Sleek vs. Textured: How to Choose the Right Style for Your Face Shape

Wondering for all these years with just one simple question: Should I go sleek or textured to suit your face shape the most? While both styles are beautiful in their own right, choosing the right one can transform your entire look, especially when you seriously take your face shape into consideration.

In this blog, we’ll break down the difference between sleek and textured hair, explore which works best for different face shapes, and share product recommendations to help you achieve your ideal style.

What’s the Difference Between Sleek and Textured Hair?

Before diving into face shapes, let’s examine the two core styling categories to help you understand the basic features of them.

Sleek Hair Styles

Sleek hair is typically smooth, polished, and straight or tightly pulled back. It reflects light well, creating that glossy, refined appearance you often see on runways or red carpets. Achieving this look usually involves heat tools like flat irons or blow dryers with precision nozzles, as well as smoothing serums and sprays to eliminate frizz and flyaways.

A sleek style exudes confidence and sophistication. It works well for formal occasions, minimalist fashion styles, or anyone aiming for a clean, high-impact look.

To achieve a salon-quality sleek style at home, we recommend using a decent-quality hair straightener to protect your hair. These tools are usually designed with more advanced technology that smooths the hair without excessive heat damage, preserving shine and integrity even with regular use.

Textured Hair Styles

Textured hair includes styles with volume, curls, waves, and even purposeful “messiness,” like tousled buns or beachy finishes. This style embraces movement, softness, and often a more casual or romantic aesthetic.

Texture can be created naturally or with styling aids such as curling irons, wands, sea salt sprays, mousse, or braiding techniques. It also suits layered cuts, which enhance the dynamic movement of textured styles.

For managing and defining textured styles while maintaining hair health, we recommend using nourishing products and high-quality hair styling tools. Their wide range includes curl-enhancing creams, volume sprays, and humidity-resistant finishers, ideal for all hair types and needs.

Choosing the Right Hair Style For Your Face Shape

Choosing your hairstyle based on personal taste, lifestyle, and occasion all play a role; however, your face shape is a powerful foundational guide when deciding between sleek or textured. The goal is to create balance, softening sharp angles or enhancing definition where needed.

Here’s how to choose based on the five most common face shapes:

Round Face

With rounded cheeks, a soft jawline, and width and length that are nearly equal, the best styling option for a round-faced girly is sleek.

Sleek hair helps elongate a round face by drawing the eye vertically. Long, straight styles with a centre part or soft, face-framing layers can slim and lengthen the appearance of the face. Avoid excessive volume at the sides, as this can make the face appear even rounder.

Try using a professional hair iron for smooth, straight results that last all day without frizz. Finish with a light serum to enhance shine and hold.

Oval Face

Balanced proportions, slightly wider cheekbones, and gently narrowing chin and forehead are the oval face’s best advantages. So don’t worry too much and just confidently go for both sleek and textured hairstyles!

The oval face shape is the most versatile. It suits nearly every hairstyle, from pin-straight sleek cuts to voluminous curls or loose waves. You can easily switch between styles based on your mood or outfit. For casual days, add texture with a beach spray or wand curls; for formal occasions, a sleek ponytail or straightened lob will complement your symmetry beautifully.

Maintain hair health and flexibility for styling by using moisture-rich products, especially if you're switching between heat and air-dried styles frequently.

Square Face

A square face shape has a strong jawline, a broad forehead, and a square or angular jaw that will go the best with a textured hairstyle no matter the occasion or purpose.

To soften the sharper angles of a square face, go for layered waves, soft curls, or a tousled, messy look. Texture helps add movement and detracts from harsh lines, especially when layered near the jawline or chin.

Avoid blunt straight cuts and overly flat styles, which can exaggerate squareness.

Heart-Shaped Face

To best cover the broad forehead, prominent cheekbones, and narrower chin, opt for a textured hairstyle with volume at the bottom to complement the face features.

Heart-shaped faces benefit from texture that draws attention away from the upper part of the face and towards the jawline. Soft waves that start from mid-length or low ponytails with volume at the base can help create balance.

Avoid styles that add too much volume to the crown or that overly expose the forehead. Use a diffuser to enhance natural curls, or try braid-outs for low-heat volume.

Finish your look with curl-defining creams and humidity-resistant sprays to maintain volume and texture all day long.

Long or Oblong Face

A long face is noticeably longer than it is wide, often with a high forehead, so a textured wide hairstyle is the option that you can’t go wrong with. A long face benefits from width rather than length, which is why textured styles with side parts, soft curls, or shoulder-length waves are ideal. Avoid ultra-straight, long hair, as it can make your face appear even longer.

Opt for voluminous styles, layered cuts, curtain bangs, or waves that start near the ears. Use a round brush when blow-drying or apply volumising sprays to add horizontal volume.

To protect your hair from damage while styling, use a heat protectant spray before using tools like the professional iron, and finish with volumising spray for a long-lasting fresh look throughout the day.

It’s About Balance and Personal Style

While understanding your face shape can guide you towards more flattering hairstyles, don’t feel boxed in. The most important element is how you feel in your hair. Some days, you might want to command the room with a sleek, high ponytail. Other days, you might prefer relaxed waves that say “effortlessly cool.”

With the right tools, you can create both sleek and textured looks with confidence.

So, next time you're styling your hair, ask yourself: Do I want to smooth it out or pump it up? Your face shape might just have the answer.