2021 is here - and already it’s way better than 2020. Admittingly, it’s only a few days old, but let’s take a glass-half-full attitude and get going at full speed!
Beards have come out of hibernation over the last few years, and 2020 has not stopped that trend. It's been said that a majority of women find a medium-length beard attractive - and it looks like a neat beard might even help you get more sales!
If those reasons are not enough for you, take comfort in the fact that beards are simply awesome. Full stop. Trust us when we say that your 2021 will become even better with a good amount of facial hair.
To make your start - or adjustment - a bit easier, we’ve compiled a list of the 21 Best Beard Styles for 2021. No matter what you fancy, there’s a beard in this list for you.
Here we go!
The Anchor Beard
What: Considered an inverted T-Beard as well as part of the larger Goatee-family, the Anchor Beard resembles...well, a ship’s anchor. Combines a soul patch connected to the chin hair, a pencil mustache, and chin strap beard along the jawline.
Who for: Works well with Oblong, Rounded and Square faces. Be careful with any other face shape.
Famous example: Jeremy Renner
The Balbo Beard
What: Part of the family of Inverted T Beards. No sideburns, it simply extends along the jaw on both sides. It’s accompanied by clean-shaven cheeks and a floating mustache.
Who for: Ideal for Round and Square faces. Diamond and Heart shapes work too but avoid for Oval, Oblong and Triangle faces.
Famous example: Christian Bale. Whenever he’s not Batman.
The Circle Beard
What: A variety of goatee where the chin hair and mustache are connected. Also called the Door Knocker.
Who for: Heart, Oval, Round, and Square face shapes. Not a great fit for Diamond or Triangle shapes.
Famous example: Walter White
The Corporate Beard
What: The most common beard there is - covers the entire face in medium-length hair. Neckline and cheek line are trimmed neatly and shaven clean.
Who for: Manly but professional and friendly - a great office look. Works great to hide pointy chins, and overall suits most face shapes.
Famous example: George Clooney
The Ducktail Beard
What: Classic pointed beard, featuring a medium cheek line and a higher-than-average neckline. Usually relatively short sideburns and mustache, with the freedom to grow the pointy part below the chin.
Who for: Perfect for rounding out a Rectangular face. Works ok with Diamond, Oval, Round, and Triangle shapes. Not great for an Oblong face.
Famous example: Leonardo DiCaprio
The Dutch Beard
What: Considered to be somewhat of an old-school style, the Dutch Beard features hair everywhere except on the upper lip. It’s often rather voluminous and is allowed to flare outwards at the bottom.
Who for: Works well for adding chin volume to a Triangular face shape.
Famous example: Abraham Lincoln.
The Extended Goatee
What: Think Full Beard without the sideburns. Or a Full Goatee with more volume around the chin, giving it a fuller look.
Who for: Perfect for an Oblong face, but works with many shapes. Great to add volume to your chin while keeping the sides clean.
Famous example: John Travolta
The French Fork Beard
What: A Full Beard, 3 to 7 inches long, with precisely trimmed cheek lines and the bottom part split into two forks.
Who for: Works well on many face shapes. A bit tricky to blend in for Square and Heart-shaped faces, and usually not great for anyone with an Oblong face.
Famous example: Brad Pitt
The Full Beard
What: The pinnacle of manliness. Hair growing all over your face, with nothing to keep it in check.
Who for: Works well on most faces. Ideal for Triangle and Diamond face shapes.
Famous example: Gandalf
The Garibaldi Beard
What: A Full Beard featuring a wide rounded bottom part, usually kept at a maximum of around 8 inches. Often sports a neatly trimmed mustache to keep the focus on the beard.
Who for: Anyone wanting a Full Beard with a bit more shape. Works with many face shapes, and adds awesome volume to narrow jaw and chin shapes, such as the Heart, Triangle, and Diamond-shaped faces.
Famous example: Conor McGregor
The Goatee
What: Often used as an overarching name for a variety of beards focused around the mouth. The Pure Goatee is simply a small chin beard, with no mustache and the jawline shaved. The Full Goatee includes a mustache (see Circle Beard).
Who for: Perfect for Round and Square face shapes. Not great for Heart or Diamond shape, as it’ll accentuate the features you’re trying to balance out.
Famous example: Benicio del Toro
The Imperial Beard
What: Technically more a family than a single beard, the Imperial Beard describes any style where sideburns that are joined together with a mustache, but feature a clean-shaven chin.
Who for: Daring guys with Oblong faces. Don’t go there if your face is Round or Heart-Shaped.
Famous example: Not many. Lemmy Kilmister (former frontman of Motörhead) was one.
The (Jack) Sparrow Beard
What: A wild mix of soul patch, mustache, hair along the jawline, and goatee-like whiskers.
Who for: Brave, brave men with Oval or Round faces.
Famous example: Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow. Literally the only one.
The Klingon Beard
What: A medium-length beard with the upper lip shaved clean. Sometimes features clean-shaven cheeks to accentuate the jawline.
Who for: Klingons. And guys with Square faces who want to look like a Klingon.
Famous example: Any Klingon. Watch Star Trek if that does not ring a bell.
The Mutton Chops Beard
What: Think Wolverine with a proper gap underneath the chin. Sideburns are as wild as can be, but mustache and chin are shaved clean.
Who for: Ideal for Round and Oval faces, not so great for any shape with a pointy chin.
Famous example: John Lennon
The Neck Beard
What: Just what the name says - a beard only covering the neck. No hair grows above the jawline or makes contact with the sideburns.
Who for: Pretty much anyone, if you dare. Not really covering the face at all, the Neck Beard works (kinda) for most face shapes.
Famous example: Jonah Hill. Sometimes.
The Scruffy Beard
What: Think stubble 1-2 weeks later and a little unkempt. The precursor to a Full Beard, portrays rugged manliness without seeming too wild.
Who for: Great for patchy beard growth, as this style manages to cover some of that issue. Works on most face shapes, with the Triangle and Diamond shape being the best fit.
Famous example: Ryan Gosling
The Short Boxed Beard
What: Evenly trimmed to about ½ inch, the Short Boxed Beard covers most of the face while featuring sharp, well-groomed lines - giving it a boxy look. The cheek line should be a straight line or feature an angular step-cut, while the neckline typically sits close to the jawline.
Who for: Great rugged-but-well-groomed look. Looks bada** on a Square face, but works well with most face shapes.
Famous example: Ben Affleck
The Van Dyke Beard
What: A full goatee with a gap between the beard and the mustache. Encourages creativity with the mustache, often expressed in the handlebar variety.
Who for: Super versatile, fits most face shapes. Stay away from the Van Dyke if your face shape is Oblong.
Famous example: Mel Gibson.
The Verdi Beard
What: Featuring short sides and a longer, rounded bottom part, a proper Verdi Beard should not exceed 4 inches in length. Its most distinguishing feature is the full, bushy mustache, which is often curled up at both ends.
Who for: Perfect for Triangle, Heart, Diamond, and Round shapes as it adds volume to the jawline. May appear too wide on Square face shapes.
Famous example: Composer Guiseppe Verdi - albeit without the (nowadays typical) curled sides.
The Wolverine Beard
What: Think inverted Van Dyke. Full sideburns, 1-2 inches long, shaved (or light stubble) mustache and chin gap. Beard connects underneath the chin gap (what sets it apart from the classic Mutton Chops).
Who for: Perfect for an Oblong face, because that’s what Logan has. Also works for Oval and Square shapes. Avoid if you have a Round or Heart Shaped face - or a double chin, for that matter.
Famous example: Wolverine. Duh.
Summary
In 2021, Beards are here to stay - don’t let anyone convince you otherwise.
New to the game? Start with a Scruffy Beard, and then morph it into a Corporate Beard. No matter what you do for a living, ain’t nobody going to object to that.
Seasoned pro, and want to mix things up a bit? Try a Duck Tail Beard - we hear it’s gaining popularity.
Feeling ballsy? Go for a Wolverine. Come one - you can do it! But don’t blame us if you get kicked out of the house. That’s risky territory, but if you can pull it off, you’ll earn the respect of pretty much every dude you see.
No matter what stage you’re in and what style you opt for, make sure to give your beard the best care possible. Growing a solid beard is a long-term project - don’t skimp on it. Get yourself some high-quality, all-natural beard care products. You’ll thank us down the line.