Last Updated on: September 29, 2022
When someone mentions Rick Ross, the image in your mind is of a man with a full beard.
What about Chris Rock or Denzel?
There’s that one facial hair trim that defines them.
For a black man, a beard style is more than just a trim here and stubble there.
It’s a statement!
So, as you look at these black men’s beard styles, think about the signature look you’d want to etch in people’s minds.
Beard Styles For Black Men: 13 Stylish Ideas
1. Short Beard
It’s one of the simplest beard styles for black men, one you can design at home with your beard trimmer. All you need is even beard growth so that when you trim it, you have one to two inches left.
A short beard style suits a corporate career because it’s neat, manageable, and doesn’t cover all your face like a full beard.
2. Circle Beard
Unlike a full beard, the hair circles the mouth without falling over the neck. It’s not long, so it doesn’t cover the cheeks, but it has a short goatee.
It’s an edgy, modern look that any African American man can pull off. If you need some inspo, check pictures of Will Smith.
3. Full Beard
It’s one of the most popular African American beard styles. This beard design has many variations like the Garibaldi beard and Bandholz full beard.
The mane grows over the cheeks to the upper neck in a traditional full beard but slightly over your mouth in a Bandholz style.
This beard style suits everyone regardless of age, lifestyle, or occupation.
4. Long Beard Goatee
Have you seen Djimon Hounsou’s goatee beard style?
It’s the best beard design for black men’s beards that lack even beard growth. To create a long goatee, trim the cheeks and the mustache, and let the hair on your chin grow wild. Instead of shaving your hair, you can turn a circle or full beard into a goatee by trimming the cheeks and leaving short hair around the mouth.
Sometimes, you can trim a section between a goatee and a mustache to form a Balbo beard or anchor beard.
5. Mutton Chops
It’s easy to design mutton chops when you have long sideburns and almost no hair on your cheeks. This design forms a strip from each earlobe to your chin, with the chin beard having the longest strands.
It has some unkempt beard vibes, so you may want to avoid this look if you work in the corporate world.
6 Pencil Beard
This style is different from others as it’s as thin as a pencil with sharp edges connecting the mustache to the chin instead of a thick beard with round edges. It’s the perfect minimalist look, but the chin beard may turn into a chinstrap when it grows wild.
You’ll need excellent contouring skills when trimming a different beard style into a pencil beard.
7. Chin Strap Beard
The hair grows from your earlobes to your chin in a thin strip about an inch from the jawline. It’s the best beard style when you want to keep your cheeks clean. Don’t confuse a chin strap beard with a Shenandoah because the latter has longer hair. It grows over the whole chin and covers the jawline.
8. Five O’clock Shadow
Earlier, we mentioned that a short beard is one of the best for even black men’s beards. Here’s another style, but one that’s even shorter than our previous suggestion. This one’s between a clean shave and a stubble beard.
It takes the shape of a full beard, covering your cheeks and your mustache. Thus, it’s where you start when growing a full beard.
9. Bald Man Beard
It’s a style, meaning it’s even for men who can grow head hair but prefer to shave it clean. To have this look, fade your beard from the middle of your ear’s length for a natural look on your sideburns.
Some confuse a hipster beard with the bald man beard style even though the two are different.
For instance, a fade separates the head and facial hair of a hipster beard style. On top of that, this style looks wild and unkempt, unlike the stylish bald man’s beard look.
10. Bushy Beard
It’s one of the black men’s beards styles for older men because there’s little to no beard styling needed. The facial hair grows thick and curly over the cheeks, the mustache, and the chin. Most of the time, it’s a mass of black and gray hair. It’s attractive because of the salt and pepper look rather than its length or beard shape.
11. Goatee
We mean that patch of hair on the chin with the rest of the face shaved clean. It might look like a patch that runs from under the lower lip to the chin. This goatee is more demanding as you have to trim facial hair often and moisturize the cheeks to avoid ingrown hair, but it’s a stylish look.
You can turn a full beard into a goatee by shaving off the cheeks and above your mouth.
12. Mustache Style
Who better to explain this style than Steve Harvey?
It doesn’t have to be a thick strip of hair like Harvey’s, but it needs clean-shaven cheeks. When it’s thin, it has a modern feel and looks youthful.
How about trying this style as you shave your full beard? Trim your cheeks and chin, but leave a thin mustache.
13. Short Boxed Beard
It’s one of the beard styles black men love, for it follows the structure of the full beard, but it isn’t as long. If your hair grows into a patchy beard first, give it time and moisturize the hair follicle to encourage beard growth. Also, you have to trim this style without defining the edges.
Which Beard Style Suits Your Face?
Since we’ve given you a list of 15 styles, it’s only fair to help you find the one suited to your face. Here’s what we think.
a. Oval Face
It’s so easy to work with an oval face. You want a style with clear cheek lines and a square edge on your jawline.
b. Long Face
Your chin is already long, so a shorter beard is better, such as a 5 o’clock shadow or a chin strap.
c. Round Face
You need length on a round face, and styles like a goatee and a bald man’s beard can do that perfectly.
d. Square Face
Find a style that doesn’t highlight your square jawline and instead alludes that you have a round edge. You can try a goatee or a short beard.
You might have to try several styles before you find a signature look. As you experiment, remember that many carved beard styles trim most of your hair. For instance, you’d need clean cheeks for a pencil beard.
Consequently, it’s more practical to grow a full beard first, and if you don’t like it, you can trim it to a short beard, pencil, or chin curtain. If none of those styles suit your face, then shave all of it and have a five o’clock shadow instead.
Simple Beard Care Tips To Boost Growth
Our hair grows slower than other hair types, and it’s curly, thick, and dry. The moisture from the skin doesn’t travel to the tip, so we often have dry, irritated skin under the mane. What can we do to take care of our beards despite these problems?
1. Brush Gently
Apply beard oil and balm before combing your hair so that the comb glides through without pulling. Further, the beard brush should have firm bristles with smooth edges.
2. Use Beard Care Products For Black Men
Get products suited to both textured hair and black skin. Also, moisturize your skin often, so that hair follicles work as they should without causing ingrown hairs. Some irritants to avoid are fragrances and dyes. Also, heavy products can clog pores.
3. Use Clean Beard Accessories
You’re also to clean your beard comb and other accessories often to remove dirt and beard oil that can create an environment for bacteria growth.
4. Trim Regularly
It’ll help form the beard shape and prevent split ends. Invest in a beard trimmer with speed and a powerful motor so that it doesn’t pull your hair.
5. Avoid Pulling Out Ingrown Hairs
If you have curly hair, you might notice razor bumps after shaving. These ingrown hairs may cause scarring when you pop them.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most attractive beard style?
They’re all nice, but you need the right style for your face shape, occupation, and hair type. Popular beard style ideas among African American celebrities are bushy, goatee, full, circle, and pencil.
Do black men look better with facial hair?
We can’t say they look better as there are good-looking black men without facial hair, but the ones with a beard are stunning. For instance, Denzel Washington’s clean-shaven face is attractive, but have you seen him with a bit of salt and pepper facial hair? He’s striking!
Idris Elba, on the other hand, keeps us on our toes with his beard styles, ranging from a mustache to a short beard and goatee. Sometimes, he shaves it all off.
What’s the best way to maintain a goatee?
Trim around your goatee to have long hair on the chin and clean cheeks. Move the beard trimmer from the cheeks towards your chin. The shortest hair should be under your mouth and the longest strands on the chin.
Have a regular care routine to wash your beard with a beard shampoo and moisturize it. Also, moisturize your cheeks even if they are clean-shaven so that you don’t get ingrown hairs. Lastly, never forget to brush your moistened goatee to remove dirt particles.
Is it hard to manage a full beard?
No, it’s not. It’s simple to maintain this beard style as you only trim the cheek edges to define the look. There’s no other trimming needed, more so in the first few months as you grow it. You only wash, moisturize, and brush your mane.
What length of stubble is most attractive?
A hint of stubble is more attractive than a clean-shaven face. We’re talking about ten days of growth for a scruffy beard.
Conclusion
First, you have to grow a beard. That’s why we gave you 15 options for different hair lengths. A full beard can give you a mature look that exudes wisdom. It’s for all face shapes and men of any age. If you’re into a clean look without much facial hair, you can settle for a short beard or a five o’clock shadow.
Whatever you choose, have a beard care routine that takes care of both your hair and skin to avoid ingrown hairs and brittle hair. Therefore, always cleanse and moisturize!