more approachable feel.
3. Break Up Length with a Fringe: A fringe (or bangs) is your secret weapon. It effectively shortens the appearance of a high forehead, thereby reducing the overall perceived length of your face. Whether it’s a blunt, textured, or side-swept fringe, it can make a significant difference.
4. Embrace Side Parts and Asymmetry: A side part creates a diagonal line that breaks up the verticality of a long face. It also allows for more volume on one side, adding width and interest. Asymmetry in general can distract from the face’s length.
5. Consider Medium Lengths: While short styles can work, medium-length hair often provides the most versatility for adding width and texture around the sides of the face, effectively balancing the proportions.

Top Hairstyles for Guys with a Rectangle Face

Now, let’s explore the best specific hairstyles that embody these principles and flatter the rectangle face shape:

1. The Textured Crop with Fringe

• Description: This modern and popular cut features shorter sides (often faded) and a slightly longer top that is styled forward with significant texture and a noticeable fringe. The fringe can be blunt, choppy, or slightly messy.
• Why it works: The fringe is paramount here, instantly reducing the prominence of a high forehead and shortening the face’s perceived length. The texture on top adds volume without height, and the shorter sides keep the look clean without emphasizing length. It effectively softens the jawline and forehead.
• How to style: Apply a matte pomade, clay, or styling cream to damp hair. Blow-dry forward, using your fingers to create texture and direct the fringe. Finish by raking your fingers through for a natural, slightly messy look.
• Best for: Most hair types, especially those with some natural wave or thickness. Ideal for a contemporary, stylish aesthetic.

2. The Side Part / Side Swept Style

• Description: A timeless and versatile cut where the hair is parted on one side and swept across the top, often with some volume. The sides can be tapered or faded.
• Why it works: The side part creates a diagonal line that breaks the verticality of a long face, adding visual interest and preventing the face from looking too narrow. The volume on the side where the hair is swept adds width, while the overall softness of the style helps to round out angular features.
• How to style: After washing, create a deep side part while hair is damp. Apply a volumizing mousse or cream. Blow-dry the hair upwards and to the side, following the part. Use a brush or your fingers to direct the hair. Finish with a medium-hold pomade or paste for definition and hold.
• Best for: Almost all hair types. It’s a classic choice that can be adapted for both formal and casual settings.

3. The Modern Quiff (Low Volume)

• Description: A quiff is characterized by hair swept upwards and backward from the forehead. For a rectangle face, the key is to keep the quiff relatively low and more forward-swept, focusing on texture rather than extreme height.
• Why it works: While traditional quiffs can add too much height, a modified version can be beneficial. By keeping the volume lower and directing the hair slightly forward or with a subtle side sweep, you can add fullness to the top without elongating the face. The texture and movement soften the angularity.
• How to style: Apply a pre-styling spray or mousse to damp hair. Blow-dry the hair mostly forward, using a brush to create a slight lift at the roots. Once dry, work a small amount of matte pomade or clay through your hair, shaping the quiff with your fingers to achieve a textured, slightly messy, low-volume look.
• Best for: Men with medium to thick hair that has some natural body.

4. Medium Length with Layers

• Description: This style involves hair that extends past the ears, often touching the jawline or shoulders, cut with strategic layers to create movement and volume.
• Why it works: Medium-length hair, when properly layered, can add significant width around the sides of the face, effectively balancing the length. The layers prevent the hair from hanging flat and lifeless, providing essential texture and softness that counteracts sharp facial angles.
• How to style: For a natural look, apply sea salt spray or a light styling cream to damp hair and let it air dry, scrunching occasionally. For more control, blow-dry with a diffuser, lifting sections to encourage volume. Finish with a light hold product to enhance texture.
• Best for: Men who prefer longer hair and have medium to thick hair that can hold some volume.

5. The Messy Fringe / Textured Top

• Description: Similar to the textured crop but often with slightly longer hair on top, styled in a deliberately messy, undone manner, with the front falling as a soft, textured fringe.
• Why it works: The casual, unkempt nature of this style provides a lot of softness and breaks up the linear quality of a rectangle face. The messy fringe reduces forehead height, and the overall texture adds width and volume without appearing stiff or structured.
• How to style: Work a matte clay or texturizing paste into dry hair. Use your fingers to tousle and sculpt the hair, creating a natural, lived-in look. Focus on lifting the roots slightly and letting the fringe fall naturally across your forehead.
• Best for: Men who prefer a low-maintenance, relaxed look and have hair that responds well to texture.

6. The Slick Back (with Side Volume/Texture)

• Description: While a flat, tight slick back should be avoided, a modified version with more volume on the sides and a less severe pullback can work. The key is to ensure the hair isn’t pulled too tightly against the scalp, which would only emphasize length.
• Why it works: This is a trickier style for a rectangle face, but it can be achieved if done correctly. By adding volume and texture on the sides, you can create the illusion of width. The hair is swept back, but not so tightly that it elongates the face. A slight side part can also help.
• How to style: Apply a pre-styling product for volume to damp hair. Blow-dry the hair backward and slightly to the sides, using a brush to create lift at the roots and some fullness. Once dry, apply a medium-hold pomade or cream, distributing it evenly. Comb or finger-style the hair back, ensuring there’s still some natural volume and texture, particularly around the temples.
• Best for: Men with thicker hair who want a more polished, classic look, but are willing to put in the effort to style it correctly to avoid elongation.

Styling Tips & Product Recommendations

Achieving the best results for your rectangle face involves more than just the cut; proper styling and product choice are crucial.

• Product Choice:

  • Matte Pomades & Clays: Excellent for creating texture, hold, and volume without adding shine, which can sometimes emphasize length.
  • Sea Salt Spray: Perfect for adding natural texture and volume, especially for medium-length styles or messy fringes.
  • Styling Creams/Pastes: Offer a lighter hold and natural finish, ideal for softer, more pliable styles.
  • Avoid: High-shine gels or strong-hold waxes that create a stiff, helmet-like look, as these can make your face appear longer and more angular.

• Styling Technique:

  • Blow Drying: Always blow-dry your hair with a purpose. For rectangle faces, aim to direct air sideways or forward, rather than straight up, to build width and reduce height. Use a diffuser for curly or wavy hair to enhance natural texture.
  • Finger Styling: For textured or messy looks, ditch the comb and use your fingers to apply product and shape your hair. This creates a more natural, less rigid finish.
  • Layering Products: Sometimes, a combination of products works best. A pre-styling spray for volume, followed by a finishing product for hold and texture.

• Communicate with Your Barber: Your barber is your best ally. Bring reference photos of styles you like and clearly explain your face shape and your goals (e.g., "I want to soften my jawline," "I want to make my face look less long"). A good barber can tailor a recommended style to your specific hair type and lifestyle.

• Regular Trims: Even the best haircut needs maintenance. Regular trims (every 3-6 weeks, depending on the style) will keep your hair looking sharp and ensure the shape remains flattering.

What to Avoid for a Rectangle Face

Just as important as knowing what works is understanding what to steer clear of:

• High Pompadours or Spiky Hair: These styles add significant height on top, which will only elongate your face further and make it appear narrower.
• Flat, Slicked-Back Styles (without side volume): A tightly slicked-back look without any volume or texture on the sides will expose the full length of your face and highlight its angularity.
• Excessively Short Sides with a Very Long Top: While fades are great, an extreme contrast can create a "pillar" effect, making your head look like it’s resting on a narrow base, thus emphasizing the length.
• Centre Parts on Very Straight Hair: A straight centre part can create a strong vertical line that emphasizes the length of your face. If you prefer a centre part, ensure you have plenty of texture and volume on the sides.

Conclusion

Having a rectangle face shape offers a fantastic canvas for a variety of stylish and flattering hairstyles. The key is to work with your natural features, aiming to soften sharp angles, add width, and create an overall sense of balance. By embracing textured styles, strategic fringes, and cuts that build volume on the sides, you can transform your look and enhance your natural handsomeness. Experiment with different cuts and styling techniques, communicate openly with your barber, and most importantly, wear your chosen style with confidence. Your perfect haircut is out there, ready to highlight your best features.