The Best Beard Styles For Men

New to the beard life or looking to switch up your style? If the clean-shaven look isn’t for you, you might be wondering about the beard styles for men. While personal preference plays a big role, factors like your face shape, beard growth goals, and hair thickness can help determine the perfect fit.

In this guide, we’ll explore 17 popular beard styles, plus tips on identifying your face shape and the beard care products you'll need.

If you’re tired of experimenting with different beard styles to find your look, figuring out your face shape can help inform what types of beard will look best. Here are the six most common face types:

1. Round Face: Your hairline and jawline are rounded, and your face is circular.

2. Oval Face: Your face is longer than wide, with cheekbones slightly wider than your forehead.

3. Square Face: Your forehead, jawline, and cheekbones are about equal widths.

4. Rectangular Face: Your face is longer with a squared hairline, and your forehead, cheeks, and jaw are evenly spaced and about the same width.

5. Heart-Shaped Face: Your forehead is wider than the jaw, and your cheeks are the widest and most angular points. You also may have a widow’s peak hairline.

6. Triangular Face: You have a more narrow, angular jaw, prominent cheekbones, and a wider forehead.

1. Classic Full Beard

This style covers the face, chin, and sideburns and follows hair's natural growth. The length varies but always extends to the jawline or beyond.

While a full beard can be relatively low-maintenance once the shape is established, not every man can grow a long one.

2. Chin Strap

More of the more popular short beard style, a chin strap beard is a narrow band of hair that extenuates the jawline. It extends from one sideburn to the other without covering the full cheeks. It may or may not include a floating mustache.

3. Mutton Chops

Mutton chops may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but this style — which frames the sides of the face with hair, leaving the chin bare — can work to show off a sharp jaw and chin. Some mutton chop styles include a mustache, and others leave the upper lip alone.

4. Short Boxed Beard

A short boxed beard is closely cropped and frames the jawline. Sometimes called a corporate beard, its angular edges work well with all face shapes, and it doesn’t extend past the jawline, keeping the neck and Adam’s apple clean.

5. Balbo Beard 

A balbo beard is essentially a chinstrap paired with a mustache, except the two do not connect, making it look like that chinstrap is “floating.” Generally, this style has no sideburns, the neck is shaved clean, and sometimes the beard has a soul patch.

6. Goatee

The goatee is one of the most popular facial hair styles that likely needs no introduction. Hair covers the chin here, but there’s no mustache or sideburns. The goatee can soften a square face shape or draw attention to a sharp jaw.

7. Stubble Beard

Plus, if pleasing others is a factor in deciding what beard shape you’ll rock, some research suggests that women prefer stubble to clean-shaven faces or full beards. You can grow it out or wear a short stubble beard, like a  5 o’clock shadow that lasts all day.

8. Anchor Beard

This style mimics the shape of a ship’s anchor, hence the name. It features a thin strip of hair down the center of the chin, then extends in a U-shape over the chin. The mustache is styled separately as a simple strip or slightly curled at the ends

9. Chevron Mustache

If you’re unsure a full beard is for you, plenty of mustache shapes are fun to experiment with. The chevron is a ‘stache style that’s uniformly thick and full and angled downward toward the corners of the mouth.

10. Ducktail Beard

This beard style is groomed into a tapered, squared-off triangle (like that of a duck’s tail). The beard can vary in length but usually includes a well-trimmed neckline, while the hair on the chin is grown out.

11. Hipster Beard

While everyone defines hipster in their own way, a hipster beard is generally agreed to be a longer, bushy beard style that extends past the jaw, often accompanied by a curled mustache.

12. Circle Beard

A circle beard forms a circle around the lips and chin but does not extend to the cheeks or neck. You can picture it like a small goatee joined forces with a mustache, leaving the rest of the face clean-shaven.

13. Van Dyke Beard

In a Van Dyke beard, a goatee and a mustache are complementary but separate. It’s up to you how long and full you let the goatee portion get, but the cheeks remain entirely shaved to stay true to this style.

14. Chin Curtain 

A chin curtain is a thicker and fuller version of the chin strap. This facial hair style extends along the jawline and covers the chin but does not include a mustache. Think Abe Lincoln. 

15. Verdi Beard

Named after Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi, this beard style includes a rounded, full beard with a mustache styled separately, usually with curled or slightly upturned ends. The Verdi beard follows the natural curvature of the face, coming to a point at the chin — it can help create angularity on rounder faces.

16. Viking Beard

If you’re looking for a relatively low-maintenance beard style, look to our Nordic friends. A Viking beard is grown out toward the neckline. A slightly wild mustache is typically part of the look, and the hair grows freely without being overstyled or tamed. 

17. The Garibaldi Beard

This beard style is categorized as a full beard with rounded edges (think David Letterman). It has a rugged look and works well with longer face shapes, like oval and rectangular. 

Beards are a business, so it’s not surprising that there are plenty of products to keep them looking their best. Here’s a quick overview of beard care products.

• Beard oil: Beard oil is thinner than beard balm and is made from hydrating oils. It conditions the skin under the beard and the beard itself and adds shine and softness. You can even make your own beard oil with a simple recipe.

• Beard balm: Like beard oil, beard balm is a solid product for beard maintenance and care. It’s made from rich butter (like shea or jojoba) and waxes that condition the beard while giving it some hold. Beard balm works especially well for longer beards or styled mustaches.

• Beard brush: A beard brush isn’t only for detangling — it can also be used to distribute product or conceal bald spots on a patchy beard (when paired with beard balm — kind of like a combover).

• Conditioner: Just like the hair on your hair, conditioners soften, hydrate, and smooth beard hair. Look for a formula made specifically for facial hair (there are both leave-in and rinse-out products, depending on what you like).

Here are a few things to consider when it comes to the best beard styles for men.

• The best beard style for you depends on things like your face shape, hair thickness, and personal preference. 

• From full beards to goatees, stubble, and mustaches, there are a variety of styles to suit different looks. 

• Proper maintenance is key to keeping your beard healthy and well-groomed. Beard oil, balm, conditioner, and a good brush can help soften, hydrate, and style your facial hair.

To learn more about beard styles and maintenance, check out our guides to the best beards for bald men and minoxidil for beard growth.