Goatee styles have become incredibly popular in recent years. As facial hair, the goatee beard is the perfect compromise between a full beard and mustache, providing a stylish yet masculine way to grow facial hair. If you’re considering an alternative to growing a beard and want to try the goatee, this guide on the best men’s goatee styles is for you. Below, we discuss the different types of goatees, highlight some famous ones, and finish with pictures of cool short and long goatee styles for inspiration! And if we’ve somehow convinced you to get a full, thick beard, check out the best beard styles for men.
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What Is A Goatee?
By definition, the classic goatee doesn’t include a mustache. The traditional goatee only requires hair on your chin, like a goat (hence the name), with all other facial hair shaved. Nowadays, the term refers to a number of different styles where facial hair is concentrated around the chin and mustache.
For example, men can choose a full goatee, where the mustache and beard are connected, or a Van Dyke, where the beard on the chin and mustache are disconnected. Because there are so many different goatee beard styles, illustrations are crucial to understanding what makes each look unique.
Types of Goatees
Although all goatees generally follow the same look, what differentiates one from another is shape, design and length. Here are a few of the most famous types of goatees.
Classic Goatee
The pure goatee is essentially a chin beard under your bottom lip. Without a mustache and with your neck and cheeks clean-shaven, this classic goatee is the easiest style to get and maintain.
Full Goatee
The full goatee is the most popular style and is what most guys picture when they think of goatees. With the mustache and beard connecting in a circle, some fashion experts also call this the “goatee beard”.
Landing Strip
The landing strip beard is created when a guy shaves his mustache and beard except for a thick strip of hair directly below the center of his mouth. The landing strip must be smaller than the width of the mouth and extend to the bottom of the chin.
The Van Dyke
The Van Dyke goatee is a popular variation, especially if you have trouble growing a full beard or sometimes end up with a patchy one. Van Dyke beard styles combine a mustache, chin beard, and soul patch. The key is that these parts aren’t connected.
The Anchor
This goatee style is identical to the Van Dyke, but with the beard extending further up the jawline and therefore resembling a fisherman’s anchor.
Best Men’s Goatee Styles
If you want to try facial hair but don’t want to commit to the process of growing a full beard, a cool goatee may just be perfect solution. However, like all facial hair, you need to know how to trim, maintain, and style your goatee. To help men everywhere, we’ve compiled a collection of the best goatee beard styles for ideas. Check out our gallery of short and long goatee styles to figure out if this is a look you want to explore.
