For ancient Egyptians, it was a sign of wealth and status. Romans would cultivate theirs to signify mourning, while Gauls equated the loss of one with castration. To the 21st-century man, though, the humble beard is more a sartorial statement of intent than a status symbol.
In the past few years facial hair has morphed from money-saving ruse (it’s no coincidence that the rise of the beard ran parallel with the global economic recession) into the ultimate style accessory – and one that’s not just an adjunct to your overall look but an expression of the inner you, too.
Cheap, versatile and adaptable, facial hair can change the shape of a man’s face and completely alter how he looks in jeans and a T-shirt or a suit. A few whiskers here and there can make a baby face look older, draw attention away from a thinning thatch and hide a multitude of sins (or chins). In short, it allows a man to be the ultimate chameleon.
What’s more, despite the ‘peak beard’ protestations of clean-shaven style pundits and the wishful thinking big bucks razor manufacturers, the beard is very much here to stay.
In fact, a recent You Gov survey showed the popularity of beards has only increased since 2011,
What makes things different from the last time facial hair was in fashion back in the seventies isn’t just the sheer variety of styles men are now experimenting with or the number of products available to help them achieve them, but women’s attitude towards them.
Ten years ago a beard, goatee or jazz spot almost acted as a contraceptive, but the same You Gov survey showed that only a third of young women prefer men without some form of fuzz.
The fact that so many celebrities are also sporting facial furniture has helped, too. Try imagining the likes of Drake, Idris Elba or David Beckham without their signature beards and you’ll see how much it’s embedded itself into the public consciousness.
Which Style?
The only question a man has to ask about facial hair these days is which style to have. And that’s where this guide – covering everything from how to rock a smattering of stubble to how to tame a full on grizzly beard – comes in.
Whether you’re a facial hair aficionado who fancies a change of style or are currently clean-shaven and need a beard-growing battle plan, here’s are the best beard styles to suit both your face and your personality.
1. Stubble
A stubble style of beard is basically a shorter version of all different forms of beard, i.e. the hair size is kept pretty small and therefore the maximum hair size, viz. in the full stubble beard is also about 1/4th the size of normal full beard.
Back in the 1930s, stubble wasn’t quite the uber-cool style statement it is today. Back then it was a sign that a man was lazy or down on his luck (‘five o’clock shadow’ was a term concocted by a razor company to encourage men to shave twice a day so as not to appear slovenly).
Nowadays, it’s a widely accepted halfway house between being clean-shaven and rocking a full-on Seasick Steve.
Who It Suits
Perfect for guys with baby faces, a sprinkling of stubble instantly adds maturity and a sense of ruggedness, making it the ideal option for those who struggle to grow thick, full beards.
Stubble also tends to make weak jaws look stronger and provides good camouflage for imperfections like acne scars and uneven pigmentation.
How To Maintain
1. Grow your beard out. Avoid shaving for several days to let your natural stubble grow to at least 3 cm.
2. Trim your neckline. Carefully trim to create a line under your chin. Keep your neck nice and tidy below the line. Trim the area of your beard beneath your cheekbones, carefully forming a downward oval shape. Or draw a straight diagonal line from the beginning of your sideburn to the edge of your mustache. Then tidy up the area below your mouth. For more advice on perfecting your stubble beard neckline.
3. Create your stubble. Set your stubble trimmer between 1 and 3 cm and trim the rest of your beard evenly. To find the length that suits you best, start with a longer setting, moving down to a shorter setting to find the ideal stopping point. Once you’re there, tidy up under your chin with a shaver.
4. Maintain your stubble. Trim and shave regularly to maintain your preferred length and keep the edges of your stubble beard neat.
2. The Goatee
Short on effort, big on style, the goatee has long been the facial hair choice for rockstars, intellectuals and those with a wayward, rebellious streak. Choosing the right goatee or any other beard style is similar to choosing your hairstyle. In both cases, a style that doesn’t compliment your face shape can make you look awkward.
The first step is understanding which style works best with the shape of your face
Who It Suits
The bad boy’s facial hair of choice, goatees are great for adding a little edge to your style, or to affect an air of the alternative. They’re also perfect if you struggle to grow a full beard or find that when you do it’s patchy and uneven.
How To Maintain
1. Comb and trim your beard to 10 mm
Attach the beard comb to your Beard Trimmer, then begin evenly trimming the hair on your neck, cheeks and above your lip. Focus on trimming your chin and moustache area while stepping down in 0.5 mm stages to help make sure your length is even across the whole beard and at a place you’re happy with. Don’t worry about the shape of your Goatee beard looking a little vague at this stage, all the precise craftsmanship will come later, once your overall facial hair is at a good length to work with.
Tip: Trim using the 1-10 mm comb attachment, going down in 0.5 mm stages
2. Remove the comb to define an outline
Remove the comb and use the head of your beard trimmer directly to start to define your Goatee beard style. Trim slowly, working from the neck, to the edges of your chin then your cheeks and upper lip, until you achieve your desired Goatee outline. This step is all about shaping around your beard before locking down the finished design. Having said that, things should start shaping up already and you’ll be able to see your Goatee beard style coming through.
Tip: Shape around your beard. First neck, then cheeks and upper lip
3. Shape your Goatee with the precision trimmer
Now we’re getting to the detail. First, trim the hair from your chin towards the ear in order to achieve nice, clean lines on both sides of your Goatee. Use careful, slow, continuous strokes. Trimming away from the hair line will help prevent you from accidentally shaving into your beard outline, which would undo the style and shape you’ve already been carving away at. Do this to the left and right edges of the Goatee, double-checking each side is symmetrically trimmed. Then once you’re happy with both sides, you can add sharp corners to your Goatee beard. The easiest way to do this is by using downwards movements. Take extra care around the area where both sides connect to the moustache and down at the chin. Bold and neat lines will define your beard best, giving you that precisely designed beard style and look.
Tip: Define in two stages, trimming away from the hair line
4. Clean shave your face to emphasise your Goatee
Next, it’s time to clean shave your neck, cheeks and jawline. For a smooth, hassle-free shave and finish, you can use the Gillette razor, provided with the Braun BeardTrimmer kit. Prepare your skin by splashing warm water on it and applying a shaving foam. Then shave against the direction of your hair growth using single, continuous strokes until the skin outside your Goatee is smooth and completely hair-free. Make sure to double-check the area beneath your chin, ensuring you don’t shave into the outline as this crisp edge is a particularly important feature of the Goatee beard style.
Tip: For an extra-close shave, use the included Gillette razor
5. Moisturise and maintain your Goatee beard
Now that you’ve got your Goatee style, rinse your face and protect your skin by using an alcohol-free moisturiser to prevent post-shave dryness. All you need to do now is keep on top of those potential stray hairs, particularly around your moustache area. Ideally, you should trim your beard at least once a week to keep that tidy, crafted Goatee look. It also helps to wash your Goatee every 2-3 days to stay fresh and well groomed. Using a normal hair conditioner will give you a smart, easy to style beard. Also, depending on your Goatee shape, beard wax and beard oil can help you tame it. A great beard design like the Goatee deserves all the freshness it can get.
Tip: Using normal hair conditioner on your beard helps keep it well groomed
3.The Beardstache
Sporting a beardstache says that you’re a bit tired of convention and all the recent trends. You don’t hate the trends, by any means, but you want to step away from them a bit and try something new that’s not overly radical. You’re confident and have a good sense of style and taste.
Like the standalone ’stache, there’s something inescapably 1970s porno about the style, but it’s fun, shows you have an experimental side and there’s a practical aspect too since it’s the perfect lightweight alternative to a full beard come summer.
Who It Suits
It works well on most face shapes but requires thick facial hair and looks best on guys with a wider philtrum (the stretch of skin between the top lip and nose) and a prominent chin due to it drawing attention higher up the face.
How To Maintain
Maintaining a beardstache is like looking after two very different kids – just adjust your maintenance strategy to accommodate both.
1.Allow the stubble around your upper lip
The look can be created from the starting point of a full beard or by simply allowing the stubble around your upper lip to grow longer from scratch.
2.Growing the moustache
Use a beard trimmer to keep the hair around the chin and cheeks at an extended stubble length while growing the moustache so that the sides finish just lower than the bottom lip, but not beyond the jawline, otherwise you’ll look like Yosemite Sam.
3.Keep the ‘stache part tangle-free
Keep the ‘stache part tangle-free with the help of a decent moustache comb and shape with a touch of moustache wax, distributing the wax evenly with the comb.
4. The Short Beard
A dialled-down, neater and altogether less lumberjacky version of the full beard, the short beard is a more versatile, understated and office-friendly alternative – perfect if you’re fending off a boss who’s phobic of facial hair.
Who It Suits
A neatly trimmed beard will suit most face shapes, though you may need to tailor the angles to emphacise your best features and downplay your worst.
If you’ve a round face, for example, you might want to reduce the length at the sides slightly to elongate the face. Similarly, leaving the sides slightly longer can help add width to a thin, narrow face.
How To Maintain
Unlike the big, bushy hipster beard, the short style is minimal and precise. With neatness key, a decent beard trimmer is essential. A wet razor will come in handy, too.
1: Grow it out
When your facial hair is at least 2 cm long, wash and dry your beard and comb it downwards.
2: Shape it up
Use a trimmer to shape your neck and cheek lines, and clean up under your lower lip.
3: Trim it down
Now trim your beard evenly to the desired length with a comb attachment (or zoom wheel, if your trimmer has one).
4: Finishing touch
Comb your beard out, tidy up around the mustache, and check one last time for symmetry.
5: Shave
Finally, shave your cheeks and neck for a well-maintained appearance.
6.Styling & maintenance
Short beard styles should be trimmed every other day to stay looking sharp.
5. Full Beard
Growing a full beard is a rite of passage up there with learning to drive, drinking your first pint (not at the same time, mind) and buying your first ‘grown-up’ watch.
But like skiing, losing weight or shooting hoops, it’s one of those things that’s decidedly harder than it looks. The fuller the beard, the more maintenance it requires and the more problems you’re likely to encounter.
Who It Suits
Of all the beard styles, the full beard is the hardest to rock, partly because it’s such a statement. Guys with oval faces will have no problem making it work, but if you’ve any other face shape, you may need some creative trimming to ensure it flatters.
How to grow a thick, full beard
1. Wait and let it grow
Give yourself a few weeks of grow time – this mack-daddy beard style is worth the wait.
2. Take some preventative steps
Meanwhile, take some preventative steps to retain a groomed (not grizzled) look. Beards take time, so it’s worth knowing how to maintain a full beard in its nascent stages. Cut back any neck hair, and stray cheek hairs, with regular shaves, using your rotary shaver in a gentle, circular motion.
Tip: Don’t shave too close, or the difference between your neck hair and the foliage slowly growing over your face will make your nascent beard look strangely out-of-sync.
3. Use your trimmer to even out the length
After several weeks of growth, your beard is probably looking pretty unkempt. When the beard is clean and dry, use your beard trimmer to even out the length and get rid of any stragglers, setting the comb or zoom wheel to the 3rd or 4th level.
4. Use a longer setting on your trimmer
Now that your beard has filled out nicely, it’s time to talk about how to shape a full beard. Using a longer setting on your beard comb or zoom wheel, trim the hair on your neck, moving from the middle to the side. Following your natural growth pattern, tidy up your cheekline. The zoom wheel will give you total, reliable control over the length settings..
5. keep an eye on the symmetry
Once your neckline and cheekline have been defined, comb your full beard out and begin shaping it, keeping an eye on the symmetry. If you want to create a nice, soft point out of your beard, remember to increase the length settings as you move from your cheeks to your chin.
6. Shave the extra hairs
When shaping a full beard, remember to first trim, then shave the extra hairs off your cheeks and neck, plus any areas (like below the mouth) where you want to create definition. Use a rotary shaver in a gentle circular motion on your cheeks and neck; for smaller, tighter spaces, first trim with a precision trimmer then clean up with a mini foil shaver. For more tips, check out our beard trimming guide here.
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