The five common hairline shapes
Hairlines vary as much as noses and chins. Most fall into one of five shapes, and many sit somewhere between two of them.
Straight. The hairline runs fairly level across the forehead, with the temples about even with the middle. It often looks squared off at the corners.
Rounded. The hairline curves gently down at the sides, like an arch, with no corners at the temples. It is sometimes called a bell-shaped hairline.
M-shaped. The temples sit further back than the middle, so the hairline dips at each corner and comes forward in the centre. A shallow M is very common in adults.
Widow’s peak. The middle of the hairline comes down to a V-shaped point. It is a shape some people are born with.
Uneven. One side sits higher than the other. A little unevenness is normal, and almost no hairline is perfectly symmetrical.
How to tell which one you have
You need to see the whole line, from temple to temple, without hair covering it.
- Push your hair straight back, or tie it back, and take off any hat or headband.
- Look straight into a mirror or a camera at eye level, with relaxed eyebrows.
- Follow the line from one temple to the other. Ask yourself: do the corners sit further back than the middle, is there a point in the middle, or does the line curve down at the sides?
Our free hairline test does this from one photo. It traces your hairline on your device, names the closest shape and tells you how high it sits, without uploading anything.
Does hairline shape mean hair loss?
Mostly, no. Shape on its own says very little. A straight or rounded hairline can recede later, and an M or a widow’s peak can stay exactly as it is for life.
What matters is movement. A hairline that steps back a little at the temples and then holds is common in adults, and often called a mature hairline. A hairline that keeps moving back, especially at the temples, or that comes with thinning on top, is the one worth watching. The American Academy of Dermatology notes that in men, the first sign of hereditary hair loss is often a receding hairline or a bald spot at the top of the head.
M-shaped hairline: mature or receding?
This is the most common question about hairline shape. A shallow, even M that has not changed in a year is usually just shape. An M that is deeper this year than last, or deeper on one side, is recession.
You can only tell by comparing. Take the same photo every few months, in the same light, with your hair pushed back, and compare how deep the M is. Our guide to mature and receding hairlines goes through the other signs.
Widow’s peak vs receding hairline
A widow’s peak can look more striking when the temples on either side of it move back. That is why it is often mistaken for recession, or recession for a widow’s peak. The question to ask is the same as with any shape: are the temples moving over time? A widow’s peak with even, stable temples is just a widow’s peak.
Can your hairline shape change?
Yes. Hairlines often step back a little at the temples in the late teens and twenties, which can turn a straight hairline into a shallow M. Pattern hair loss can change the shape further. Hairstyles that pull tightly on the front of the scalp, such as tight ponytails, braids and extensions, can also thin the hairline over time; the American Academy of Dermatology describes this as a cause of hair loss worth stopping early.
How high your hairline sits
Shape is one thing; height is another. Classical facial proportions split the face into three roughly equal parts, with the forehead about as tall as the distance from your brows to the base of your nose. A hairline that sits higher than that is not hair loss on its own. Plenty of people are born with a tall forehead and an even, stable hairline.
When to see a doctor
See a doctor or dermatologist if your hairline is moving quickly, if hair loss comes with itching, redness, scaling or soreness, if you notice patches, or if your eyebrows are thinning too. Those are not things a shape can explain.