Best Short Beard Styles For Men [2021] - Short Beard Style Guide

So you’ve decided to grow out a beard and ditch the smooth-faced club, congrats brother! Short beard styles are versatile, stylish, and rugged.

But, just because you're not growing out an extremely long beard doesn't mean your grooming practices need to stop. Lucky for you, Wild Willies has your back.

If you want to grow the best beard possible then read this article and learn from our Wild Willies Guide to Short Beard Styles.

About Short Beard Styles

Short beards are around 2cm or shorter (~1 inch) in length. Short beards make up about 60% of all facial hair styles on men. They are versatile and can add an edge to most casual looks.

It doesn't matter if you’re wrangling cattle, sitting behind a desk or on tour, keeping America safe… a good short beard will add an air of masculinity to your daily activity.

Short beard styles range from stubble to a more groomed look with neck lines, cheek lines, chin lines, etc. 

As opposed to long beard styles, short beard styles are not limited to any particular facial hair type or skin colour either.

Short beard styles can work for any man. They are not limited by any face shapes. But, short beard styles look best on men with thicker or coarser hair textures.

Recommended Short Beard Styles

You don't get far in life without a bit of knowledge. So knowing the right short beard style for your face is important.

My father always used to tell me to know myself and be honest about my strengths and weaknesses. I asked him "what weaknesses?" which led to a verbal smackdown.

I did eventually take his advice to heart, and you should too. So, don't pick a beard style that doesn't work on your face shape or facial hair growth abilities.

Short Beard Style #1 - The Beardstache

A good beardstache is a facial hairstyle that works for most men.

Grow out your facial hairs for 2-3 weeks before starting to groom your cheek and chin hairs. Make sure to let your mustache keep growing.

This style works for square faces or those with a round face because your facial hairs will extend to the jaw line and the beautiful mustache on your upper lip will draw attention to it.

Short Beard Style #2 - The Van Dyke Beard

Can't grow hair on your cheeks? No worries.

The Van Dyke beard involves a mustache and a chin beard. It is a classic style that is essentially an extended goatee. If you have a hard time pulling off thick beard growth, you can pull a Johnny Depp and rock wispy mustache and a thin beard on your chin.

Make sure you have a good beard trimmer because a Van Dyke beard requires tight lines and regular maintenance. You want a sharp thin beard design here, not an overly bushy growth, especially on your chin.

Short Beard Style #3 - The Chin Strap

This beard style is perfect for people who have a chiseled jawline and want to show it off. It follows the contours of one's face, giving definition without having excess hair that can be bulky or distracting.

It resembles an old-fashioned head strap worn around soldiers’ faces in order to keep their helmets from falling down over their eyes while they fought on battlefields.

A chin strap is not a goatee style so make sure to keep your mustache and soul patch well shaven.

Short Beard Styles - Grooming 101

As you've heard from us before, the beard makes the man.

Even a patchy beard can be made to look presentable if styled and groomed well.

Speaking of patchy beards - you need to check out this beard growth boosting tool, our derma roller, to help with your beard growth.

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To keep your beard hair looking fresh and clean, make sure to shampoo at least twice a week and apply some beard oil after your shower.

A good beard oil will keep your facial hair soft and give it a nice healthy sheen. 

You won’t find a better beard oil than our Wild Willies Beard Oil - Cool Mint. It is made with 10 natural conditioner ingredients and organic essential oils. It is also blended by hand in the USA.

Use a beard trimmer to regularly trim the edges of your chosen short beard style. You can use a razor as well but, we recommend using a tool like our beard shaping tool to make sure you don't over-shave.

The Wild Willies Essential Shaping Tool is both a comb and a tool to help you accurately trim your sideburns, goatee, beard and neckline.

Having defined lines is important for most short beards.

You don't need to use a beard comb unless your beard grows really thick. You can use one of these on your mustache to keep the hairs from poking all over the place. 

Signing Off

We love a good short beard because it gives you a little more freedom than a long beard from a daily maintenance routine. And, freedom is foundational.

Share this article with a fellow beard brother to keep him from making simple grooming mistakes. We’re the sum of the people we spend the most time with so be a leader in your group and pass on helpful knowledge to your circle. 

-Wild Willies