Facial hair is an aesthetic condition that is increasingly given more importance. A tour of the different beard styles you can adopt.
Hair is defined as a continuation of the scalp formed by a keratin fiber and consisting of a root and a stem. At birth, humans have on average about 1,135 hair follicles, which translates into about 5 million in adulthood.
The hairs, whether present in the pubis, beard, head, arms, trunk or legs, have a clear protective function, since they serve as thermal insulation in mammals, hinder insect bites and protect us from mechanical impacts with the outside.
Beyond this, head hair and body hair have become a clear aesthetic value, to such an extent that people consider hair grafts when they lose their hair by processes such as androgenic baldness.
Today we come to talk about a hair upwelling a little less attended on many occasions, but that also completely modifies the male face according to its length, arrangement and profile: the beard. If you want to know the 10 types of beard that exist and which one fits best with your face, continue reading.
- We recommend you read: “How to grow hair faster (5 tips)”
What is a beard and other statistics
The beard is defined as the set of hairs that grow on the chin, neck, cheekbones and under the lower lip in the male gender (if we look at a binary classification of the concept). It is estimated that, on average, men have between 6,000 and 25,000 hairs on their face and neck, that is, an estimated 50 per square centimeter.
Beyond numbers, it is really interesting to know that, according to a study published in the Journal of evolutionary biology, men with beards are more attractive to women. After interviewing a sample group of 8,520 female people, it was discovered that the facial beard blurred the boundaries between the most “feminized” features in men, a fact that seemed to cement an attraction for potential long-term partners. Of course, these data highlight the underlying importance of facial hair.
What beard styles are there?
Maybe we’ve convinced you that the beard is more important than you might initially think, right? Do not worry too much, because in the following lines we show you the 10 most common types of beards and their main characteristics. Before that, we make some generalizations regarding the subject:
- Elongated faces benefit from beards with short chins and longer sides, as this shape gives a certain “roundness” to the face.
- Oval faces look better with beards that homogenize the whole, generally bushy.
- The round faces solve their aesthetic deficiencies with angular and slightly pointed beards, which give more length to the face.
- Square faces are friendlier with non-invasive goatees or beards.
- Triangular faces benefit from full beards, as they soften the natural physiological “edges” in this type of face.
Once we have presented this series of generalities, it is time to immerse ourselves in the world of beard types. Let’s get to it.
1. Beard in padlock or goatee
Better known as goatee in Spanish or goatee in English, the circular beard is formed froma mustache and hair on the chin that are joined. This style dates back to ancient Greece and Roman society, which is why it has accompanied the face of men for thousands of years.
As a curiosity, it should be noted that knobs have been used to represent inherently bad entities or with dubious intentions throughout history (such as the devil). Studies have discovered that the human being perceives the inverted triangles as a potentially dangerous element, a fact by which the goatee could have been chosen as a character that gave the face of the represented a sinister tone. Luckily, this preconception no longer exists and the goatee is a quick and easy way to show profiled facial hair.
It should also be noted that the beard lock can be shown in multiple variants: from hair only on the chin to the variety described in previous lines there are multiple styles that fall in between. It is recommended on square faces.
2. Barba regia
The royal beard is similar to the padlock beard, although here theconnection between the chin and the mustache is “cut”. Using a slightly more advanced slang in the world of hairdressing, it is “a mustache anchored by hair on the chin”.
We are facing a style that has shown an upward trend in recent years, as multiple celebrities have decided to opt for this variant. If you are looking to show facial hair relatively discreetly without hoarding and burying your features, this is your style. Again, it is recommended on square faces.
3. Padlock beard
A padlock beard is considered one in which amustache and a complete goatee are allowed to grow without them coming together completely. In this style, maximum symmetry is sought and is especially suitable for round faces.
4. Square short beard
The infallible. In this case we are facing a full beard with delicately profiled thin sides, that is, the analogue of a “beard of a few days”. It is surprising to know that, in the study that we have mentioned during the introduction, most women opted for this style and the three-day beard: a little balanced facial hair, which provides masculinity but does not bury the features of the wearer.
5. Balbo beard or anchor
A beard without sideburns and a separate and trimmed mustache, which saw its peak of popularity in the seventeenth century, at the time of the Musketeers. This style arises as a mixture of several aesthetic currents, which is why it transmits sobriety but at the same time a certain nonconformity with the established rules.
Some professional portals separate the balbo and anchor varieties, as it seems that the latter is a little more “pointed” and less dense. Even so, the concept and execution is very similar. These types of beards are recommended on round faces.
6. Spartan Beard
A type of long and bushy beard, which is characterized bya length of the hairs of 4 centimeters from the chin. This beard is conceived as a unit, which is clearly delimited at the beginning of the neck and cheekbones and has a bushy mustache.
Whether to show masculinity and toughness, for mere personal tastes or to hide some facial feature that is not entirely ideal, the spartan beard can be a good option on multiple occasions. Even so, you have to be careful to delimit it correctly from the rest of the face, because it can look “careless” and “dirty” if it is not outlined correctly.
7. Sparrow Beard
Yes, it is named after the famous character in the movie “Pirates of the Caribbean”. The Sparrow beard is characterized by being in the form of avery long goatee with intertwined tips. If you want an atypical look that exudes personality and at the same time allows you to show off a bushy hair on your chin, this beard will be your way to go.
8. Full beard
Even thicker than the spartan one, this beard is the one of “all life”, the one we place on a woodcutter for social preconceptions. This type of beard requires a lot of patience and cleanliness, as it is formed by a bushy hair that can trap particles and liquids quickly.
Of course, if you are looking to present yourself in a more “masculine” way to the world, this is the best option, butbe prepared for long sessions of care and sanitation.
9. Beard with long sideburns connected
Unfortunately or fortunately, the sideburns are in disuse. Therefore, this style is quite risky: it consists ofbushy sideburns that are attached to the mustache, but the chin is free of hair. In countries like the United States this type of beard has certain political connotations (which we will let the reader guess), which is why you have to be a little careful with what you want to convey with this cut.
10. The Chin Band
We close this space with a classic: the hidden line of hair that surrounds the chin and does not present continuity in the chin, cheekbones, sideburns or mustache. Again, we are facing a somewhat risky option, as it has fallen into disuse in recent years.
Summary
As you may have seen in these lines, in general beards are recommended that make aesthetic deficiencies less evident according to the type of face that the individual presents. Deep down, and beyond superficialities, we can only give you one piece of advice: do what you want with your facial hair.
Security and personal confidence are only obtained when the subject is comfortable with himself, because appearances are just that, a façade. Therefore, choose the style with which you are most comfortable regardless of the standards imposed. We assure you that if you look good, you will radiate beauty to everyone around you.
To the classic question “what do you do?” I always answer “basically I am a psychologist”. In fact, my academic training has revolved around the psychology of development, education and community, a field of study influenced my volunteer activities, as well as my first work experiences in personal services.