Goatee beard- A complete guide of growing, shaving, and maintaining one: A goatee is a popular facial hairstyle that incorporates hair only on a man’s chin but not on cheeks. This beard style is popular amidst business professionals, college students, and the younger generation in general. The pronunciation of goatee is different from the way it is written. It is predominantly pronounced as “go-tee”.
Why Do Men Prefer to Grow a Goatee?
The following pointers provide a few reasons as to why many men prefer to grow a goatee:
1. No matter the style a dude chooses it is pretty simple and easy to grow a goatee.
2. Ideally, goatee suits all men who do not prefer to grow a full beard but want to maintain some facial hair.
3. Many men struggle with a patchy or uneven beard that tends to grow thicker on the chin and upper lip area. For such people, a goatee is a perfect option.
4. A goatee is seen to mask an undershot or weak chin, by giving the illusion of fullness and shape.
5. Men with a thin mouth opt to have a goatee as this aids to hide that problem.
What are The Types of The Goatee Style?
The following list provides an insight of the types of a goatee:
Pure goatee or goatee without a mustache
A pure goatee is a small chin beard under the lip with no mustache and a cleanly shaved jawline.
Full goatee
A circle beard wherein the facial hair of the mustache continues down and around the side of the mouth and joins the shaven beard that is only seen to extend wide as the outer edge of the mouth. The unbroken circle of hair or the full goatee is the most popular goatee style.
The pretty boy
The pretty boy goatee is similar to the true goatee with only a major difference. Here the goatee is trimmed in all areas to form a thin line mustache and goatee.
The landing strip
Another simple to maintain facial hairstyle Here the mustache and chin hair is shaved off, refraining the area directly below the mouth. The landing strip is seen to run vertically down from the corners of the mouth as long below the chin depending on personal tastes.
The Van Dyke
A similar variant of a true goatee. The Van Dyke is a combination of a soul patch, mustache, and chin goatee, without being connected. Any small gaps in the hair growth will not be easily recognized hence is perfect for the guy’s having difficulties in growing a complete circle of hair.
The Anchor
A longer version of the Van Dyke is the anchor goatee, here the facial hair below the mouth is allowed to grow down lower and closer to the sideburns. The anchor goatee is an unique combination of the soul patch, wider goatee, and the mustache.
How to choose a goatee style Based on Your Face?
The shape of the face plays a pivotal role in deciding a goatee style. The list underneath will aid the younger folks in choosing a goatee style based on their face shape:
Round face shape: Pure goatee (goatee without a mustache), Anchor, Norse Skipper, Soul Patch, or a Rap Industry Standard.
Diamond face shape: Full goatee, handlebar and chin puff, goat patch, or Balbo.
Square face shape: Goatee and mustache, handlebar and chin puff, petite goatee, or Balbo.
Triangular face shape: Anchor or goat patch.
Oblong face shape: Extended goatee, goatee with chin strap, handlebar, and goatee, or Van Dyke.
How to Grow a Goatee Beard?
Like all beard styles growing and grooming a goatee takes a lot of patience, a little attention, and a lot of practice. The following pointers play a critical role in growing a goatee.
Let the facial hair grow out
Once a man has decided to try a goatee, he should stop shaving and let the facial hair grow out below the chin, around the mouth, and below the nose. It should be nice and bushy before a man starts shaving and shaping. After about a week, the required hair growth would be obtained.
Note:
- A normal part of growing a beard is an itchy skin for a few days.
- If the itchiness is uncontrollable one can use a moisturizing lotion to sooth the skin a bit.
- Growing extra facial hair will help in giving a person a more flexibility in determining the size of the selected goatee type.
Shave the framework
With the help of a trimmer blade make small cuts beginning from the neck region, around the chin, and up to the cheeks until a basic outline of what the desired goatee style is obtained.
It is generally recommended to start about an inch above the desired length. This may feel a bit long, but there is always an option to shorten it if the way it looks doesn’t suit an individual’s taste as trimming the outline to the required length may sometimes not suit the face shape.
Shape the goatee
Now that an outline is set, The edges of the goatee shape can be trimmed to get it to the size and shape of choice. Use a clean, sharp razor to get the accurate shape. For men making use of the manual razors, a new razor will aid in a cleaner shave and for those using the electric shaver, the trimming tool will come in handy.
Note:
- Before trimming the ingrown facial hair run a comb through the beard to straighten out the curled hair. This will not only aid in trimming the hair without any hassles but will also give a better idea of the goatee length.
- A typical goatee needs to be the same width as the mouth width. This width can be defined by smiling. The creases of the dimples help in a better judgment of the edges of the goatee.
- Always check for the goatee symmetry by checking in the mirror to make sure both sides are trimmed evenly.
How to trim a Goatee Beard?
Learning to shave a circle beard might look tedious. But it doesn’t have to be when the right tools are chosen. The following set of steps help in trimming a goatee:
Trim downwards
A beard trimmer will help to clip the extra grown whiskers to an even size of 3-5 mm. This process improves the styling.
Create an outline
A precision trimmer will help to create the outline of the goatee around the chin. Chose a width of choice and clip the excess hair from the cheek and neck area by working against the direction of the hair growth.
Style beneath the lip
Trim to create a triangle or rounded shape or remove this patch of hair entirely depending on an individual’s taste. Carefully form well-defined lines by touching the edges of the hair with a trimmer.
Final length trimming
With the aid of a beard and mustache comb or a zoom wheel of the trimmer reduce the length of the goatee to the desired level.
Clean up
Trim the hair around the mustache line and shave the excess hair on the neck and cheek area. Finally check for the symmetry of the new goatee beard.
How to Shave a Goatee?
The steps required to maintain the shape and goatee style include:
Wash the facial hair and dry it.
Use a beard shampoo to wash the beard. Comb the hair neatly in one direction and dry the hair as wet hair stretches slightly.
Note: Avoid trimming a goatee while it’s wet as this can lead to a scraggly, uneven line.
Envision two lines on the chin
By looking straight into a mirror with the chin lifted the two lines of the chin can be envisioned. These lines mark to aid in marking the edges of the goatee. If the goatee is uneven, it will not connect properly to a mustache. The choice to retain the mustache is a personal opinion that needs to be decided at this point as it will not affect the shape of the goatee on the chin but will aid in determining the hair that needs to be retained or shaved off.
Shave the excess hair from the cheeks and jawline
With the help of a clipper or a razor chop the cheek and jawline excess hair, retaining the hair on the chin and the sideburns intact if any. Shave with the grain or hair growth, since shaving against the grain can tug the skin and cause irritation. It is also advised to retain a quarter-inch to a half-inch strip of hair on either side of the mouth to connect the goatee to a mustache if desired.
Shave off stray hairs from the neck region
Shave off extra hair from the neck region to up to two inches behind the chin tip, on the underside of the chin. The goatee should hug the underside of the chin, shaving higher than this can create an unbalanced look.
Check the edges of the goatee
Sharp, square edges enhance the definition of a round face, whereas rounded edges soften the angular features of a square face.
Apply an aftershave
Experts recommend the use of aftershave lotions and creams to encounter razor rash and ingrown hairs
Maintain the goatee
The goatee shape can be maintained by trimming and shaving off stray hairs two to three times a week.
Pointers:
- For folks with thick or coarse hair, a warm towel application over the face for 5-10 minutes aids in softening the hair and simplifies the shaving procedure.
- It is generally advised to track the natural facial hair growth as it’s more aesthetically pleasing to be clean-shaven than patchy.
- Experts advice to consider shaving the upper lip bare to showcase the full goatee on the chin in men who face problems in growing a full mustache
- Visit a dermatologist at the earliest in cases of persistent, irritated razor rash or infection from ingrown hairs and shaving nicks.
How to Maintain Healthy Goatee Beard?
The following pointers will help in maintaining a healthy facial hair.
Choose and eat right
Choosing and eating a balanced diet generally promotes healthy hair and skin. If consuming fruits and vegetables feel too wimpy opt to take multivitamin supplements.
Wash the beard regularly
Clean the facial hair regularly as at times hunks of food taken for dinner can be stuck on the whiskers. Wash the beard a few times a week with the help of a moisturizing shampoo in order to not have a brittle, beast-like beard.
Dry the beard with the utmost care
After washing beard, dry it delicately. As for drying, it forcefully will not only yield split-ends but will also remove the luster from the beard.
Apply oil regularly
Shampooing removes natural oils from the facial hair hence to retain the shininess and softness of the beard experts predominantly advise to apply olive or natural oils on a regular basis.
Use the appropriate tools for the beard maintenance
Make sure to opt for the right grooming gear. Purchase a beard trimmer and a pair of sharp scissors for retaining the shape.
A healthy goatee can enhance the looks of an individual however it requires a minimum effort. Growing and maintaining a goatee is not only difficult or time-consuming, however, to experience a well-shaped and illustrious goatee it is important to follow them closely.