From painters and athletes to musketeers and actors, goatees have an important place in the history of men’s beard styles. While their popularity has suffered in recent years as fuller beards become the norm, many men still rock goatees in various styles and varieties. If you are considering a change of look, goatees can be a solid option as they can take you from feeling like a background character in any social event to being the protagonist you truly are.
Here are the most popular goatee types you should know, from long goatees to goatee beards, and much more.
Classic Goatee
A classic goatee refers to hair grown on the chin and soul patch areas, but no mustache. The standard goatee without a mustache is the foundation for a variety of beard styles, though it can work on its own as well. The classic goatee is often kept shorter in length, anywhere from half-inch to one inch. The goatee is perhaps best-known thanks to Shaggy from Scooby-Doo and a lot of baseball players, for some reason.
Chin Puff
Maybe the chin puff should be the standard goatee as it is the style that closest resembles an actual goat beard. Like the classic goatee, the puff doesn’t include a mustache, but all the hair is grown from the chin or lower lip area and kept at least 2 inches in length. Chin beard puffs can be wide or narrow like a landing strip, and they can commonly be seen on guitarists from metal bands of the ’90s.
Circle or Boxed Goatee
The circle beard, also known as the boxed goatee, is perhaps the most common goatee style. The style connects the hair on your chin to your mustache to form a defined, “boxed” frame around your mouth. This style is more commonly worn short, as seen on some of the most famous celebrities, including Kanye West, Brad Pitt, and Guy Fieri, who tend to sport a longer version.
Disconnected or Hipster Goatee
Probably the most popular goatee style nowadays, this standard goatee style is similar to the boxed version, but the mustache is disconnected from the goatee on your chin. This trendy style is prevalent among young men as it is the easiest goatee style to grow for those who don’t have fully-developed beards. This type of goatee is usually kept short and more on the narrow side, though it can also be worn wider. For reference, Google Johnny Depp or Michael B. Jordan.
Van Dyke Goatee
Named after 17th-century painter Anthony Van Dyck, but perhaps best known as Colonel Sanders’ signature style. This long goatee style combines a mustache and chin puff without connecting at the sides of the mouth. In more modern times, this style has also been popularized by the version on Guy Fawkes masks.
Anchor Beard
The anchor beard gets its name because—you guessed it—it’s supposed to resemble a ship’s anchor. To achieve this style, made famous by Robert Downey Jr’s Tony Stark, simply let your goatee grow outward along the jawline similar to the Van Dyke, except this style doesn’t connect with the mustache. The key point here is that the goatee beard should be wider than the mustache, and the soul path should connect to your goatee, so they form a shape similar to a ship’s anchor.
Scruffy Goat
This is the go-to goatee beard for those aiming for a more natural, rugged look. The most popular version of this style combines a dense hipster or anchor beard goatee with a couple of days of stubble grown on the cheeks and neck. In this style, the goatee should be longer than the scruff, so it is more prominent. If you are new to goatees, this is probably the best way to get started.
So, what are you waiting for? Go grab your trimmer and shape your beard into one of these goatee styles to catch everyone’s eyes at your next event. And don’t forget a beard pomade or beard jelly to give your goatee facial hair a little more personality!