You’ve decided to grow a beard, and you opened your browser and searched for beard-related topics. Right now, you might be wondering if a beard only grows under the chin or how to style your beard, or maybe you want to know the basics about beards. The good news is… you’ve landed on the right article.
To answer this article’s title, no, a beard does not only grow under the chin. However, the small beard that elongates the chin is called the goatee. Aside from this one, you can style your beard in various ways. Are you ready to learn more about beards? Let’s go!
Beard Styles
Growing facial hair is a perfect way to add extra character to your face. It’s also a perfect way to compensate for the hair you’re missing on your head, whether your hair is beginning to thin or your hairline is receding.
It’s important to know what beard style works for you because not every style looks great on every man. The style that you’re going to do or follow should add contrast and texture to your face.
Generally, there are 4 beard styles – square, round, rectangle, and oval. And there are specific beard styles that fall under each face shape category. For an easy reference, we listed some beard styles that you could try (whether it’s your first time growing your facial hair or you’re just looking for another style to try).
Rectangle Beards
To achieve this beard style, keep your facial hair shorter on the bottom and longer on the sides to show off your strong facial structure.
- If you want to make a bold and unconventional statement with your beard, the hipster beard is the one for you.
- The chin strip is another rectangle beard style, which you can achieve by shaving the entire part of your face and leaving a vertical line of hair across the chin.
- The chin strap beard style is also a must-try. It’s a beard that circles the chin, but with no mustache. To do this, start by trimming the neck when styling a chin strap, but do not go too high.
- The small patch of hair underneath the center of the lower lip is called the soul patch.
Round Beards
The purpose of the round beards style is for your face to look slimmer with an angled shave along your cheekbones.
- A short-boxed beard is like the full beard but has thin, neatly trimmed sides. For this beard style, use a trimmer to maintain a clean line on the underside of the jaw, so the beard wraps around slightly.
- A beard without sideburns and a trimmed, floating mustache is called a Balbo beard. It’s a little bit like the short-boxed beard. Although keeping the sides clean with an angled shave along the cheekbones, this beard style leaves hair fuller on the cheeks. This style also fits with round-shaped faces.
- The anchor beard is similar in form to a nautical anchor, so it’s easy to see how it got its name. This style traces the jawline and is paired with a mustache.
Square Beards
In styling square beards, shave or trim your facial hair with sharp, accurate lines close to your cheekbones. To take advantage of your square jawline, wear your facial hair short on the sides and fuller on your chin.
- The mustache that is anchored by a chin strip is called a royal beard. Use a trimmer to determine the beard shape to achieve this look before removing the hair that links the chin strip to the mustache.
- A small beard that elongates the chin is called the goatee. To outline the form of the beard, this style includes using a trimmer. Once the form you’re aiming for has been reached, shave the hair above your lip before shaving the rest of your face.
Oval Beards
If you have an oval face, you have the ideal face for almost any beard style. Below are just a few of the many styles of beard you can try.
- The horseshoe is a cowboy-inspired mustache style that features two distinctive long bars of facial hair pointing downwards, often extending all the way to the chin.
- A chevron mustache is cut towards the corners of your mouth to angle downwards. It’s more discreet than the horseshoe. A chevron mustache should be full and thick around the rest of your upper lip but shortened, so its bottom edge ends just above your top lip.
How to Groom Your Beard
Now that you have the idea of which style you’re going for, it’s time to know how to keep your beard look better. Even if you want to keep its length or just clean it up, you need to know how to groom a beard.
The first thing to grooming your facial hair is to have the right tools for it. It would be best if you had a beard comb, facial hair scissors, and a beard trimmer with guard heads.
For starters, use the beard comb to place all facial hair into place. Trim any strays that hang over the lip or stick out. For mustache trimming and spot-checking, facial hair scissors work well too.
The trimmer guard’s lengths vary from one unit to the next and are often determined by whether the trimmer is for beards or hair specifically.
Note that you’ll need some shaving cream and some post-shave lotion.
The Bottom Line
Depending on how you style and groom it, your beard will either make your look or break it. If you’re planning to grow one or you already have one, the tips above will surely help. Be sure to let us know what style you’ve tried and send us any questions you have. We’re here to keep you looking your best.
