The Most Popular Beard Styles Ever & Why They Still Look Good

The Full Beard

The full beard style is hugely popular right now, featuring a full moustache joining into a medium-to-long length beard. Of course, keeping it well-groomed is a must in order to avoid a ragged, unkempt look.

Although all-over stubble counts as a full beard, we’re talking more specifically of the longer length full beards. Full beard styles speak to a long-held masculinity. While initially worn by soldiers in the Crimean war for warmth, this association has evolved into a more modern masculine style and ideal.

The Goatee

The goatee is probably one of the most recognisable men’s facial beard styles and it actually dates all the way back to Ancient Greece. It slipped out of popular fashion when it became associated with the devil in mediaeval art. However, it gained back its fan base during the late 19th century as a choice style for the Parisian bohemian community.

The goatee and its variants are still hugely popular beard styles due to their versatility; goatees can be worn with or without a moustache and are loosely defined as any beard that grows on the chin and not the cheeks. 

There are lots of different styles of goatee from the traditional (just under the chin) to the Vandyke (an unconnected moustache and chin beard) to the circle beard (connected moustache and beard).

The Designer Stubble

Unsure of how to make your beard look good? Start with stubble. Decades ago, when the clean-shaven look was in (think Mad Men), the 5 o’clock shadow was not a good thing. Now known as ‘designer stubble’, the look of facial hair with visible skin underneath has become imminently fashionable.

The stubble look is a great choice for men who may have patchy facial hair but still want to embrace the hirsute look. It helps to balance the shape of your face and can hide all sorts of imperfections. You can have stubble from a short to mid-length, keeping things neat and tidy with a beard trimmer.

The Chinstrap Beard

The chinstrap beard was popular throughout the late 18^th to mid-19^th century. It follows the jawline from one side of the face to the other, covering just the very edges of the jaw and chin. The polished look is created with clean lines, meaning this style requires a bit more upkeep than other styles.

The chinstrap has seen something of a rebirth in recent years, after becoming somewhat uncool in the 90s. The contemporary chinstrap can often be worn with a moustache and is not as sharp as it was a couple of decades ago.  Having said that, chinstrap beards are known to not grow out particularly well, so this is definitely a men’s shaving beard style for keen groomers. It is generally thought that the more angular your face is, the thinner the chinstrap should be.

The Mutton Chops

Another style that has never truly gone out of fashion are mutton chops. Popular among military men of the Napoleonic era, the mutton chop beard style bucked the clean-shaved trend of western Europe. In more recent history, the mutton chop men’s facial beard style has become synonymous with rebellious anti-heroes since Marlon Brando sported some serious sideburns in 1953’s The Wild One.

There are two types of mutton chop beard styles: traditional mutton chops and friendly mutton chops, the latter of which combines the sideburns with a moustache (a la Lemmy of Motorhead fame). In terms of look, mutton chops are extreme sideburns that can be worn with a moustache or goatee without meeting at the chin (otherwise becoming a chinstrap beard).