If you can grow any facial hair whatsoever, you are in luck. The beard styles donned by celebs and well-to-do men are getting better and better. Even if you're dealing with a patchy beard, all that’s separating you from your potential is a bit of intentional beard shaping, maybe a bit of beard conditioner, beard oil, the right beard brush, and maybe just some simple inspo.
As we did with the best mustache styles, we've rounded up the classic (and some unusual) beard styles to consider growing out—some of which will take months, while others take a mere 15 hours. Remember, there is usually a way to modify any of these styles in a way that fits your beard growth pattern and density, so don’t be discouraged from the outset if you are a bit follicularly challenged around the face. These styles all stray from the “just grow it out and call it a day” mundanity and will help elevate your scruff to new levels—even if it’s 12-hour scruff at that.
1. The Anchor BeardAs Seen On: Jeremy Renner, Idris Elba, Colin Farrell
If you study it closely, this facial hair style resembles an anchor, with a mustache that often cradles both sides of the mouth, as well as a pointed beard. Most of you can achieve this style if you want to, even if you’ve got a patchy beard. Start by shaving the cheeks, then snipping the bridge of hair between your chin and upper lips.
2. The Verdi BeardAs Seen On: Conor McGregor, Tom Hardy, Chris Evans
With short cheeks and a long, rounded beard, the Verdi resembles other styles on this list—such as the bushy beard, Van Dyke, and the chinstrap—but its swizzle forms from the mustache, which is typically styled like a handlebar and feels like a separate element from the rest of the beard. It takes some confidence to pull off—or maybe just the right amount of dandy-man flair.
3. The Bushy BeardAs Seen On: Jason Momoa, David Letterman, Jake Gyllenhaal
Don’t mistake this for an unkempt nest of hair. The full, bushy beard is extremely intentional and is often paired with a styled mustache. It suits a certain personality, be it the unaffected bon vivant or the DGAF retiree who’d rather be on his sailboat.
4. The Van Dyke BeardAs Seen On: Robert Downey Jr., Dev Patel, Pierce Brosnan
The Van Dyke is a combination of a goatee and a mustache, with no connecting hair between the two elements. It’s the love child of an Anchor Beard and Verdi Beard, and its expression can range from dialed in and dapper (like RDJ and Dev Patel), all the way to Colonel Sanders (like Pierce Brosnan).
5. The ChinstrapAs Seen On: LeBron James, Zayn Malik, Jack Harlow
There is a lot of room for error with the chinstrap—and wow, have we seen our fair share of poorly managed beard cheeklines and too-high beard necklines? Think of the perfect chinstrap as more of a barely-there mustache, with any variety of fullness on the cheeks. What is most imperative is that the area between the sideburns and chin is filled in consistently. The three celebrities listed here all have different chinstrap-style facial hair (among the various styles they’ve worn); perhaps LeBron’s is most signature.
6. Designer StubbleAs Seen On: Charles Melton, Jason Statham, Adam Levine
A dusting of permastubble is very much a facial hair style—just as a buzzcut is a hairstyle. Best of all, everyone has their own execution of this style: It can be a few days' growth for sparse or patchy guys or even a five O’clock shadow’s worth for the most bestubbled men. Be sure to keep your perimeters clean, though; that is where the style gets its legs. Because otherwise, you’re just a bloke who neglected to shave his neckbeard.
7. The Beard ‘StacheAs Seen On: Henry Cavill, Oscar Isaac, Riz Ahmed
Also, one of our favorite modified mustache styles, the beard ‘stache, involves growing out a full mustache and having a very short (or just stubbled) beard around the rest of your mug. It’s a play on contrasts and works beautifully on pretty much every guy, even the patchiest among us.
8. The Balbo Beard (AKA The Anchored ‘Stache)As Seen On: Michael B. Jordan, Eddie Murphy, Steven Yeun
Another modified mustache style (which you might refer to as The Anchored ‘Stache), the Balbo is a drastically disconnected mustache and beard, where the hair is isolated to both of those two parts of the face (and not much in between or elsewhere). It gives the beard an anchoring effect for the mustache, and the hair on the chin can be grown in a number of ways—soul patch optional. Don’t confuse this one with “the anchor beard,” which actually creates an anchor-like shape.
9. The Garibaldi BeardAs Seen On: Zach Galifianakis, James Harden, Jeff Bridges
This is the quintessential full beard with a wide-set end (rounded or squared-off). It is nicely sculpted and styled rather than overgrown and scraggly. It’s probably the most aspirational beard of the bunch since it benefits from having full growth all around the face—though even some patchy guys will have success with this one once it grows long enough to fill in the sparseness. Not to mention, you don’t need full cheek fuzz to make this one work since it’s all about the volume and shape below your face.
10. The Ducktail BeardAs Seen On: Charlie Hunnam, Russell Crowe, Brandon Ingram
As the name suggests, this style resembles a duck's tail, with a pointed tip on the chin. It’s the more angled relative of the Garibaldi beard. And for some reason, unlike the Garibaldi, you need a certain swagger to make the Ducktail beard work, or maybe a really killer pair of Raybans.
11. The GoateeAs Seen On: Jamie Foxx, Leonardo DiCaprio, Common
You don’t need us to tell you about the goatee. But maybe you do need an extra vote of confidence: There are some real A-list ways to pull this one off—hey, if Jamie Foxx, Leo, and Brad Pitt can rock it on red carpets, who is saying you can’t dress it up, either? Don’t write off the goatee just because it has a bad rap; when a goatee is good, it is truly great.
12. The Overgrown GoateeAs Seen On: Brad Pitt, Tommy Flanagan, John Legend
The longer version of a goatee will extend an inch or more down the chin, with no real limit to its length. It runs the risk of looking disheveled, but if you embrace your Bohemian side, then it’s quite the nice accessory. There is a sweet spot, though, where the overgrown goatee is the perfect length—John Legend’s expression is it—where it looks more stylized than the usual goatee and less grizzly than the longer ones.
13. The Chin BeardAs Seen On: Derek Luke, Djimon Hounsou, Robert Pattinson
Like a little island of fuzz on the chin, this “beard” is a nice way to accent a bald head, but it will also suit guys who can’t grow full-cheek hair. Try to isolate the hair that aligns underneath your mouth and shave everything that grows out wider past that. And you need to keep the hair on the underside of the chin, too, even if it’s just an inch deep. Otherwise, you’re stuck with a glorified soul patch.
14. Mutton ChopsAs Seen On: Martin Van Buren, Chester A. Arthur, Hugh Jackman as Wolverine
The most presidential facial hair you can have is also primed for an ironic comeback. It involves sideburns that extend down the jawline without connecting across the chin. It’s like the perfect foil for a goatee, and we need the right celebrity to bring it back into style. (We hereby nominate Travis Kelce or someone with that kind of bravado.)
Craving more? Watch Matty Conrad critique celebrity beards on some of your favorite celebrities.
