For men curious about experimenting with different looks, there are many resources out there to help choose a specific haircut or beard style. However, few articles or blog posts go into detail about how beards and hair complement one another, and what to look for when choosing a hairstyle to match your beard. The biggest problem with approaching your beard and hair separately is that this can sometimes result in an unbalanced or or even bizarre overall style.
In this post, we will be taking a look at the ways that your beard and hair work together to form a cohesive look, how to determine which type of hair will go best with your beard, and how different combinations require different amounts and kinds of care.
Importance of your haircut with a beard
Choosing the right haircut goes hand in hand with beard care and general self-grooming. I am sure we have all seen someone at some point whose beard and hair just don’t quite work together, resulting in a rather odd appearance. The way that your beard and hair are connected to one another means that for better or worse, you need to take a holistic approach to hair care.
Another thing to keep in mind is your lifestyle. For men who work somewhere with policies that limit beard or hair length for reasons of formality or safety, certain options are off the table. Maybe you are allowed to have long hair if you keep it up, but a long beard is prohibited, or vice versa.
Alternatively your lifestyle might allow you the freedom to cut your hair and beard however you want. This means that you have the freedom to try out less common styles, without worrying about how it will affect your personal or professional life.
The last thing to keep in mind about lifestyle is the amount of time you are able or willing to invest in grooming. If you grow a long beard or long hair, you will likely have to spend more time keeping it clean, brushed, and out of the way. We will discuss this aspect of beard care in more detail later on.
Matching your face shape with the perfect beard and hair
Choosing the right beard and haircut for you isn’t only about your lifestyle. Another thing to keep in mind is the shape of your face and head.
For example, men with round heads will likely want a different style from men with narrow heads, and men with square heads will go for something different as well. While there is no exact science to these kinds of considerations, you have probably already started to notice which beard styles best suit your face.
Best combination styles of hair with beard
Let’s get down to business. What do different combinations of beard and hair say about you as a person, what kind of care do they require, and what kind of faces do they work best with?
Long hair with beard:
Long hair works well with just about any length of beard. A long beard with long hair tends to give off the vibe of a laid back, hippie lifestyle, or perhaps that of an urban professional. Shorter beards with long hair are less common these days, but hearken back to the grunge culture of the 90s, giving their wearers a fun but iconoclastic look.
As was mentioned earlier, long hair and a long beard can be a lot of work to keep up, so this look may not be for the casual beard grower. However, if you are willing to put in the time, it can be worth the effort.
This look tends to work great for men with thinner faces, as the beard and long hair together work to round out a gaunt face.
Short hair with beard:
Short hair with a beard tends to be a more subtle and subdued look than the one mentioned above. This is a flexible look that works for just about everyone.
A long beard combined with short hair can be a great look if done right. However, you will probably need to trim your beard regularly in order to correspond to the neatness of a shorter haircut. Medium and short length beards are most common with a short haircut, and provide a very neutral manly style, suitable for every occasion.
Short hair works great with a beard because it requires little grooming and leaves you free to care for your beard exclusively. Short hair and a short beard is even better, as it requires only a bare minimum of washing and brushing to keep in tip-top shape.
Buzz cut with beard:
There are few styles more tough and manly than a buzz cut with a beard. Practical and well suited to the rough, outdoorsy lifestyle, this look works great for men with naturally square heads and jaws, who want to show off their natural good looks. This look can also be helpful for men who are balding and need a new approach to their hair.
On a similar note, this style tends to work best with beards on the short side. A buzz cut with a long beard is a workable style, and can help men with narrow jaws round out their overall appearance. However, for men with more square jaws, a short beard, mustache, or even just a five o’clock shadow can do a lot to flaunt what you’ve got.
This is another style that requires very little work to maintain, except for regular shaving and moisturizing.
Undercut with beard:
For men with an artistic side or the desire to experiment with different looks, an undercut with a beard can be a great look. A long beard with an undercut is the most ostentatious approach. A shorter beard with an undercut can help give you a more workplace-appropriate appearance.
This kind of haircut works with just about every face shape.
Haircuts for faded beard:
For men with faded beards, we have a piece of advice: don’t skimp on fading your hair as well. A faded beard can look great, but it can start to look lopsided with a haircut that doesn’t fade well, leaving obvious lines.
This is also a beard style that tends to go better with shorter haircuts, since the transition from neatly faded beard to long hair can be a bit too sudden.
Don’t be afraid to experiment
The final tip we will leave you with is that none of the general guidelines we mentioned above are set in stone. Men are constantly innovating and trying out new styles—in fact, that is the only way that trends develop. If you think that a certain look matches your lifestyle or face shape well, don’t be afraid to try it, even if you haven’t ever seen it done before. The most important thing is to be yourself and have fun doing it.
Time to get grooming!
Grooming your hair and beard can be hard work. Let Wild Willies make it easier by providing you with the natural, quality products you need to grow and maintain a truly awesome beard. Check out our online store and make an order today!
