How To Know If You’ll Look Good With A Shaved Head

Sure, it’s low maintenance and will save you money on hair products. But will you look good with a shaved? 

There are several factors that influence whether or not you will look good with a shaved head. Having an oval-shaped head, a strong, defined jawline, and having a muscular build complement a shaved head as they balance out the roundness of the shaved dome. 

Even if you feel prepared to take the plunge, it’s still pretty normal to be nervous. 

Read on to potentially avoid a hasty decision. 

How To Know Whether You’ll Good With A Shaved Head

Let’s go through some factors that should help you know whether the look will suit you before you do it. 

1. Head Shape

There are certain head shapes that just suit a shaved head more than others. 

An oval-shaped head is often considered to be the most aesthetically pleasing, although you may or may not agree. 

Because shaving your head leaves your natural head shape exposed, it follows that if you have an oval-shaped head, you are likely to suit the shaved head style. 

There are other head shapes that are also considered advantageous for the shaved look, including square, diamond, downward triangle, and rectangular head shapes. 

In general, angular and more defined/chiseled shapes are more likely to look good with a shaved head because they contrast the roundness of the bald dome. 

Having a rounder head shape is considered less ideal for a shaved head. This is because a round face can often look rounder when there is little to no hair on top to add any sort of vertical height. 

However, even though there are head shapes that are seen as more ‘ideal’ for the shaved look, few people naturally have an oval-shaped head. 

At the end of the day, it is important not to put too much emphasis on this factor as it is something that you cannot easily change.

It’s also difficult to know what your head shape is before you shave it if you have never done this before. 

The best thing to do is consider modifying some of the other factors listed below, such as your physical build and facial hair, as these can go a long way to help compensate for your head shape. 

But if you’re interested in learning more about head shapes and baldness, I’ve written about it in more detail here. 

2. Jawline

Having a strong, defined jawline naturally looks good with a shaved head. 

This is because having a defined jawline adds structure and angularity to the bottom of your face, which compensates for the soft curvature of the shaved scalp.

If you are worried about your head shape, rest assured that having a strong jawline can really help balance this out. 

Even if you feel your jawline isn’t the most well-defined, there are ways to improve this. 

Working out can help to accentuate your jawline – even a small amount of fat loss around the neck can really make a difference.

Using facial hair to help define and contour your face is another way to make your jawline appear more structured and masculine.

Let’s talk about it. 

3. Facial Hair 

If you don’t have some already, this one’s usually pretty easy one to fix. 

Facial hair is a modifiable factor that you can use to your advantage when trying to look good with a shaved head.

As I mentioned above, having facial hair can help to define and contour your jawline, making it appear more structured than perhaps it is naturally.

For example, by trimming a well-defined stubble neckline at the correct height. 

As this improves the appearance of the jawline, it will naturally balance out the shaved head look. 

You can also use facial hair to make your head shape appear more in keeping with the ‘ideal’ oval shape. 

For instance, a long, pointed goatee can elongate and add structure to the bottom part of the face. This adds length to the chin making the face appear more oval-shaped. 

You don’t have to stick to a goatee though – even a simple beard can be used to create the illusion of an oval-shaped face and balance out the shaved head look.

As facial hair is more easily modifiable, it is a great factor to consider adjusting when shaving your head. A few tweaks with your facial hairstyle can really be effective at making you look great with a shaved head. 

4. Physical build 

Having a shaved head looks better if you are physically built – it’s hard to deny this. 

A shaved head naturally will add softness and curvature to your look. If you are toned and muscular, you are adding angularity and definition. 

This helps to contrast with your shaved head and takes away some of that softness that you have when you are less toned. 

As I mentioned above, even a small amount of fat loss can make a big difference when it comes to your jawline. 

This factor may take a little longer to modify than facial hair, but it’s all about making the right habits.

The plus point is that this is something that we should all aim for anyway. The fact that it’ll probably make a shaved head look good is just a bonus. 

5. Chin Shape 

Faces with a strong chin look good with a shaved head. 

This is because a strong chin helps to define the jawline further and adds angularity to the bottom half of the face. 

As we’ve discussed above, this naturally balances out the shaved dome.

There’s another reason having a strong chin goes well with a shaved head.

It can help give your face the appearance of having one of the more ‘ideal’ face shapes for a shaved head, such as oval, square, diamond, downward triangle, and rectangular head shapes. 

But don’t worry if you feel your chin isn’t as structured as you’d like it to be.

This is just one factor and by adjusting some of the other modifiable factors you can still give the appearance of having a well-defined chin.

For example, changing your facial hair and working out can help to define your chin in a similar way to how they help make your jawline appear more chiseled.

6. Glasses

If you are a glasses-wearer, listen up.

Glasses can be a big advantage when it comes to having a shaved head. As well as being a functional item, glasses can be a hugely useful fashion accessory. 

If you choose the correct pair, you can really balance out the shaved head look, ultimately making you look great.

I’ve got a whole separate article on shaved heads and glasses if you need an in-depth guide.

The essence of what you need to know is that glasses should be chosen to add balance to the face shape. 

Go for frames with lines and geometric contouring to balance out the curved lines of a rounder head shape, for instance.

The shape of your face is very exposed when your head has been shaved, so it’s all the more important to balance this out with some contrasting glasses.

If you have perfect eyesight but want to try some glasses, you could always consider getting some with fake lenses that are purely for aesthetic function. 

But I’ll leave this up to you.

The important thing to know is that you can make glasses work for you and your look, as opposed to them being a purely functional object.

7. Receding Hairline

If you’ve got thinning hair or a receding hairline, there’s a chance that a shaved head will simply look better in comparison. 

Not always. But there’s a chance, particularly if your balding is pretty advanced or if you’re rocking the bald on top with hair on the sides look. 

A short buzz cut like a number 0 or a number 1 would be good alternatives if you weren’t keen on going fully shaved. 

Baldness can look pretty great once it’s embraced. What better way than to trim or shave everything down? 

It’s no secret that balding is a pretty common reason for people choosing to shave their heads. It’s the simplest way to make thinning patches or a receding hairline less noticeable – by simply getting rid of all of it. 

If you have been considering shaving your head for a while for this reason, it is worth trying it out to see if you like the results. 

Conclusion

Hopefully, this article has helped you make a decision about whether or not you want to shave your head.

Just remember, it’s important not to put too much emphasis on the factors that cannot easily be changed.

In fact, the modifiable factors we’ve discussed can actually have a bigger influence on how you look. 

If you view it this way, having a shaved head can actually be an opportunity to get creative with other aspects of your style that you might have neglected in the past.