Beards for all Shapes and Sizes

There’s no denying that facial hair is very fashionable right now, but like a see-through sarong some facial fashion looks great on a cat walk or in a photo-shoot but will look embarrassingly out of place on some men’s faces.  This is often due to the shape of the individual’s face and the type of cut of the beard.  If you get it right you’ll look fantastic but if it’s wrong, you’ll feel awkward, shy and possibly even paranoid.  To ensure that your beard ambitions suit your face type take a look at your face in the mirror, decide which shape is yours and follow these guidelines.

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Long, Thin Face

Avoid:  Goatees or hairy biker beards which will only add length to your chin.

Go for:  Moustaches or sideburns: the former will draw attention from the lower half of your face, while the latter will help round out any squareness.  If you really want a beard, try leaving the sides slightly fuller than the front.  This will fill out your jawline, giving the illusion of a wider face.

Round Face

Avoid:  Thing moustaches and full beards or any hair around the jawline as these will only make your face look rounder.

Go for:  A precision-cut goatee of “jazz spot” under your bottom lip.  These will optically narrow the face into a point at the chin.  Don’t try this if you have several, very obvious chins.  It will just draw attention to them.

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Square Jaw

Avoid:  Thick, wide “Wolverine” sideburns.  They might look good on Hugh Jackman, but will just make your face look boxier.

Go for:  A full, rounded beard to soften the squareness of your face.

Bald Head

Avoid:  Full beards and bushy sideburns that have no hairline to emerge from.  Too much growth will unbalance the look of your head and you’ll end up looking like Uncle Albert.

Go for:  Subtle goatees and beards, trimmed short.  They won’t look too obvious, but will look modern.

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Small Chin

Avoid:  A moustache – it will act like a roof to your “small house” of a chin and make it look even more recessive.

Go for:  A sharp, neatly trimmed goatee or full beard – both will draw out the chin.  A goatee especially will draw the eyes upwards away from the non-existent chin.  Be sure to keep it neat and tidy.

Top Trimming Tips

Sideburns tend to look best when they end just below the midpoint of your ear.

If you’re growing a bear or moustache start when you on holiday.  By the time you return you’ll be over the unsightly, itchy stage.  The scruffy growth stage is fine for the beach but not for the office.

Keep things symmetrical.  Studies have shown that women find men with symmetrical faces more attractive.

Moisturise.  The skin under facial hair can become especially dry, partly because hair tends to wick moisture away from the skin.  So when moisturising pay particular attention to the skin under your facial hair, massaging your regular moisturiser in thoroughly with your fingertips.

If you’re planning intricate or fiddly designs, invest in a magnifying shaving mirror which will help you get better accuracy.

Always trim just outside the line of your beard – that leaves you room to tidy it up properly with a razor.

Invest in the right tool s – take a look at the Pall Mall Barber shaving range for some beautiful high quality shaving equipment.