The beard has seen a huge resurgence in the recent past, and it looks like the trend is here to stay. But it is not a look that you can pull off easily. You’ll find that many people look like they’re wearing a fake beard. This is because they’re growing a beard that does not suit their face shape. Most people do not try to work out what beard style works for their face and that’s a problem.
It was the same with me too. When I decided to grow a beard, I went with the goatee. Needless to say, I ended up looking like a goat. But with the strong belief that a beard would make me more of a ‘chullan’ than I was already, I went about experimenting and researching. And over the years, I’ve been able to settle on a style that suits me.
You don’t have to spend years researching though. This post will help you figure it out in a couple of minutes!
What is your face shape?
Face shapes can be classified into 6.
- Square: A square face has a well-defined, straight jawline and is as broad as it is long.
- Rectangle: A rectangular face is similar to the square, but is longer.
- Round: A round face is similar to the square, but has a slight curve around the jawline and prominent, round cheekbones.
- Heart: A heart face is similar to the round, but the forehead is broader than the chin.
- Pear: A pear face is similar to the round, but the chin is broader than the forehead.
- Diamond: A diamond face has very pronounced cheekbones, but a narrow forehead and chin.
OK, I know this sounds complex, but there’s an easy way to find out what your face shape is.
- Take a tape and measure the length of your face. Measure from your hairline to the tip of your chin.
- Measure the widest point of your face, be it your forehead, cheek, or chin.
- Look into a mirror. What is the widest part of your face? Is your jawline rounded or straight? Do you have prominent cheekbones?
Use this information to find which face shape describes your face best.
Finding the right beard
Now that you know what your face shape is, let’s work out what beard style suits you best.
- Square: If you have a square face, it would be better to trim the sides of your beard short, while letting it grow longer at the chin. A square face is ideal for the chinstrap, so if you want to experiment, you can shave the hair on your cheeks all the way to your jawline and have a narrow strip of hair connecting your sideburns to your goatee. And while you’re letting your beard grow longer at the chin, you could decide to keep it square to accentuate the shape of your face, or round it to make your face look a little round.
- Rectangle: A short, well-trimmed beard suits a rectangular face best. You should keep the length of hair on your chin to a minimum to prevent your face from looking longer. You could let the hair on your cheek grow longer and fuller to create an illusion of the width.
- Round: Keep the hair on your cheeks short, and grow the portion below your chin. You could grow the hair below your chin to a point to make your face look longer and more heart-shaped.
- Heart: You have a narrow chin, so the objective is to make your jawline look wider. Nothing suits a heart-shaped face than a full beard. Trim the hair on your cheek to be in line with your cheekbones. Let your hair grow and embrace the hipster look!
- Pear: A pear-shaped face lacks width on top so a short, well-trimmed beard with big sideburns work well. You would want to keep the length of hair under your chin short to avoid adding weight to your neck.
- Diamond: People love prominent cheekbones, so keep your beard short at the cheeks and grow it long at the chin. Trim the hair on your cheek to be in line with your cheekbones and square off the bottom at a length that you’re comfortable with to give yourself a manly jaw. Alternatively, you can sport the hipster beard and look like you’ve taken to the ‘Charile life’.
And that’s it! You might want to experiment with styles from time to time, but sticking to these basics will help ensure that your beard looks good on your face.
Now, if you’re someone who has trouble growing a thick beard, we have a post to help you out.
