20 Short Haircuts for Square Faces | Soften Your Jawline

Struggling to find cute short haircuts for square faces? We’ve got tons of gorgeous options for you in this guide! The right cut can soften a square jawline, slim your face, and highlight your cheekbones. See what a difference a short haircut optimized just for square faces can make!

What to Look for in Haircuts for Square Faces

• Side parts and long, layered bangs soften a square jaw
• Middle or off-center parts with soft layers create a more oval shape
• Add volume on top, remove bulk at the ends to round out a square face

The square face shape is one of the most iconic – celebs like Heidi Klum, Demi Moore, Olivia Wilde, and Jennifer Aniston are all square-faced babes who rock a strong, angular jawline with confidence. 

Some of the most beautiful female faces in the world have the prominent square shape. But when it comes to finding flattering short haircuts for square faces, things can be a bit challenging for us “regular” folks without a full team of stylists and beauty wizards on the job. 

The issue – one you’re probably quite familiar with if you’ve experimented with short looks before – is that square faces can appear boxy and totally devoid of softness and curves with the wrong type of short haircut.

The good news is that the right short haircuts for square faces have the power to soften, round out, and quite literally “take the edge off” a prominent square face.

Say bye-bye to the boxy look and see how a few simple tweaks to your favorite short haircuts can transform and balance a square face shape! The secret lies in using lines, layers, volume, and texture to your advantage.

We’ll talk more about these key haircut features and elements in detail next! 

4 Key Haircut Elements for Square Faces

You can make almost any haircut look flattering on a square face when you work in one or more of these style elements. Getting the lines, layers, volume, and texture right will bring balance and a more oval shape to a square face! 

Avoid Straight Lines Around the Face to Soften the Jaw

Square faces feature strong lines in the jaw and tend to be about as wide as they are long. Avoid straight lines around the face – blunt bangs, unlayered blunt bobs, etc.

These only accentuate a strong jawline. Try cutting across the face with a side part or layered side-swept bangs to create an opposing diagonal line that instantly diminishes a prominent jaw or wider face.

Or go with a middle or off-center part and let soft face-framing layers or long, split French bangs do the rounding for you. 

Get Layers to Mimic an Oval Shape

Straight, unbroken lines will highlight a square face and make the shape appear boxy. But layered cuts, which break up those straight lines and soften the look, have the opposite effect and are so flattering on square faces. 

Opt for face-framing layers for the biggest impact, instantly trimming and shaping your jawline with wispy texture following down the short length.

You can also work textured external layers or “invisible” internal layers into the rest of your short haircut to reduce overall bulk and give your face a more oval, rounded appearance. 

Focus Volume on Top to Draw the Eye Upward

Since square faces are about as wide as they are long, excessive volume around the sides of a short haircut is going to make the squared-off shape more pronounced.

This is what scares a lot of women with square faces away from short haircuts, but it’s easy to work around! Focusing your volume on the top of the head will draw the eye upward, which visually narrows and slims the face for a less-boxy appearance.

Remember: Getting internal layers cut into the depths of the hair will help you remove some of the unwanted weight and bulky volume from the sides, too. 

Add Curves and Texture to Temper a Square Jaw

Since straight lines in short haircuts are a problem for square faces, it makes perfect sense that curves and texture are the solution. Working in curvy lines and dimension with extra texture (waves, curls, curved/tucked under ends, etc.) is a simple way to make a square jawline appear more rounded and oval. 

You can bring these curvy lines into your short look with curved or angled layered bangs (curtain bangs are great), textured waves and curls, and lots of layers throughout the cut and around the face. 

How Do You Know If You Have a Square Face?

The examples and tips in this guide are only helpful if you have a square or rectangular face shape. So how can you determine if your face is indeed square and not round, oval, or heart-shaped? 

The jawline is typically the most prominent feature of a square or rectangular face shape. If you have a square face, your jaw will be sharp, defined, and angular. 

On square faces, the jawline, cheekbones, and forehead will all be about the same width and the face will be roughly as wide as it is long. On rectangular faces, the squared-off jawline and symmetrical facial width is present, but the face may be longer than it is wide. 

Doesn’t sound like you? You may have a different face shape. If your jawline is prominent and roughly the same width as your cheekbones and forehead but it’s not square and angular, you may have a round face shape instead of a square.  

If your face is widest at the cheekbones and narrower at the forehead and jaw with slight rounding, you’re likely an oval face shape. And if your forehead is the widest part of your face and your chin and jaw come to a narrow point, you likely have a heart face shape. 

20 Short Haircuts for Square Faces for 2024

It’s time to think outside of the box and check out some really cute short haircuts for square faces! These cuts and styles prioritize one or more of the most flattering elements for square faces: Layers, diagonal and curvy lines, volume on top, and lots of texture. 

See how a short haircut can totally transform your face and give it a more oval shape below! 

1. Wavy Textured Bob With Baby Bangs

This look has a lot going for it to round out a square face: Curvy waves, piece-y baby bangs that break up the blunt line, and a few longer pieces at the ends for a loose, softened look. It’s edgy without trying too hard and softens a face with a prominent, strong jaw. 

2. Long Pixie With Curtain Bangs

Go for a longer pixie to get the face-slimming, cheekbone-highlighting benefits of swooping curtain bangs on either side. These bangs curve inward at the cheekbones to sculpt your face and create a more oval impression along with the short, tapered length in the back.

3. Tapered Pixie With Side Part

Going really short with your length on a square face is going to leave your jawline exposed, so you can’t really rely on face-framing layers or soft, curvy texture around your face to round things out.

Instead, opt for slightly longer length on top to focus all the volume there and part your hair to the side to draw the eye in a diagonal line across your face. 

4. Side-Swept Layered Pixie Bob

Tons of feathery light layers sweep across in this cute pixie bob cut. It’s ideal for a square face as the curved layers break up the angular lines in the jaw with full, layered bangs to give the face a more oval shape. 

5. Collapsed Bob With Layers

Adding lots of layers is a great way to get texture in straight hair and make a short bob look great on a square face. This bob is collapsed with bulk removed around the back and sides so it creates a sleek, rounded silhouette that softens a square jawline. 

6. Short Textured Bob With Side Part

Going slightly above chin-length with lots of texture and a side part is a great way to balance and soften a square face with a short haircut without obscuring your jawline.

Parting on the side creates a flattering diagonal visual line across the face and polished waves bring complementary curves into the look. 

7. Chin-Length Bob With Split Side Bangs

Side-swept bangs can do so much for a square face, directing the eye upward and over while offsetting the angular lines in the face. Keeping this bob short near the chin means you can use the ends to visually sculpt and shape the jaw area for a more oval look with a little messy texture. 

8. Voluminous Tapered Pixie Quiff

Styling a short haircut like a tapered pixie upward is key for square faces. With longer bangs (a quiff) styled up in front, you’ll achieve more lift and volume to draw the eye upward and visually lengthen and slim your face.

Brushing the hair down along the sides and back keeps volume there minimal, another key to rounding out a strong jawline and softening the look overall. 

9. Curly Layered Bob With Side Part

Curls, whether they’re natural or permed, are excellent for square faces because they bring so much curvy roundness to any style. Part your hair on the side to stack a little extra volume on top and get layers throughout to really make those ringlets pop. 

10. Tousled Faux Hawk Pixie

Pixie cuts are really just the foundation for the many styles and looks you can create with them! We love how a tousled, messy faux hawk style amps up this pixie cut and concentrates all the flattering volume on top – perfect for a square face. 

11. Sleek Rounded Bob With Layered Bangs

Using internal layers in a short bob takes out a lot of the bulky volume on the sides, letting the cut hug the face and curve inward for a more oval shape. The choppy, layered bangs are super flattering on a square face and sweep over to the side. 

12. Collapsed Blunt Bob With Side Part

Blunt bobs are typically not ideal for square faces, but when the cut is collapsed to remove bulk on the sides and the hair is parted down the side, it works well. This cut creates a more oval face shape through the opening of the hair and really softens a strong jawline. 

13. Curly Tapered Crop

If you want a low-maintenance, simple look to style and manage, a short crop is right up your alley. The square-softening elements here are the curls and tapering that keeps the sides tight and short with all the volume and length (however minimal) focused up on top. 

14. Voluminous Pixie Bob With Side Bangs

The hair is straight but with plenty of lift and volume in this example. The length is cut short, somewhere between a true pixie and a short bob, with the side bangs being a little longer than the rest of the cut.

Arrange the bangs diagonally across the forehead for the most flattering line and fluff up the root volume, keeping the ends sleeker for a polished look. 

15. Side Part Bob With Face-Framing Layers

Thick hair looks great in a side part bob with face-framing layers and internal layers that remove some of the weight and bulk on the sides.

This bob is tucked under at the ends to curve under the jaw, creating a more oval shape. The side part creates that visual diagonal line that also flatters a square jawline. 

16. Layered Short Bob With Side Bangs

Volume can work with, not against, a square face when it’s focused on the top and top sides. This bob is heavily layered for texture that really pops with flat iron waves throughout. The layered bangs sweep over to the side to create a nicely curved line that makes a square face a bit softer. 

17. Pushed-Back Pompadour Undercut

For an edgy look that still obeys all the square face haircut “rules,” you can’t beat a voluminous pompadour undercut. This look is shaved short around the back and sides.

This means that square faces get a slimming effect with tons of volume on top. Dry toward the crown with a round brush and some root-lifting mousse for a perfect style. 

18. Asymmetrical Pixie Bob

Working some asymmetry into a short pixie bob is great for square faces. The different lengths can actually bring balance to the face and draw the eye up and across in the loosely diagonal shape the cut creates. Piece-y bangs are razored for texture and break up the lines across the forehead. 

19. Shattered Bob With Swooped Bangs

Shattering a bob – removing lots of bulk and weight from the ends – is a great way to add texture while subtracting volume for a square face. The swooped side bangs create a nice curved shape to offset the strong lines in the jaw and bring this look together. 

20. Long Pixie With Layered Side Bangs

The diagonal line layered side bangs create as they fall across your forehead is super flattering on a square face. Layering the bangs creates a little more texture and interest in this long pixie cut, which is tapered close to the head around the back and sides for minimal volume there. The eye is drawn across and up with this look. 

Tips and Things to Consider

Now that you’ve learned all about the style elements that work best on square faces and have seen some of the best cuts for your face shape, you’ve probably got a good idea of what look you want to try next. Check out these helpful tips and things to consider first! 

• Don’t try to hide your face shape – just flatter it. Having a square face is not a bad thing! These cuts and styles are not about hiding a square face or prominent jaw. They’re all designed to flatter and compliment your face shape. Beauty is all about creating balance, and that’s exactly what you’re doing by using layers, diagonal lines, texture, and volume in cuts and styles for square faces. 
• Choose cuts and styles that suit your natural texture. It’s no fun to have to blow dry, curl, wave, or straighten your hair every single day! It’s also really damaging for your hair. Choosing short haircuts for square faces that suit your natural, air-dried texture will make your life so much easier in the long run. So if you’re naturally curly, make sure you’re getting layers and bangs that look good in your natural state. For straight-haired folks, internal layers and soft face-framing layers can help amp up your natural texture for everyday looks.
• Don’t be afraid to go super short. Some people love the idea of really short looks like crops and pixies, but don’t want to leave too much of their face exposed with such a short length. For a square face, short looks won’t accentuate a strong jaw when you’re working in the elements we’ve covered here (layers, side bangs, volume on top, etc.). Don’t be afraid to go as short as you want! 
• Take it easy on the layers. Layering is a great way to soften up a square face, but it can very easily get out of hand – especially if you’re attempting to do it yourself at home! Leave the layers to a pro and ask for soft layers around your face, internal layers to remove bulk and weight, and see how it looks from there. If you want more layers for texture, you can always add more, but you can’t take layers away! 
• “Try on” your new haircut online. Ever gotten a cut you were sure you’d love, only to hate the way it turned out? You can avoid that issue altogether by “trying on” your new cut online before you get it IRL. Use our virtual hairstyle try-on tool to see how different haircuts and colors look on you in real-time to ensure you’re going to love the results. 

Some of the cutest short haircuts for square faces are actually very simple, classic looks that never go out of style. Others are super trendy looks that just happen to be great candidates for square faces with a strong, prominent jawline. 

Use the pretty cuts and styles in this guide for inspiration, but don’t be afraid to step out and try something creative!

As long as you incorporate one or more of the flattering elements for square faces, you’ll end up with beautiful results that seem to sculpt and soften your face without hiding your beauty. Happy styling!