The beard has been back for a while. Celebrities with beards, politicians with beards: for a while there, it seemed like every man on the planet was either rocking, growing or planning one. If you've joined the ranks because of COVID-19 you might need a style, and we've got loads of beard styling ideas in this post.

With good beard care and grooming, trimming, and the correct use of beard oil and beard balm, you can achieve most looks. Below we’ve laid out 23 of the best beard styles and facial hairstyles, for all the different types of facial hair, and face shapes. We've even got a celebrity beards section! Find out what the best shaped beard for your face is with this guide.

Short Beards

With coronavirus rampant and face masks obligatory in many spaces, many men might favour a short beard style. But there are many other reasons you might dig a shorter style: some men just suit a shorter beard, you might want to try something a little more elaborate, and hey, you might also need to keep your job. If you want to keep your beard shorter, there are many types of beards for you.

1. Stubble Beard

Beard stubble, once thought of as just laziness, is a fine style on its own merits. Popularized by many celebrities, it can provide definition and if it’s well executed, no one will think you forgot to shave.

2. Corporate and Business Beard

Just because you’ve got to earn a buck, doesn’t mean to need to forego style. A corporate or business beard is pretty self-explanatory: it’s a beard that’s neat and tidy enough for work. No frills, no drama, just a functioning, short cropped beard: no longer than an inch is roughly right.

3. Beard Fade

Just like when you have a fade in your hair, a beard fade graduates in length, shortest near your hairline and fullest around the chine and jaw. Could be easily confused with a hipster beard, simply because so many hipsters wear a beard fade. Straddles the line between short and medium, as there are so many variants in length.

Medium Length Beard Styles

4. Van Dyke Beard

Nothing to do with Dick Van Dyke, the Van Dyke Beard combines a floating moustache with a goatee, a la 17th Century Flemish painter Anthony. The two should not touch, as this would move it into goatee territory.

5. Tapered and Pointed Beard

As it says on the tin, the tapered and pointed is well … you got it. Tapered in from the cheeks in a trapezoid shape, this beard suits those with a strong jaw, but also is great to lengthen the appearance of the face.

6. Short Boxed Beard

Although not technically a small beard, the box beard is a one up on the corporate beard. The boxed beard can be grown a little longer, 2-3 inches around the chin, and should short on the sides, tapered form the cheeks in, and then squared off, or boxed, at the bottom.

7. Verdi Beard

The distinguished Verdi features a handlebar moustache coupled with a wide, 3-4 inch beard, with the moustache waxed and overhanging. Expect to need around 4-8 months growth.  Just a personal preference, but I think this works best with grey beards: something about older guys with beards that just works with the Verdi.

8. Hollywoodian Beard

The Hollywoodian draws attention away from the cheeks and the jaw and chin. Essentially a very wide chin strap with a connected moustache, it’s important to keep a good thickness of beard between the cheek and jaw to avoid a chinstrap (unless that’s what you’re after).  

9. Patchy Beard

Never really considered a ‘style’ until Keanu Reeves made it cool, a patchy beard, well maintained, can be a great look in its own right. If your beard growth is patchy or you have thin facial hair you can take heart!

10. Long Goatee Styles

You’ve seen the goatee, where chin beard and moustache meet, but the sideburns aren’t invited to the party. You’ve also probably seen men's goatee styles with an epic chin beard: that’s the guy.

Thinking of growing a goatee? You'll need our guide to goatee styles for every face shape.

11. Handlebar Mustache with Beard

Really just a variety on the Verdi, this requires a little less wax and upkeep, but has the same main features. A beard with a handlebar up top and over the top, a great look for lazier days for Verdi wearers, and done right a great look. Period.

12. #Coronabeard

The only beard style containing a hashtag, this is so because many men used lockdown (and wfh) as a great excuse to grow out their facial hair. The corona beard is rugged, slightly unkempt, and exactly the kind of beard you should wear while you can get away with it.

Long Beard Types

13. Big Beards

This is a bit of a catch-all to describe well, a big beard. This means beards that are big in all directions, which are defined more by their volume than by their definition.

14. Curly and Wavy Beard

Not a style achievable by all, but if you are lucky enough to have a curly beard, a wavy style is your reward. Wavy beards can work with many styles, although the natural wave may be enough all on it’s on.

15. Viking Beards

Viking beard styles vary from long to short, but are generally full and do not taper significantly from the cheeks in. Giving you a full, Viking looking beard. Vikings beard styles varied greatly, but one thing they have in common is that they would be styled before going into battle, in order mainly to keep the hair from distracting them while fighting.

16. Braided Beard and Beard Braids

Braided beard styles have made a comeback in recent years, and for good reason. A beard braid is a totally unique beard style, and perfect for those with epic growth. A beard braid works just like a normal braid, so if you’re wondering how to braid a beard, ask your girlfriend or your barber.

17. Lumberjack Beard

The lumberjack requires only a little trimming, and the beard should be grown full with moustache, with little to no tapering, resulting in a full, bushy beard which would pair excellently with a check shirt and an axe.

18. Hipster Beards

In effect, hipster beards could be most of the above. Form the lumberjack to the Verdi, if it’s out there, alternative or just plain nutty, you can betcha there’s a hipster wearing it somewhere.

19. Long Beard Short Mustache

Not to be confused with the long beard no moustache or chin curtain, as rocked by Abe Lincoln, this style keeps the beard full and flowing but the moustache short and trim.

Interested in top mustache styles? Our 10 best mustache styles guide has you covered - and we show you how to groom your moustache, too!

Partial Beard Styles

20. Mutton Chops Beard

Up until Wolverine appeared back on our screens, it seemed the mutton chops beard style was consigned to the past. But like all great beard styles, there’s always another day. These chops require you to only shave your chin and perhaps cheeks, resulting in a full sideburn which joins up to your moustache (which roughly resembles a mutton chop).

21. Chin Strap Beard

The chin strap is a much shorter version of the chin curtain beard - undoubtedly the President of chin beards. The chin strap though only covers the edge of the jaw line, defining the shape of the face. The top lip should be shaved, so you only have a line of facial hair stretching from one ear to the other. A wide chin strap beard is identical but covers more of the face.

22. Soul Patch

The soul patch is about as small a beard you could conceive of, only occupying the tiny space between the chin and bottom lip. The soul patch was a staple of 90’s musicians, but it’s had somewhat of a revival: if you’re about to lose your beard, it’s well worth leaving this little fella behind to see how you feel about it.

23. Chin Strip

A variant on the above, the chin strip simply extend further down across the shin, leaving a strip of facial hair from the bottom lip all the way down.

Beard Styles For Different Face Shapes

Style aside, finding the best look for your face is all about the right beard shaping. Here are a few pointers for the more common face shapes.

Oval

Owners of an oval face, kind of annoyingly, can wear pretty much any beard style, and it’ll look good. Next! 

Rectangular or Oblong

For more egg-shaped faces, the head hair should be longer than the beard. Flip it upside down, and if you face is thinner at the jawline, then more facial hair than head hair is required. 

Square

For a square face, with a strong jawline, you want more hair on the chin than elsewhere. For this reason, a tapered beard, and beard fades work particularly well. 

Round

For a round face, you need to define the jaw and enhance the squareness of your face, so any style which features a fuller bottom is great. Styles that are shorter on the sides and fuller on the bottom include the short boxed beard, but some of the more flamboyant styles like the Verdi will also work. 

Diamond

Those of use with diamond-shaped faces are defined by their cheekbones. Keeping some hair on the chin will help to balance your face, so avoid any pointy or tapered. A short boxed beard works well for this face shape.   

Triangular

Triangular faces have a prominent chin, and so you want a style which draws attention away to balance the face. For this reason, you might want to try a beardstache, or mutton chops: any style which accentuates the rest of the face and draws attention from the chin will work. 

Hairstyles For Beards

You need to balance your beard against your hair to get the most effective look. Although haircuts for men with beards are the same, a style which suits you when clean-shaven is not guaranteed to work with your new beard. When beard and hairstyles are correctly aligned, your power is boosted.

Beard With Bald Head

For years men with male pattern baldness have used a beard to offset this. Luckily for them, and for us, this is a winner! If you’re losing hair up top, a beard restores balance to your face. Too pick the right beard, see above.

Shaved Head With Beard

Shaved head and beards is a classic combination, perhaps because many balding men have opted for this style, and the less follically challenged amongst us have looked and thought, y’know, that ain’t all bad.

Short Hair With Beard

By now I’m sure you’ve seen the classic side part paired with a big beard, very likely a fade or a lumberjack. Again, balance is key here, and for many who’ve chosen to grow out their beard, a shorter style works best.

Long Hair and Beard

But that’s not to say you can’t go a little crazy and let your hair grow too! Whether you’re a hipster with a topknot, or you simply want to look like a warrior of old, for the full Viking look you need hair everywhere.

Celebrity Beards

Chris Evans' Beard

Ranging between corporate and the short boxed beard, Chris Evans has won as many plaudits for his grooming as he has his acting it seems. And for good reason: this is a perfect example of a well-balanced beard and hair combination, with the beard tailored to suit his face shape perfectly. We can’t all afford his barber, but we can learn from the results.

Tom Hardy's Beard

Tom is blessed with a face shape that can accommodate a wide range of beard styles. That’s why we’ve seen him variously rocking everything from stubble, through the corporate and neat beard phase, right into much bushier larger styles.

Henry Cavill's Beard

Henry Cavill, most recently seen rocking the beardstache, has a super-strong jawline which means he can get away with little facial hair and stubble while still sporting a fine 'tache. Has in the past gone for more corporate and bushy styles, which work on him, but may not be ideal for other (let’s face it, less handsome) guys with a similar face shape.

Keanu Reeves' Beard

As you might expect from the nicest guy in Hollywood, Keanu’s doing his bit for the little guy: in this case, owners of patchy beards. A masterclass in how scruffy can be become super stylish, Keanu’s never shied away from his patchy appearance, and by embracing it has defined a beard style all his own, and given lesser men hope in the process.

Chris Hemsworth's Beard

A strong jawline and an oval shaped face make Hemsworth a fine canvass for nearly any beard. His beard tends to taper along the jawline, occasionally showing signs of a slight fade, and is bushier below the chin without becoming pointy.

Jake Gyllenhaal's Beard

Ranging from stubble to the short boxed look, Gyllenhaal’s beard is a masterclass in simple but super effective beard grooming. Nothing fancy here, just a well maintained and shaped beard, which works perfectly with his slightly scruffy hair and look.

Ready to shape your beard in the perfect style for your face? Whether your beard is short, long, fancy or braided, there's a place for beard grooming in every man's routine. Use beard oil, balm and an all-natural beard wash for best results while caring for and styling your new beard. See the Bearded Chap's range of beard grooming products today and get started on grooming your beard!