Beachy waves are great and all, but short is super chic. The thing is, how do you know which short haircuts for women will look good on you, and which ones… well, won’t?

Between Julianne Hough’s incredible bob and Miley’s gorgeous pixie, short haircuts for women are having a serious moment. So much so, it’s tempting to burst into your salon and order them to chop off your locks like, right now. But then your cautious side kicks in and you start questioning such a bold move.

I mean, what if you want to look all…

But you end up looking all…

Hey, we’ve all been there. But your stylist isn’t Christina Yang, so go ahead and get the flirty ‘do of your dreams. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

1. For square or round faces

If your face is on the wider side, you need a style that will give the illusion of length. Try a long bob, which will draw the eye downward and elongate your face.

For a square face, you really can’t go wrong with a chic lopsided bob. With one side shorter than the other, the play on angles opens you up to a wide array of styling options while softening your strong features.

For a round face, one of the fiercest styles you can pull off is a pixie with side swept bangs. (Think Ginnifer Goodwin.) Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go and deal with my jealousy.

2. For long faces

If you have a long face a la Liv Tyler, you should go for a hairstyle that will shorten your face and give off the illusion of width, such as short layered curls or a layered shag.

3. For heart-shaped faces

Because heart-shaped faces are famous for their narrow chins, a haircut that’s heavy around the chin area will help balance things out. Try a bob with bangs or a pixie with some fringe.

4. For oval faces

Not to sound all green with envy or anything, but oval faces can pull off any haircut—so please do the rest of the world a favor and don’t waste that beauty—browse short haircuts for women and live it up!

If you ever get stuck, just use this handy infographic as your guide:

Infographic via Karen Ferreira

That said, don’t worry if you’ve accidentally picked a style that won’t suit your face shape. Your stylist will help you out in that department, and make sure you leave that chair looking and feeling amazing. I mean, it’s their job.

A few styling tips before you go…

There are two things that make short hairstyles so fabulous: One, you save a bajillion dollars on shampoo; two, all you need to style your hair are your fingers!

Before styling, start with a clean canvas: Creo Originals shampoo and conditioner contains uber-gentle, plant derived ingredients that allow you to wash your hair and scalp without stripping or overdrying your hair.

If you’re after a sleek, dewy look where every strand is in its place (but not in a cementy sort of way), try Natu’s line of managing mists for fine, medium, and thick hair.

For added volume, Alterna Bamboo Volume Plumping Strand Expand is just the ticket. The organic bamboo extract boosts hair’s strength and flexibility, while the organic maca root improves volume in three areas: fullness, thickness and lift.

What are your favorite short haircuts for women?

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Woman cutting hair image via Shutterstock / GIFs via Giphy

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