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Plus, tips for grooming and styling your beard
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Interested in a beard but not sure you want to look like Gandalf? The short beard is a perfect solution, and the good news is there are plenty of styles to choose from. That’s why we’ve partnered with the men's hair and grooming experts over at MANSCAPED® to bring you this list of the best-looking short beards for any face shape, with advice on how to pick the look that’s right for you. Read on to learn more!
Steps
Section 1 of 4:
Top Short Beard Styles for Men
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Circle beard A circle beard is a mustache and chin beard that connect on the sides of the lips, forming a circle shape around your mouth that shows off your defined jawline. Once you’ve grown out your beard and mustache, just take a beard trimmer to the sides of your cheeks and remove the hair up to your mustache. [1] X Research source
- To make a pencil circle beard, trim the connecting hair between your chin and mustache very thin (about the width of a pencil) with very clear, defined lines.
- This look only works if your mustache and beard connect to each other (otherwise, it looks more like a goatee).
- Best face shape: Square, oval
- Not sure what your face shape is? Take our Face Shape Quiz to find out!
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Goatee “Goatee” is a general term for any beard style that has hair on the chin, but not the cheeks (and may or may not have a mustache). To style a goatee , just trim or shave off all the hair on your cheeks, leaving a chin beard that lets your sharp jawline shine. If you have a mustache, you can leave it unconnected to maintain the goatee look, or let it grow into your chin beard for a circle beard look.
- As long as there’s hair on your chin and not on your cheeks, you can say you have a goatee.
- Best face shape: Square, oval, round (when it extends further along the jawline)
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Royale beard A royale beard consists of a mustache paired with a disconnected chinstrap beard and a patch of hair under the bottom lip called a soul patch (imagine Robert Downey Jr.’s signature beard). To get the look, trim your facial hair into a goatee shape, separating your mustache and beard so they don’t connect (this look is great for guys whose mustache doesn’t connect around the lips or grow out very much).
- The royale beard has a kind of hipster chic look and is a classic variation of the circle beard or goatee.
- Best face shape: square, oval
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Stubble beard Even stubble all over hits the sweet spot between clean-shaven and a true beard and looks casual, laidback, and rugged (maybe not so great for the office, though). Just grab your electric trimmers and cut your beard down as close to the skin as you can without totally shaving it off for a perfectly curated 5 o’clock shadow. [2] X Research source
- It’s super easy to maintain stubble and it’s a great look for guys who don’t want to put a lot of time into their facial hair.
- To make it look more polished and professional, shave clear lines on your cheeks and neck. Or, leave the edges natural for a more effortless style.
- Best face shape: Oval, square, heart
- Looking for a shaver that’ll give you effortless stubble? The Chairman™ Pro Package electric foil shaver from MANSCAPED® has 2 stubble length-setting combs for even stubble all over and a precision trimmer edge for super defined beard lines.
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Short ducktail beard This style looks like a V- or U-shaped beard on the chin that elongates and softens a square face or hard lines. Trim the hair on your cheeks and jawline down to a short length (there are no rules here—go for whatever length you prefer), but let your chin hair stay long and hang below your face (again, no rules on length here, but about 2 inches (5 cm) is a great place to start). Use your trimmers to make a rough “V” shape under your chin and voilà !
- Feel free to take liberties with how long your cheek and chin hair are. Shorter and neater is great for the office and looking polished, while a little longer and wilder looks rugged but still sophisticated.
- Best face shape: Square, oval
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Van Dyke beard Inspired by 17th-century Flemish painter Anthony Van Dyk, the Van Dyke beard makes rounder faces look more angular and defined. It’s essentially a thicker goatee (with or without a soul patch) paired with a long mustache. Traditionally, the mustache is curled at the ends to make a handlebar mustache and give you an old 1900s look. Nowadays, you can just grow out your mustache without curling it if you prefer a more modern feel.
- Tip: You’ll need a strong mustache wax to hold the handlebar shape if you go for a classic Van Dyke.
- Best face shape: Round, square, oval
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Short boxed beard A boxed beard is a short, full beard with clearly defined and trimmed sides that makes your entire face look more angled, chiseled, and distinguished (even if it’s a bit rounder in reality). [3] X Research source To get the look, grow out your beard and then trim it down to a short, even length all over (try a #2 or #3 guard to keep it from just looking like stubble). Then, use a razor or take the guard off your trimmer to line up your beard on your cheeks and neck.
- A short boxed beard works great for guys with shorter hair since it makes the face and head seem balanced and put together.
- Best face shape: Round, oval
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Balbo beard A Balbo is a beard without sideburns and a disconnected mustache (it’s kind of like a royale or goatee, but the beard extends farther along the jawline toward the ears to give it a fuller, bolder look). It shapes rounder faces to look more angular (especially at the chin), resulting in a more masculine and refined style.
- To get a Balbo beard, keep your facial hair longer at the chin and along the jawline, but trim down your cheeks and sideburns (or shave them clean).
- In some variations, guys will fade down to stubble at the side burns so their hair and beard appear slightly more connected. As long as your head hair and beard aren’t long and connected, it’s a Balbo.
- Best face shape: Round, oval
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Anchor beard Picture a goatee or royale beard, but with a chinstrap that connects to your chin beard to form an anchor shape with the sides swooping upward. It’s a distinctive and unique shape that makes the chin seem more prominent or angled on a rounder face. Grow out your goatee beard and chinstrap so they connect, then use your trimmer or a beard detailer to shape the base of the “anchor” on your chin. [4] X Research source
- Tip: This look takes regular trimming and maintenance to maintain. If you’re more of a “I trim every once in a while” kind of guy, a regular goatee or royale are similar but require less maintenance.
- Best face shape: Round, oval
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Soul patch with light mustache Let your soul patch grow out and trim it to about a #2 or #3 guard (you don’t want to go too long—a long soul patch without a beard is not the greatest look). Then, trim your mustache hair down to a length between stubble and a #3 so it appears a bit thinner and lighter than a full ‘stache.
- This look is great for guys who struggle to grow full beards and mustaches. It’s also low-maintenance, doesn’t take long to grow, and adds some dimension to round faces.
- Best face shape: Round, oval
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Short Viking beard or Viking goatee A Viking beard is usually a long style and grows from your cheeks and chin (including under your chin) to form a wild, intimidating, manly look. However, you don’t need a full blown Viking beard to look fearsome:
- Let your beard grow out for a few weeks or months (depending on how long you want it and how long it already is) until you have the length you want under the chin.
- Then, trim down your cheeks to about a #4 or longer (it’s up to your preference) but let the hair on your chin and the underside of your chin and jawline hang down longer (again, it’s up to you how long—2 to 3 inches (5 to 7.6 cm) is a good look).
- Take off the trimmer guard and carefully shape the outside of the beard for a polished look, or let it stay a little messier for a more rugged, Viking-esque style.
- Best face shape: Round, oval
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Mutton chops Picture the opposite of a goatee—sideburns, cheek hair, and a shaved chin (traditional mutton chops don’t have a mustache, but you can definitely keep yours to try this out, too). Basically, all you have to do is grow out your full beard and then trim the chin hair away and boom! Classic mutton chops.
- Since this is a bold look, keep your beard hair tamed and hydrated with beard oil after trimming.
- Best face shape: Rectangle/oblong, oval
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Gunslinger beard with mustache Picture a cowboy from the Wild West with big sideburns and a thick horseshoe mustache. That’s the gunslinger, baby! It’s similar to mutton chops, but with less hair on the cheeks. This look is great for guys with long faces and would overpower other face shapes. To get the look, let your beard grow out, then shave or buzz most of your cheek hair and all of your chin hair away, leaving sideburns that come all the way down to your jawline (and extend down the jaw toward your chin, if you like). [5] X Research source
- Let your horseshoe mustache grow long toward your jawline. It can connect to the beard if you like, or it can stay separate.
- This look takes regular maintenance to keep clean, so plan to trim at least 2 to 3 times a week.
- Best face shape: Rectangle/oblong, oval
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Chinstrap beard A chinstrap beard covers the chin and extends along the jawline all the way up to the ears without a mustache (great for fellas who struggle to fill in their upper lip). The style accentuates your jawline, brings balance to longer faces, and looks great when it’s short (long chinstraps are not the move for most men). [6] X Research source
- To get the look, shave your cheeks and mustache clean, leaving behind hair on your chin and jawline all the way up to the ears.
- Best face shape: Rectangle/oblong, oval
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Corporate beard Picture a classic full beard, but kept no more than an inch (2.5 cm) long and with a clean-shaven neck and cheeks above your beard line. This look is a great way to make a statement with your beard while still looking polished and professional enough to wow clients and climb the corporate ladder. [7] X Research source
- To get this style, grow out your beard for several weeks until it reaches the length you like (within an inch of your face). Then, comb your beard and use trimmers to clean up straggly hairs and shape it.
- Take off the guard to define your neck and cheek lines. Then, shave the skin on your neck and upper cheeks so they’re smooth and contrast with your beard.
- Best face shape: Rectangle/oblong, oval,
- Tip: If you have a slim face, keep your corporate beard a bit fuller in the cheeks so your face fills in a little bit more.
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Stubble beard with soft edges A stubble beard is rugged yet refined and easy to maintain. Plus, when the edges aren’t super defined, any angular features you have will be softened and seem fuller. Getting the look is easy—just trim your beard down to stubble (use a #1 or #0 guard) and leave the edges to fade away into your skin naturally. Avoid clear lines, which can make your features look too sharp.
- Best face shape: Diamond, oval, square
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Full beard A classic full beard can soften your features and “fill in” your chin and jawline, which are narrower than your wide cheekbones. Grow out your beard evenly all over, then trim it down to a short length (maybe a #3 or #4 guard, but the length is ultimately up to what you think looks good and works for you). Consider erring on the longer side at first, then trim shorter if your face looks imbalanced.
- Keep the edges soft here, too. Hard lines can make your angular bone structure more pronounced.
- Best face shape: Oval, diamond, square, round
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Petite or light goatee Picture a normal goatee (with or without a mustache), but a bit shorter and with less defined edges. This style adds a bit of bulk to narrower chins, which balances out your face and makes it look more oval-like. All you have to do is shave a goatee like normal, but buzz it down a bit shorter (try a #2 guard). Leave the edges a touch messy to avoid adding more hard lines to your face.
- Best face shape: Diamond, oval, heart
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Beardstache For fellas with wide jaws, balancing the cheekbones and forehead is key to looking great. A beardstache does this perfectly. Like the name suggests, it’s a mustache paired with a beard that’s pretty short (or just stubble). All you have to do is trim your beard down to a length shorter than your mustache to let your upper lip be the star (and pull a bit of focus from your impressive jawline). [8] X Research source
- Best face shape: Triangle, oval, square, diamond
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Angular beard This style complements the natural contours of angled faces with wider jaws and is pretty easy to maintain. It’s a full beard that’s close to the skin on the sides and gradually lengthens toward the chin, adding some length to your jaw. To trim it, use a guard 1 or 2 sizes longer around your chin than you do on your sides (don’t make too drastic of a difference though, or you’ll just end up with 2 noticeably different beard lengths).
- Best face shape: Triangle, oval, square, round
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Stubble with sideburns If your face tends to narrow from your forehead down to your jawline and chin, you’ll want a style that adds some depth and dimension to your face without your jaw being overpowered by hair. Rather than a full beard, try out a stubble beard with prominent sideburns—just let your sideburns grow thick and long and shave down to stubble everywhere else. Easy!
- Don’t take this as a sign you can never have a different beard style. Every face is unique, so try any short, tight style and see how it works for you! Just be careful about adding too much bulk to your chin and jaw.
- Best face shape: Heart, diamond
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Scruff under the chin In some cases, a heart face doesn’t necessarily mean your jaw is small—if you have a pointy chin with wide, high cheekbones relative to your mouth, then it can give the illusion of a more classically heart-shaped face. If this sounds like you, consider a beard that’s close along the cheeks and jaw and bushier under the chin. This makes it seem like you have a fuller, more square jaw and balances out your features. [9] X Research source
- Best face shape: Heart, diamond
- Tip: There should be more beard than clean-shaven skin under your chin with this look. For the majority of guys, don’t trim all the way to the neckline on the beard. Go between your jawline and the first wrinkle in your throat instead.
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Mustaches galore Mustaches aren’t a beard, but they’re a super versatile facial hair look and can look great on most guys. Here are some of the most popular and flattering styles, but know that your ‘stache options are near limitless:
- Chevron mustache: A bold mustache that fills your entire upper lip and angles slightly down around the corners of your mouth (think Tom Selleck). Let your mustache grow as long and full as can be, then trim the lip line and corners to get that chevron shape.
- Horseshoe mustache: A mustache with long bars coming down and around the corners of the mouth, making a horseshoe shape. Grow out your ‘stache and chin beard, then trim away the hair on the front of your beard, leaving the “horseshoe” arms along the edges.
- Classic mustache: A great choice if you struggle to grow a beard or it grows in patchy. Let your mustache grow out to its natural shape, then use trimmers to define the lip line. Keep the ends a bit closer to the corners of your mouth than a chevron.
- Best face shape: Oval, square, round, diamond
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References
- ↑ https://www.chicagomalesalon.com/blogs/short-beard-styles-for-your-face-shape
- ↑ https://www.chicagomalesalon.com/blogs/short-beard-styles-for-your-face-shape
- ↑ https://www.chicagomalesalon.com/blogs/short-beard-styles-for-your-face-shape
- ↑ https://www.chicagomalesalon.com/blogs/short-beard-styles-for-your-face-shape
- ↑ https://www.chicagomalesalon.com/blogs/short-beard-styles-for-your-face-shape
- ↑ https://www.chicagomalesalon.com/blogs/short-beard-styles-for-your-face-shape
- ↑ https://www.chicagomalesalon.com/blogs/short-beard-styles-for-your-face-shape
- ↑ https://www.fashionbeans.com/article/right-beard-for-your-face-shape/
- ↑ https://www.mensjournal.com/style/best-beard-and-mustache-styles-every-guys-face-shape
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