Style Guide: Short Beard Styles
When growing a beard, many men often think it’s fine enough to just grow it and be done with it. In fact, without some effort behind how you want your beard to look, it will often come out looking like a scraggly mess. But fear not: With a little bit of effort you can get your beard looking exactly how you like it.
If you prefer a short beard or are growing one out, read on because this style guide is for short beards. And if you’re not sure which one is right for you, try one out, then another! The great thing about short beards is they grow back quickly. Short beards are also very easy to care for, so a great option for the low-maintenance types who still want to look great.
For short beards, you don’t really need beard oil, but a good facial moisturizer can work wonders for keeping your beard smooth and soft.
OK, let’s jump in!
1. The David Beckham Beard
David Beckham is known for his short beard styles. While they vary, he almost always keeps it short and clean. He’ll also often keep the mustache longer than the rest. This can be achieved by using a longer clipper setting when trimming your mustache versus the rest of your beard. Or not cutting the trimming your moustache at all, but just cutting it with a scissor above the lip (or longer if you want). However that will require some brushing and balm to keep it in place.
2. The Keanu Reeves Beard
Keanu Reeves makes the most of his patchy beard to achieve a laid-back, stylishly scraggly look. Regular brushing helps beard hair have more even coverage and look more styled (don’t worry, it won’t look overstyled). Keeping some length at the mustache and/or chin can help fill out the look, too. This is especially effective for lighter colored or salt and pepper colored beards.
With patchy beards the trick is to try and find a way to trim it so you get a “sharp edge”. In some cases it ends up being a goatee, in orders it is sideburns but by finding a way to trim it and get symmetry you can create your own style.
3. The Jake Gyllenhaal Beard
Jake Gyllenhaal is known not only for his acting chops but his good looks. No surprise then that he often sports a beard! His most usual look is a long stubble/ “10-day” beard. Is it any coincidence that research has shown this to be considered one of the most attractive beards? It’s easy to grow and maintain, let your beard grow for 1-2 weeks, then keep it trimmed at that length, using a razor to keep the lines clean. And with the Gyllenhaal beard you want to keep the natural look, so no hard lines, notice that even the neckline seems natural? However make sure you have your upper cheeks clean so it doesn’t look like you’re straight out of the forest.
4. The George Clooney Beard
When Greek God George Clooney wears a beard, it’s often a short one, and it looks dashing. His mostly grey beard is kept clean around the edges to give him the sharp look that looks so great in a suit. To achieve this look, grow your beard anywhere from 2-4 weeks before trimming. Then go over it with a 1-2” length clipper, using one size longer for the mustache. And notice the chin is often a little longer, this is a great way to make your face a little more oval, use a scissor to refresh it and keep it blending in with the rest. Then line ups your neck and cheek lines with a razor to add to the definition.
5. The Idris Elba Beard
Idris Elba, the English actor best known for his roles in "Luther," "The Wire," and "Thor" is often rumored to be the next James Bond. And it's no surprise why. His dashing looks and subtly stylish grooming would look great in a tux fighting bad guys and driving fast cars. For Elba, his beard is usually stubble to very short, possibly mixing it up with a Van Dyke goatee, where the chin and mustache are longer but not connected (think Tony Stark as played by Robert Downey Jr). To achieve this look, it's important to trim your beard regularly and keep the neck and cheeks lined up.
6. The Jon Hamm Beard
Whether playing Don Draper or just being himself, Jon Hamm knows how to look sharp. As his style has slipped slightly more towards easy going, he still always looks put together. That’s because his beard, no matter whether stubble or approaching a medium length beard is always well trimmed, with a clean neck line that allows it to be dressed up as needed. With a dense beard like his, a week long beard trimmed at the same setting works great. Ensure the cheeks are shaved clean and keep a clean neckline. As we mentioned above, if you want to look casually stylish, avoid hard neck and cheek lines. But if you have a really dense beard, then you might want to review that idea.
7. The Prince Harry Beard
As sixth in line to the English throne (and on our list), Prince Harry must think carefully about how he presents himself. Even more added pressure then when it’s reported the Queen disapproves of beards. While it’s less common for men with ginger-colored hair to grow a beard, Harry’s classic beard is proof it shouldn’t be. With a lighter colored beard, sharp lines are less obvious and look a lot cleaner. Harry is known as somewhat of a Lothario, it seems his beard choice has a positive effect.
8. The Kumail Nanjiani Beard
Kumail Nanjiani was first known to most as the wise-cracking computer programmer in Silicon Valley. Since then he went through quite a transformation, getting a 6– no make that 12–pack and getting ripped all around. However, his beard has mostly stayed along for the ride and it looks great. Even when he goes for super short stubble, it adds a distinguished element to his look.