Wide face, big head, or both
Three things get lumped together and they call for different fixes.
- A wide face is wide across the cheekbones and temples. The frame front has to span it, or the hinges sit inside the edge of the face and the arms splay.
- A big head is about circumference and depth: the arms have to reach the ears without pressing on the sides of the skull. That is a temple length problem, covered in the sunglasses for big heads guide, and the same logic applies to optical frames.
- Both together is common, and then you need a wide front and long arms.
This guide is about the first. If your glasses leave marks behind the ears rather than at the temples, read the second.
The four checks, in a mirror, with glasses you own
You do not need a ruler. Put on any pair and look.
- The hinge line. The hinges should sit level with the widest part of your face. If they sit inside it, the frame is too narrow.
- The arm path. Seen from above or in a photo, the arms should run straight back to the ears. Arms that angle outward from the hinge are being forced open by your head.
- The pressure test. After twenty minutes, pressure or a red mark at the temples above the ears means the arms are gripping.
- The slide test. Look down at a phone. A frame that creeps forward even though the bridge fits is sliding because splayed arms cannot hold it.
Two or more and the frame front is too narrow for you, whatever the lens size on the arm says. The sunglasses for wide faces guide runs the same checks for the sun pair.
Reading the size block on a product page
Every MUJOSH product page has a Size and fit block with five figures: lens width, bridge, frame front, temple length and lens height. For a wide face the one that matters is frame front, the overall width of the frame from hinge to hinge. Lens width is the trap: a frame can have big lenses and a narrow front, or modest lenses and a wide one, because the bridge and the rim thickness sit between the two numbers. Compare frames by frame front, and if a pair you own fits well, its frame front is your target. The glasses measurements guide explains all five figures and how to measure a pair you already have.
Two more things the block tells you. A longer temple length helps if your head is deep as well as wide. And a wider bridge figure suits a wider nose, but see the next section before you assume you need one.
Wide faces and low nose bridges arrive together
A wide face often comes with high cheekbones and a nose bridge that sits lower and flatter than the frames in most shops are designed for. The signs are familiar: the frame rests on the cheeks, lifts when you smile, leaves marks on the cheekbones rather than the nose, and slides however wide the front is. A wider frame does not fix that; a frame cut for a lower nose bridge does, with nose pads or a bridge shaped to sit on the nose rather than the cheeks. Many of our frames are cut this way, listed in the low bridge fit eyeglasses collection, and the glasses keep sliding down nose guide separates the width problem from the bridge problem.
Shapes that flatter a wide face
The rule is to let the frame span the face rather than fight it.
- Rectangle and square. A strong horizontal line reads as width, which is what a wide face wants: a frame that matches the face rather than one that looks perched. The glasses for round face guide covers the angular frames in detail.
- Wide square with soft corners. The easiest wear, especially on a wide face with soft features; it spans without looking severe.
- Avoid small round frames. A small circle in the middle of a wide face makes the face look wider and the glasses look borrowed. A round frame can work if it is a wide one.
- Rim thickness. A medium acetate rim holds its own on a wide face; a very thin wire rim can disappear. The glasses for square face guide has the opposite advice for an angular face, which shows how much the rule depends on the face.
Colour is free. Dark frames read wider than light ones, which is a point for a wide face rather than against it.
MUJOSH optical frames for a wide face
The MUJOSH optical range is small, so the honest answer is three frames, ranked by the frame front figure on their product pages.
- Ultem, $99: the widest frame front in the range, a square in lightweight PPSU in five colourways, black, grey crystal, clear, grey and dark green. The default choice for a wide face.
- Nacp shaped, $119: the second widest, a soft square in acetate in a grey crystal and a tortoise. The choice if you want more rim.
- Beta Pitot, $135: a square round in acetate with thin titanium temples and the longest temples in the optical range, cut for a lower nose bridge. The choice if your head is deep as well as wide.
The full set is in the eyeglasses collection; check the Size and fit block on any of them against a pair that fits you.
If the frame is nearly right
A frame that passes three checks and fails the pressure test can often be adjusted: the arms opened a fraction at the hinge, the temple tips bent to follow the ears. The how to adjust glasses arms guide covers what can be done at home and what should go to an optician. A frame that fails the hinge line check cannot be adjusted into fitting; the front is the front.
The bottom line
Glasses for a wide face need a wide frame front, which is a different figure from lens width. Check the hinge line, the arm path, the pressure and the slide in a mirror, compare frames by the frame front figure on the product page, and expect to want a lower nose bridge cut as well. Square and rectangular frames in a medium rim span a wide face best; small round ones fight it. In the MUJOSH range, Ultem is the widest, Nacp shaped next, and Beta Pitot the one with the longest arms.
Spring hinges let one frame fit a range of head widths, which is why they matter on a wide face; the spring hinge glasses guide covers how they work.
The frame that is deep as well as wide is covered in the oversized glasses guide.
Frequently asked questions
What glasses are best for a wide face?
Frames with a wide frame front, the hinge to hinge measurement, in a square or rectangular shape with a medium rim. Lens size is not the measure; a frame can have big lenses and still be too narrow.
How do I know if glasses are too narrow for my face?
Hinges that sit inside the widest part of your face, arms that angle outward, pressure at the temples after twenty minutes, and a frame that slides forward even with a bridge that fits. Two of those means too narrow.
Should people with wide faces wear big glasses?
Wide ones, not necessarily big ones. Oversized lenses on a narrow front still pinch. Look at the frame front figure in the size block, and let the lens size follow.
Which MUJOSH glasses fit a wide face?
Ultem has the widest frame front in the optical range, Nacp shaped is next, and Beta Pitot has the longest temples. All are in the eyeglasses collection, with the size block on each page.
Where can I find large glasses frames?
Start from the frame width on the product page rather than the word large, because brands size differently; the glasses measurements guide explains how to read the numbers against a pair you own. A straight answer on this range: MUJOSH optical frames are medium sized and there is no oversized acetate frame, so a wide face is best served here by the fullest shapes, Halo and Beta Pitot, checked against the width on each page.
