Beard styles for black men: when done right, facial hair can look great — but there are a few styles that sit above the rest (and for good reason). These beard styles are often defined as timeless, trendy and sophisticated; and you may be familiar with some of them! 

In this blog, we’re going to go through some amazing beard styles, styles you should be considering the next time you go to your barber or pick up your clippers or shaver to sculpt your beard.

Classic Beard

Classic, classy and cool. The classic beard ticks all the boxes for us as it’s flattering and fashionable for all face shapes and hair types. 

P.S: Your beard gets a lot of exposure to the elements: so remember to cleanse it regularly so that it’s fresh, clean and healthy looking. Our sulphate-free shampoo, Swish combines aloe vera with fruity essential oils to cleanse and soften dry curly and coily hair/facial hair. It's pH balanced, scientifically formulated, contains 97% natural ingredients, and gentle enough to be used frequently without drying your skin or hair. 

Old Dutch Beard

The Dutch beard, Old Dutch Beard or chin curtain, is a full beard with sideburns that slightly flare. It's a rather old-school style of beard that was popular in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Bring this style into the twenty first century by opting for a subtle, more sophisticated beard shape.   

Stubble or the Barley-There

Want to rock facial hair but don’t want to commit to a full grown beard? Why not have the best of both worlds with stubble or the barely-there beard. It’s low maintenance and flattering. 

Hipster Beard

The hipster beard is a cool, rounded beard donned by the trendiest of men. Pair with beanie for the full effect and don’t forget to keep on top of your beard grooming when rocking this look. You can keep your beard looking its best by combing your beard and regularly trimming it to remove split ends. You can also check out our ultimate beard care guide for more tips on how to look after your beard. 

Mutton Chops

Do you have overgrown sideburns of a Mutton Chops beard? This style was popular with men in the nineteenth century. It’s big, bold and dramatic but be careful when going for  this look as it can look more Abraham Lincoln than dapper if not done subtly. 

Brett Beard

The Brett beard is a unique beard that’s a combination of a chin strap (hair that runs along the chin and jaw) and a little soul patch (a patch of hair on the chin). However, the defining characteristic of this beard is that it doesn’t connect with the sideburns. 

Anchor Beard

This beard gets its namesake from its shape — look at it from a distance and it’ll appear to look like an anchor (or maybe a tree). It’s a popular beard style and is nothing more than a full beard with a thick goatee and the section that connects the moustache and the chin shaved. 

(Just make sure the missing sections are trimmed regularly to maintain the appearance of the anchor!)

Goatee

The goatee has remained a popular beard style for ages (how long we could not tell you) and remains one of the best choices for a short beard. The best thing about a goatee is that you can style and sculpt it in different ways to achieve certain looks.

Editor's tip: Our sulphate-free shampoo, Swish is combines Aloe Vera with fruity essential oils to cleanse and soften dry curly and Afro hair/facial hair. It's pH balanced, scientifically formulated, contains 97% natural ingredients, and gentle enough to be used frequently.

Short Beard

A bit more than stubble, but less than a full beard, a short beard can be a great look once you allow your beard to get past the 'sloppy' stage (where it looks incomplete and ruins the frame of your face). 

Let your beard grow for a week or two (so that everything’s connected and symmetrical). If there’s more than you need, shorten it with your clippers using a number 2 guard. 

Circle Beard

Simple yet sophisticated, a circle beard will look great with any face shape. Everything needs to be rounded from the moustache to the chin, then back up towards the ears. 

Try to get as much curvature as possible when you trim your beard (a barber will be able to do it perfectly) so that you get the right look. The goatee should be the focal point of the beard. 

Bushy Beard

Provided its groomed and shaped well, a big bushy beard can look pretty darn cool. They’re simple enough to achieve (just let your beard grow, use beard oil, moisturise your skin and comb the beard regularly), but you need to be patient. 

Another thing to bear in mind is that not everyone will be able to achieve a “perfect” bushy beard, this being one that connects at all points and covers the right areas of the face. 

Editor's tip: Just apply Soothe to a slightly damp beard and work into the beard. The light, easily absorbed oil is specially blended to promote growth, soften hair at the roots and leaves no build up, making it great for beards.

Carved Beard

The carved beard style is a lot sharper than some of the beard styles listed here as it requires a precision trimmer or razor. This style works really well for black men with dense beard hair, but requires a considerable amount of effort — perhaps even daily — to maintain. 

Full Beard

Classic. Timeless. The full beard used to be one of the most popular beard styles, especially for black men, and has been making a resurgence in recent years. The reason why this is such a great style is because it can be grown, shaped and cut to suit almost any face. 

Also, it’ll look even better if you’re able to consistently grow a beard where all the parts connect (for some of us this can take years to achieve and a lot of maintenance).

Garibaldi Beard

Now you might confuse this beard with a full beard or bushy beard, but the reality is that it’s a little more than that. 

This beard style is all about achieving a certain shape with a full beard, a “U” shape. You need to grow out your facial hair far below the chin and trim, groom and train it to a “U” shape. It takes time and commitment, so a lot of men simply don’t bother with it. However, when you pull it off, it does look darn good. 

Grow, grow, grow!

These are, in our opinion, some of the most amazing beard styles black men can try right now — but don’t let that stop you from trying out some of the others. 

If you’re trying to grow a beard, our advice would be this: be patient with it and make sure to look after it as you would the hair on your head. 

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