If you’re unsatisfied with the size of your forehead, you’ve probably thought about getting surgery to reduce it. However, surgeries involve risks, pain, and anxiety. Furthermore, it’s very expensive and it really isn’t for everyone.
In this post, I will share with you a few things that you can do to reduce the appearance of your forehead without surgery and to make it look smaller. Although the methods presented in this post are not permanent fixes, the results would be noticeable. (Isn’t that what you wanted in the first place?)
Do You Have a Big Big Forehead? Test with this Trick:
Before we begin, let’s figure out if you actually have a big forehead. Here is a simple test you can do right now:
Step 1: Measure the length of your forehead. This is the distance between your eyebrows to hairline above your forehead.
Step 2: Measure the length of your face. This is the distance between your hairline to the lower point of your chin.
Step 3: Compare the 2 measurements. Most people’s forehead makes up about 25% of the length of their faces. If you get a higher percentage than this, you may have a higher headline that exposes your forehead.
How to Make Your Forehead Look Smaller With Makeup
Using makeup does require some skill and time but the results are great if you simply don’t like using your hair to cover your forehead.
We created a video to show you step-by-step how to make your forehead look smaller with makeup. Check it out below:
Here are some tips on using makeup to make your forehead appear smaller:
1 – Use a Dark Foundation
This is easiest to do, pick a foundation that is darker than your natural shade. I recommend using 3 shades darker while others reported good results with 5 shades darker. A matte foundation works well here because it’s easier to blend and wouldn’t bounce off any light. I like the Clarins Everlasting Foundation (Shade: Amber)
- Bamboo Powder: Gives the foundation its matte properties.
- Quinoa: Helps to moisturize dry skin.
- Oat sugar extracts. Oat has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties
It contains plant-based micro-patch extracts that help to bind water to your skin and protects it from dehydration. This foundation is lightweight and works great even on birthmarks and redness.
Also, check out my guide on the best matte foundations if you’re looking for more options. I have also written an in-depth guide on some of the best waterproof foundations if you want to find out more.
Instructions:
Step 1: Tie your hair back
Step 2: Starting at your hairline at the center of your face, apply the foundation across and downward. It’s recommended that you do this slowly so you can control how far down your forehead you want the foundation to go.
Step 3: Blend the foundation in afterward to create a more natural look. You are probably going to practice this one a few times before getting it perfect.
The foundation helps to create a shadow that extends your headline down and therefore, giving you the appearance of a smaller forehead.
2 – Shape your Eyebrows
You can use your eyebrows to reduce the appearance of your forehead.
If your eyebrows are already angular, try to shape them so that the arch is more pronounced.
If your eyebrows are not angular, try to shape or draw an arch.
The arch and angular eyebrows make your forehead appear shorter.
Instructions:
Step 1: Study your eyebrows in the mirror and take a note of where the arch is. Your goal is to make the arch more pronounced.
Step 2: If you find that your brows are not symmetrical or you prefer to draw your own arch, you can shave off the ends of your brows (optional).
Step 3: Apply eyebrow primer to your brows and rub it in with your fingers. An eyebrow primer ensures that your brow pencil will stay put all day without fading.
Step 4: Using a spoolie (eyebrow brush), brush your brows up the roots and slightly down at the tails.
Step 5: Outline your brow by starting at the bottom. Follow the line of your natural brow and draw in the arch and tail the way you want it to go. Fill in the brow with the eyebrow pencil to ensure that there are no gaps or open spaces in the brow.
Step 6: Using a concealer that is closer to your natural skin tone, underline the bottom of your brow to hide any unevenness or hair roots.
Step 7: Gently blend the front of your eyebrow with the concealer to make the brow look more natural.
BTW, if you don’t want to use a concealer, check out my tutorial on how to draw eyebrows without concealer.
There are over 20 shades to choose from including color correcting shades. It also comes with an application wand which makes it easy to apply under your eyebrows. This concealer is vegan and cruelty-free.
3 – Use a Dark Bronzer
Similar to the foundation method above. You may opt for a bronzer if you prefer to wear your normal shade of foundation on your forehead.
Instructions:
Step 1: Tie your hair back and apply the foundation to your forehead. Make sure impurities are covered.
Step 2: Have your bronzer and brush ready. A bronzer that I like is the NYX Matte Bronzer
Step 3: Using a brush, lightly brush the bronzer on your headline and extend downward. Stop when you have reached your desired distance for where you think your headline should be.
Step 4: Lightly blend the edges with your brush to create a natural look.
4 – Eyes, Lips and Cheeks Combo
This method makes your eyes, lips, and cheeks stand out more so that you can draw attention away from your forehead.
Eyes – I’ve posted a few extensive guides on this blog that I think would be helpful for you for your eye makeup. Check them out below:
- 5 Makeup Tricks to Cover Dark Circles Around Your Eyes (Fast)
- Makeup Tips For Prominent Eyelids (Easy)
- The Casual Eye Makeup Look: A Beginner’s Guide
Lips – I find that pink and bright red does wonders at making your lips pop. If you opt for a bright color lipstick, make sure that your other makeups are simple enough so that people focus more on your lips. A good red lipstick to try is the Burt’s Bees 100% Natural Moisturizing Lipstick (Shade: Scarlet Soaked).
Cheeks – You can draw attention to the center of your face by making your cheeks look thinner. To do this, simply apply bronzer in a diagonal line from the center of your cheek and work towards your ear and blend. Use a bronzer that is 3 shades darker than your natural shade. A bronzer that I like is the NYX Matte Bronzer.
How to Get a Smaller Forehead with Exercises
If you prefer more natural methods, you can try to reduce the size of your forehead with forehead massages and exercises.
The techniques presented below are for your information only and we cannot guarantee results from performing these forehead exercises.
Here are a few techniques to try:
The “Palm Face” Technique
This technique helps to “pull down” your headline which will make your forehead look smaller.
Here’s what You Need To Do:
Step 1: Place the bottom of your left palm over your left eyebrow and rest your fingers over the top of your head. Do the same with your right palm and right eyebrow.
Step 2: Push your palms down towards your forehead and drag your palms downwards towards your eyes. You should feel a bit of tension on your forehead. Hold in this position for about 1 minute and then take your hands off your forehead.
Step 3: Repeat steps 1 and 2 ten times daily.
The Knuckles Technique
This technique helps to compress your forehead horizontally to make it look smaller.
Here’s What You Need To Do:
Step 1: Place your left knuckles over your left temple and your right knuckle over your right temple.
Step 2: Massage your temples with your knuckles in a circular motion while applying gentle pressure. Do this step for 1 minute.
Step 3: Repeat steps 1 and 2 ten times daily.
The Fingers-Scalp Massage
This technique will help to soften your scalp while pulling down your hairline, giving you a smaller forehead appearance.
Here’s What You Need To Do:
Step 1: Spread out the fingers on your left hand and place them on the left top side of your head. Spread out the fingers on your right hand and place them on the right top side of your head.
Step 2: Push your fingers down towards your scalp with gentle pressure and drag your fingers down towards your eyebrows. You should see your hairline move down slightly. Hold in this position for about 1 minute and release.
Step 3: Repeat steps 1 and 2 ten times daily.
Make Your Forehead Look Smaller With Hairstyles (The No Makeup Approach)
Making your forehead appear smaller is by far the easiest thing you can try. Hairstyles that work well include bob styles, side bangs, and layered volume styles.
Here are 6 haircuts that make your forehead look smaller:
1 – Bob Cut With Straight Bangs
This style creates a frame around your face and minimizes the size of your forehead. This hairstyle draws attention to your eyes and cheeks which helps to further minimize the attention on your forehead.
2 – Long Deep Side Bangs
This style is great for those of you who prefer a longer hairstyle. Growing side bangs will require a couple of months but the results are sexy and beautiful.
3 – Lose Fringes
This is one of my favorite styles because it’s so easy to manage. This is essentially the bob cut with longer sides. Keep you fringes longer to disguise the large forehead
4 – Go for Volume
If you have a longer face, you need to counter it with hair volume in order for it to look wider. The best way to do this is with curls. The fuzzy look not only adds volume but you can also flip the fringes forward to help reduce the appearance of the forehead.
5 – Try the Afro
While I understand this isn’t for everyone, I wanted to put it on here because the volume helps to reduce the appearance of your forehead by making your head appear larger. It also looks super cute.
6 – Try Braids with Headband
This one is tricky as braids will make your forehead more pronounced as your hair will be tied and grouped together into braids, which exposes more of your forehead. To make this work try to tie your braids up and wear a headband, this looks really cute, casual and it will make your forehead look smaller.
If you don’t like using headbands, I’ve posted a guide on other hair accessories that you can consider.
Keep in mind that the styles mentioned above may not work for all head shapes. The point is that you need to opt for a hairstyle that provides a curtain effect over your forehead, revealing some of it but not in its entirety. This will give the illusion that you have a smaller forehead.
You are going to need to experiment a little in order to find the right hairstyle.
Want to make your forehead smaller without bangs? The next section discusses how to use makeup to reduce the appearance of your forehead.
Use an App to Make Forehead Smaller
If you want to get an idea of how you might look with a smaller forehead, one of the easiest things to do is to edit pictures to make your forehead smaller.
One free app that makes this process really easy is Fotor, an online photo editing tool that’s super popular among beauty enthusiasts. This is because Fotor provides a range of beauty photo editing tools like reshaping your face and body, removing wrinkles, and applying makeup in photos where you weren’t wearing any.
Being an online photo editor means you can use the editor immediately without the need to download or install anything. They also have a mobile app for IOS and Android, making it easy for you to edit your photos on the go.
Here’s How to Edit Pictures to Make Your Forehead Smaller:
Step 1: Go to the Fotor website.
Step 2: Choose “Edit A Photo” on the homepage.
Step 3: A dialogue box will popup, prompting you to upload your photo.
Step 4: Click on the upload box to upload your photo or drag it into the upload box from your computer.
Step 5: In the leftmost menu, select the “eye” icon. This will bring up the beauty tools.
Step 6: Select the “reshape” beauty tool
Step 7: A cursor will appear on the screen, click on the upper edge of your hairline and drag down slightly, you will see that your forehead change shape.
Step 8: Repeat step 7 along your hairline around your forehead area. Do this until you are satisfied with how your forehead looks.
Step 9: You can use the compare button at the bottom to quickly compare your edited photo with your original photo.
Note that in order to save your photo, you need to create an account in Fotor. Although many beauty features including blemish fix and wrinkle remover are free, The reshape feature requires you to upgrade to the Fotor Pro account in order to have the watermark removed.
