4 Types of Facial Hair: Choose Your New Facial ’Do

The man maketh the beard, and the beard returns the favor. And how you maketh your beard, mustache, or mutton chops says a lot about you, so it’s important to do it right. 

Not every face works with every type of facial hair. Picking the right one can be the difference between a chiseled profile and an awkward blob on your face that gets in the way when you eat a sandwich. To each their own, but a little more effort goes a long way.

Consider this your guide to picking the best facial hairstyle for you. Come, young Squatchling, and let us show you the wide world of beard-dom. Learn how to identify your facial hair texture, pick a shape that works with it, and choose a style that’ll turn some heads.

Types of Men’s Facial Hair by Texture

You’ve been living with your facial hair ever since your first lonely mustache hair poked its head out, but have you ever really gotten to know it? Your beard’s texture is its personality, and learning how different types of facial hair behave will help you tame it when it acts out or zhuzh it up when it's drooping. 

Grab a loose strand of facial hair from your beard brush and rub it between your fingers:

• Does it roll smoothly? Then you have fine facial hair. It’s soft and easy to style but needs regular maintenance to stay healthy.

• Do you feel the angles as it rolls? Then you have coarse facial hair. It’s resilient but also rebellious and tangles easily.

Lay that loose strand on a white piece of paper and take a good look at it. What shape is it?

• Straight hair makes a straight line from beginning to end with no angles or curves. Straight hair is usually fine, so it’s easy to style but prone to damage.

• Wavy hair looks like a curving line that might be straight here or there but definitely has some angles. It’s versatile if it’s coarse, and prone to tangling if it’s fine. 

• Curly hair is a tight or loose spiral that springs back if you pull it straight. Curly hair sometimes tangles easily but produces a dense beard that’s magnificent when shaped well.

Notice that you might not have the same hair texture everywhere on your face. For example, men with curly facial hair on their cheeks and neck often have wavy mustaches. You can also change your hair’s texture with a beard straightener or chemical relaxers, but they might not be right for everyone. Given how long it takes to grow a beard, it’s best to embrace what you have.

4 Main Types of Facial Hairstyles

Before we get into some specific examples of facial hairstyles, let’s get down to basics. There are four main beard shapes for men. They’re each suited to certain faces because they fill out your profile to achieve everything from the Grizzly Adams look to the jazz dab:

• Beard: A full beard includes your sideburns, goatee area, and cheeks, though you may choose to trim it down in some areas.

• Mustache: This covers just the upper lip, stopping at the ends of your lips or curling away like the famous handlebar mustache.

• Goatee: A goatee includes the mustache, chin, and either side of your mouth. You might also incorporate a bit along the jawline or some stubble on the cheeks.

• Sideburns: Sideburns start in front of your ears and go all the way down to your jawline on either side.

A Face Shape Guide for Facial Hairstyles

Now, we come to the main event. Take a good look at that handsome mug in the mirror, and try to determine what type of face shape you have. If you need to, get a dry-erase marker and outline your face on the mirror. Then, find your face shape and hair texture in the sections below to learn some facial hair style names that work well with that combination.

Round faces

Round faces need a few angles to create some contours, so most of their beard styles are very angular and extend the face a bit: 

• For straight hair: Try a long ducktail beard that tapers at the bottom. This full beard accentuates the jawline and lengthens your whole profile.

• For wavy hair: An anchor beard, which is a short goatee without the sides, lengthens your chin and accentuates your mouth.

• For curly hair: Nothing beats a classic soul patch. This upside-down triangle under the bottom lip sharpens your chin shape.

Squatch fact: The ducktail beard is named after the slicked-back rock n’ roll hairstyle of the 1940s and ’50s called the “duck’s arse.”

Oval faces

Oval faces are the most balanced and versatile head shape, with plenty of chin and jawline to work with. You could grow a big bushy beard and cover all that up, or you can use one of these styles to let your naturally statuesque face shape shine through:

• For straight hair: Ready to look regal? Try an imperial moustache, which is a full mustache that sweeps upward at the sides but ends softly instead of coming to a point.

• For wavy hair: Take advantage of that chin and cheek space with a horseshoe moustache. This neatly trimmed mustache extends down the sides of the mouth.

• For curly hair: Introducing your new favorite portmanteau — the beardstache. It’s a long mustache that goes all the way out to the sides of the lips, accompanied by a stubble beard.

Squatch fact: The horseshoe mustache is usually associated with the Wild West, but full beards and handlebar mustaches were far more prominent in those days.

Square faces

With a square face, you already have the angles to get that manly, chiseled look. You just need to soften them a bit to add some length to your profile. Here’s how:

• For straight hair: The balbo beard creates shadows and dimension right where you want it. This filled-in anchor beard that tapers up the jawline to lengthen your face.

• For wavy hair: If you can grow a thick moustache, do it. Try a Zappa moustache, which is a bushy mustache that curves down around the mouth and a square soul patch.

• For curly hair: Keep it simple with a chin puff, which is a thick fluff of hair directly beneath the chin to add angles and length.

Squatch fact: The chin puff resembles the long postiches that Egyptian pharaohs wore to symbolize their connection to Osiris.

Rectangular faces

With a rectangular face, you’re looking to soften the sharp edges of your face just enough to fill it out horizontally:

• For straight hair: There’s no common name for this, but a full boxed beard with low cheek lines and rounded edges can fill out the sides of the face and make you look snatched from every angle.

• For wavy hair: Hungry? Try a mutton chop. This horseshoe mustache has thick lines going up the jaw and sideburns.

• For curly hair: Don’t listen to your mother. Chin straps never go out of style. This thin line of hair frames your whole jawline from sideburn to sideburn.

Squatch fact: “Friendly” mutton chops connect the mustache, jaw, and sideburns, whereas normal mutton chops keep the mustache disconnected or remove it entirely.

Diamond faces

Diamond faces have a sharp, pronounced chin to work with, but could use a bit of filling out in the jawline. Try one of these styles to shape your face:

• For straight hair: Channel your inner Italian with a Verdi beard. This is an imperial mustache plus a full goatee, shaved cheeks, and a line from the sideburns to the chin.

• For wavy hair: A simple lampshade moustache, which is a trapezoid-shaped mustache that’s either cut close or grown out, always does the trick. 

• For curly hair: A petite goatee decorates the bottom of your face without making you look like The Crimson Chin. Aim for shaved sideburns and a minimalist goatee that goes a short way up the jaw. 

Squatch fact: The lampshade mustache and others like it became popular in the 20th century as militaries instituted strict facial hair requirements.

How To Choose the Best Facial Hair Style for You

To choose the best beard style for you, consider your face shape and hair texture to find a basic shape that accentuates your features best. Then, pick a style that suits your tastes and that you’re willing to maintain regularly.

Here are some factors you should consider: 

• Natural growth pattern and texture: Your hair texture and growth pattern determine what you can grow and which beard length is right for you.

• Face shape balance and proportions: Different head shapes and proportions need different accentuation or softening to bring out your dashing good looks.

• Time and effort required for upkeep: Between washing, combing, and oiling, caring for a full beard is no joke. Waxing a simple mustache is easier to keep up with.

• Personal style preference and lifestyle fit: Your personality should shine through in your choice of facial hairstyle. Look up the options, talk to a barber, and learn a bit about the history of each style to learn what piques your interest.

Facial Hair Maintenance and Care: 6 Tips

Picking a facial hairstyle also means signing up to take care of it in the long run. When you choose a beard or a mustache, you’ll have some maintenance to do to keep it looking sharp:

• Trim regularly: Your beard growth won’t be perfectly uniform. Trim it regularly to keep it in shape.

• Wash it: Facial hair is great at catching and soaking up everything from food to airborne impurities, so you’ll need to wash it thoroughly.

• Moisturize the skin: The skin beneath your facial hair might have a hard time staying hydrated, so moisturize it regularly with a natural skincare lotion.

• Brush or comb: You have to brush the hair regularly, sometimes two or three times a day, to keep training it in the direction you want it to grow.

• Clean up the edges: If you let the edges creep up, they’ll ruin the clean lines you need to keep your beard looking deliberate. Use shave butter to get precise, clean lines without razor burn.

• Use oil and wax: Soap and lotion often aren’t enough. Oil facial hair regularly to keep it soft and protected, and reach for wax to coiffe your mustache in style. 

Rock Any Facial Hair Style With Dr. Squatch

Rest assured that there’s a facial hair style out there for you — and don’t forget that going clean-shaven is an option, too. Whatever you choose, remember that regular maintenance is just as important as getting it shaped in the first place. To do that, you need to use the right products.

The Dr. Squatch shave collection is full of naturally derived, versatile products that’ll give you the elevated shaving experience you deserve. We have shave butter for getting a smooth glide, a top-notch safety razor for clean lines, and a post-shave balm to help your skin bounce back. We use the best ingredients Mother Nature provides to bring out the inner champion in every man.