Growing a beard is a practice that dates back centuries ago. Beards have been considered a symbol of wisdom and masculinity. As a man, you are conscious of looking manly and neat. The first stages of growing facial hair are messy and require a lot of effort. Get armed with the right tools for your grooming needs.
But first, you need to know the various types of facial hair. Learn to identify each style and shape to have a deeper understanding of what grooming secrets you need to find out about.
A Short Guide to Face Shapes
Before setting off on the journey of growing a beard, or any type of facial hair for that matter, you first need to consider which style suits you best. Use only the best beard oil for growing strong and thick strands to keep your chosen beard style sleek and neat.
There are beards that fit best in certain shapes of the face. It highlights and even accentuates your face and brings out your best features.
Square
A square face means that all measurements including forehead, cheekbones, jawline and face length are equal. The notable distinction is the sharp angle of the jaw.
Round
Having a round-shaped face means that the cheekbones and face length are wider compared to the forehead and the jaw. The jawline is rounded, having soft angles.
Oval
An oval shape has great face length that is larger than the cheekbones. The jaw also has a rounded angle and is smaller than the forehead.
Rectangle
This face shape is defined by the long face measurement while the rest are equal in size.
Diamond
Aside from the long face measurement, a distinct characteristic of this face shape is the descending size of the cheekbone, forehead, and the jawline. The jaw has quite sharp angles and is pointed.
Triangular
Face that has a triangular shape has a jawline that is wider than the cheekbones which is also greater than the forehead. It has soft and rounded angles for the jaw.
Heart
Heart-shaped faces have a forehead that is wider than the cheekbones and the jawline. Its soft and rounded angles for the jaw give way to a pointed chin.
Grooming Tip: Trimming the beard does not only let you keep the desired length and shape. It also prevents the damage to strands from spreading. Use sharp scissors and the best beard comb you can find for a neat style.
Choosing the Right Facial Hair Style
Even reviews of beard oil products and brands take into consideration the efficiency of a formula when used for various purposes such as grooming and styling. Facial hair care depends on what style you’ve got. Here are the best choices for beard style to suit your face shape.
Full Beard
A full beard covers all of the notable areas such as the jaw, the upper lip, surrounding mouth area, and the chin. It has sideburns, a mustache, and goatee that all merges together to form a full beard style. This type of style works for all face shapes.
Goatee
A goatee is characterized by growing facial hair on the lower lips and the chin. There are also different types of goatee – from normal ones to a petite goatee, trimmed to create a sleek style. It works best for those who have square-shaped faces. It highlights the jaw and helps elongate the chin.
Circle Beard
This style has facial hair on the chin and mustache connected to form a circle. This helps accentuate the jaw for those who have a square-shaped face. Growing a mustache and goatee separately is called a Van Dyke Beard and suits a round face.
Scruffy or Stubble Beard
This type of beard looks like it hasn’t been shaved for days. It is quite a fashionable style that Hollywood actors often wear. This style has stubbles growing on the upper part of the neck up to the jawline extending to thin sideburns. It shows off trimmed mustache and goatee.
Sideburns
Hearing and seeing a sideburn conjures up images of the late Elvis Presley. This famous singer rocked particularly distinct sideburns that are more defined compared to the rest of the facial hair.
Chin Strap
A chin strap is different from a strip which is just a thin vertical line of hair on the chin. The chin strap has no mustache and only has facial hair growing in the area surrounding the chin. Both of these styles work on rectangle shaped faces. They emphasize the bone structure and helps give the face a wider girth.
Mustache
There are a lot of other styles for mustache such as the horseshoe and the handlebar. The first one always gets associated with bikers or wrestlers as it shows off a rebellious nature. The handlebar, on the other hand, gives off a sophisticated aura with its neat trimmed lines. There’s also the Chevron where facial hair covers the entirety of your top lip. This works on all face shapes but fit oval ones the best.
Mutton Chops
This kind of beard is a unique style as it sports distinct sideburns that connect to a neat mustache. However, it lacks a goatee which puts focus on a clean-shaven chin. For those who have a rectangular face shape, this is a great choice.
Soul Patch
Last but not the least, is the soul patch. It is a very distinct style as it lacks the attention-grabbing sideburns and mustache. It is a patch of hair that grows directly on the lower part of the lip. It does not extend into a goatee, just a hanging patch of facial hair.
Grooming Tip: Always carry with you a beard comb. There are actually products of this type that has a unique design. You might want to look at the Urban Prince collection of BushKlawz. Their beard comb has differently sized teeth on each side to work on various types of facial hair.