Why this is the most flattering haircut for every face shape and age

Sonia Haria

Updated Fri, March 9, 2018 at 10:00 AM UTC

One of the most transformative changes you can make to how you look is to have a big chunk of hair cut off - Margot Robbie even chopped a few inches in-between the Baftas and Oscars to this flattering chin-length style. I don’t know about you, but I’m caught in the perpetual cycle of growing my hair out, getting bored and then having a big, showy chop. It’s often cut to a lob (a long bob). I love the shorter hair for a couple of months, but then vow to grow it out again ‘because I miss being able to do stuff with it’ (in my mind I’m constructing amazing loose waves with a curling iron; in reality, it spends most of its time pulled back in a bun). And so, the cycle continues.

I feel another chop coming on now, and according to Mintel, I’m not alone - hairdressers are finding more and more women are wanting to cut off serious inches to a chin-length bob. I’m guessing it’s to do with the start of Spring and the realisation that long, tousled, Gisele-like waves are actually very difficult to achieve. There's also something to be said for the the yearning for a style altogether sleeker, shorter and fresher.

And the good news is, the evolution of the bob to the lob has made choppier styles wearable for every face shape and age. If you have a longer or oval face, ask for a longer bob, with layering to add volume. Round or heart-shaped faces try more of a blunt finish (like Margot Robbie has), and (for the brave) a sweeping fringe. Simple.

Margot Robbie - Credit: HANNAH MCKAY/REUTERS — Margot Robbie with her longer style at the Baftas last month Credit: HANNAH MCKAY/REUTERS

I’ve always thought shorter hair equals less time getting ready, but hairdresser Adam Reed gives me a reality check: ‘Yes, it’s quicker to dry, but you should spend those extra minutes styling it. A bob or long bob needs a bit more attention to look really good.’ (There are some products below that can help with that.)

And if there’s ever a silver lining to a day spent in the hairdresser’s chair, it’s that you can donate your chopped hair to a wonderful charity called Little Princess Trust. If you cut off more than seven inches, your salon will pass it on to the charity to make real-hair wigs for children who have lost theirs to cancer. Haircare brand ghd has a list of participating hairdressers on its website, ghdhair.com.