Awesome Beard Types, Styles and Tools for 2021

Scruff usually refers to just a couple days’ worth of growth. The stubble beard is a short style most guys can grow and wear. It’s almost as if you’ve forgotten to shave for a day or two. Some use the term “scruff” to describe any full beard types and styles that are trimmed close to the skin. Specifically designed stubble beard trimmers help guys get this masculine, gritty facial hair look. To get scruffy beard styles at home, just grow your facial hair for several days, then use a good trimmer at low setting to keep your facial hair one length. You can let everything grow – including your neck and cheeks – or you can trim and shape your stubble in these areas for a more clean-cut finish. Men with a variety of faces shapes (square, oval, round, diamond and triangle) look great with a stubble beard.

A thick 5 o’clock shadow that not yet a full beard defines the heavy stubble look. Heavy stubble beards are longer than scruff so they take about 10 days to grow. And women find them to be one of the hottest facial hair styles for men. Guys who can grow an even beard all over without patches will like this beard style best. Stubble beards are easy to maintain with a high-quality trimmer. And like scruff, you get to decide whether to keep your neck and cheeks clean-shaven or just let them grow. As a bad ass look for most men, we highly recommend heavy stubble beard styles. Men with a variety of faces shapes (square, oval, round, diamond and triangle) look great with a long stubble beard.

Full beard styles epitomize virility and manliness. They grow all over your face, including your neck and checks, and come in both short and long lengths. Full beards are extremely versatile and offer limitless styling and shaping options. You may even want to check out cool haircuts for men with beards to complete your look. Stop shaving for at least a month to get a thick and full beard. However, you can still trim and groom parts of your beard to ensure different parts of your facial hair grow evenly.

A French Fork beard is very distinctive both in look and style. Many consider a French Fork a full beard. However, a French Fork is characterized by facial hair extending beyond the chin and splitting down the middle into two sections. The French Fork’s name comes from the original French forks, which only had two prongs. Recently, fictional movie and TV characters, such as Jack Sparrow, have helped make the French Fork look cool again.

The Ducktail beard is both classy and rebellious. Ducktail beards start on the cheeks, and they come down to a rounded point just two to four inches below the chin. Clean-shaven cheeks are possible with a Ducktail beard. Or grow your facial hair out everywhere. Just keep it trimmed and well-groomed. Ducktail beard styles fall in the medium-length full beard category. And they look good if you have rugged features.

Some refer to the Circle beard as a Goatee. In its simplest terms, the Circle beard is a chin strap and an accompanying moustache that meet to form a circle. Many men describe the Circle beard as a variation of the Goatee where you trim and connect your mustache and goatee to form a circle around your mouth. Contrary to popular belief, goatees don’t always include a mustache. Circle beard styles are highly adaptable. You can experiment with different lengths, shapes and styles. Men with square faces look great with a Circle beard.

A Goatee feels familiar to many, and men wear a Goatee on the chin. You may be envisioning a Billy Goat’s beard when you think of a goatee. One thing to remember, though, is technically a goatee should never connect to a mustache. A proper goatee should consist of facial hair right below the lower lip. And the normal size for a goatee is usually the width of your mouth. To grow a goatee, allow the facial hair below your lower lip to grow down into the beard growing on the chin. The sides are usually straight, vertical lines or slightly curved, based on your preference. Round the facial hair at the bottom of the chin. Men with square faces look great with a goatee beard.

The extended goatee is also referred to as the Hollywoodian or the tailback. Basically, it’s a combo of the goatee and the mustache. You can attain additional varieties of the extended goatee by simply adjusting the shape of the outline (straight sides vs curved sides, etc.). Or the length and angles of the facial hair. Some described the extended beard as a mustache connected to a beard with the sideburns removed. To cultivate an extended goatee, grow your facial hair in an area larger than the preferred final size. Once there is enough growth simply trim your extended goatee to the desired shape and size. Men with square faces look great with an extended goatee beard.

The Imperial-style beard certainly makes an impression! The Imperial beard isn’t so much a beard, but rather a mustache. The Imperial beard was popular during the French Second Empire (1852–1870), where it got the name Imperial. Don’t confuse it with the Napoleon III Imperial, although there are similarities. With the Napoleon III Imperial, the actual moustache connects to the facial hair that grows on the cheeks. And the tips curl over. With the Imperial, though, the tips simply point upward. The Imperial sports a bare chin and sideburns, which allows the Imperial to be the rightful center of attention.

The Van Dyke can resemble the circle beard and the goatee. The Van Dyke features a mustache. Plus there is facial hair on the chin that comes to a point. The mustache doesn’t connect to the beard, however. And the mustache can be shaped into a handlebar. The Van Dyke beard is one of the coolest modern facial hair styles. Many hipsters love this look! Johnny Depp has kept a nice Van Dyke for decades. Great for men with round faces.

It’s easy to guess where the Anchor beard got its name: the nautical anchor. To get the Anchor right, steer clear of sideburns. Extend the beard along the jawline and style it to a point. Connect the point to a pencil mustache for an overall anchor-like shape. A word of caution, though. The Anchor beard can be tricky. It’s a combination of many styles that include the Chinstrap, the Goatee and the Handlebar. The Anchor suits men with square or oblong-shaped faces best. This isn’t a beard style just anyone can pull off.

The Balbo beard has an interesting and somewhat dark history. Fascists used to be closely linked to it. The man who made it popular, Italian Air Marshall Italo Balbo, was one of Mussolini’s henchmen during the World War II. Recently, less intimidating men, like actor Robert Downey Jr, can be seen wearing the Balbo. The Balbo consists of three main sections. First, it requires a moustache. Second, a patch below the bottom lip is needed. Third, facial hair below that patch should extend down and across the chin. This part resembles the lower portion of a typical beard. Some say the Balbo resembles an inverted “T.” The Balbo suits men with narrow chins.

Mutton Chops have been recently referred to as “the Wolverine Beard” due to the popularity of the X-men movies. Even before the popular movies, though, Mutton Chops were among the most iconic beard types & styles. To better understand how Mutton Chops look, imagine a full beard from ears to chin. Then shave the area where a Goatee would normally grow. Get rid of the small patch on your chin and above your lips. This beard style features no mustache. It’s essentially a reverse Goatee!

This version of the classic Mutton Chops beard style is super cool. The Friendly Mutton Chops keeps the mustache normally shaved with a classic Mutton Chop but requires that you shave the middle of the chin. While you can always add a mustache to the Mutton Chops, most keep this part perfectly bare to emulate the “Wolverine Beard.” Mutton Chops can be thin and sparse. Or they can be thick and full. It comes down to personal preference, though. Don’t be afraid to experiment until you find the style that works for you. Needless to say, the Friendly Mutton Chop is pretty bad ass.

The Verdi is a slightly styled full beard. It tends to be short and rounded at the bottom. And it should be no longer than 4” long when measured from the bottom lip. The Verdi features a moustache that is separate from the beard. The moustache should not more than ½” past the corner of the mouth. The moustache should also always be impeccably groomed. The Verdi is inspired by Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901).

The Garibaldi suits the man looking for a style that is slightly unkempt. It is basically a wide, full beard that is rounded at the bottom and integrates a moustache. The Garibaldi should be no more than 8” long. While a neat moustache is absolutely required, you can grow out your beard naturally. In fact, wilder is better! The Garibaldi is a good compromise for many as it appears as a bold and full beard. However, it is shorter than most natural beard types & styles. Men with a variety of faces shapes (square, oval, round, diamond and triangle) look great with a Garibaldi beard.

The Dutch Beard is an old-school beard style. Some think of it as lumberjack-type of facial hair. Also referred to as the Old Dutch, the Dutch is a large and long beard, connected by sideburns. And it is allowed to flare out at the bottom. You should not sport a moustache with the Dutch. Men with triangle faces look great with a Dutch beard.