Beard Styles

If you have taken the time to grow a beard, let me be the first to congratulate you.

Whether it’s short and well-defined or long and unkempt, a beard says a lot about a guy. Your beard style should complement your personal style and the shape of your face as well.

The best beards don’t just cover a guy’s face; they’re also flattering and accentuate facial features.

Top 10 Beard Styles of 2021

Every beard is unique, but most beards fall into these most popular beard styles.

Quarantine Beard

While there are plenty of negative effects to COVID19, the unique events of last year have given many guys the opportunity to let their facial hair grow wild.

For most guys, a beard like this requires very little effort, but an abundance of time. This style is also known as ‘The Yeard’ since it takes about a year of growth while resisting the urge to trim or shave it.

Well-Groomed Beard

You’ll need a fully-stocked beard grooming kit in order to pull off this look.

First, carefully trim your beard to maintain a somewhat uniform length. Longer beards are naturally wild, so I recommend using a beard balm with a strong holding ability to help maintain its shape.

Balbo Beard

The Balbo Beard features a heavily trimmed mustache and detached sideburns.

With the Balbo, most of the beard growth is going on below the jawline.

Stubble Beard

The 3-day scruff beard is definitely the easiest style to achieve. Depending on your facial hair growth rate, it may even take less than 3 days.

Use a beard trimmer without the guard to maintain this look without ever having to go back to clean-shaven.

Lined Up Beard

Those clean-shaven edges may be easier for your barber to line up, but with the help of a beard styling tool, you can DIY and create this look at home.

Get the Beardclass Beard Shaper Comb on Amazon here.

Fade

The Fade takes a steady hand and an artistic eye to accomplish. Just like the fade haircut from the 80s, this beard style gradually transitions from short to long.

You’ll need a versatile beard trimmer with multiple guards and attachments in order to handle the task. I recommend checking out these Braun beard trimmers if you don’t already have a reliable trimmer.

Goatee

Commonly paired with a mustache, the Goatee is a small patch of hair located just on the chin.

Shave the sides of your face and leave only the chin hair unshaved. The outer edges should line up with the outside corners of your mouth.

Van Dyke

The Van Dyke is a bold look that features a prominent mustache with a detached goatee. I recommend using a mustache wax if you wish to give your mustache that classic handlebar shape.

Honest Amish makes an all-natural beard wax to help tame those stray facial hairs. You can find it for sale on Amazon here.

Chin Strap

The chin strap became popular in the early 2000s. This beard style is created by leaving only a short strip of hair along the jawline, like the chin strap of a football helmet.

Another beard style can be created by combining the goatee with a chin strap.

Mutton Chops

A true symbol of masculinity, Mutton Chops have been around for centuries.

It’s basically the reverse of a Goatee, with extended sideburns that attach to a mustache while shaving the chin bald.

Which Beard Style Should You Choose?

Remember to choose a style that compliments the shape of your face.

Determine if your face shape falls into the circle, square, triangle, or oval category.

Beard Styles for Circular Shaped Faces

Slim your facial features by shaving closer along your jawline and letting your beard hair grow longer hair on your chin.

The Balbo beard, lined up beard, fade, and full beard are all good options for round face shapes.

Beard Styles for Square Shaped Faces

Keep your beard short on the sides and longer on the chin to accentuate that strong jawline.

Consider a lined up beard, goatee, chinstrap, or well-groomed style.

Beard Styles for Triangular Shaped Faces

A triangular-shaped face can pull off several different beard styles.

While it’s probably the only face shape that compliments the Van Dyke style, it also looks great with stubble or a long, full beard.

Beard Styles for Oval Shaped Faces

You should be able to make just about any style work with an oval-shaped face. I recommend trying out a few and finding a beard style that fits you best.