Become a ‘beard man’ this year with these top short, medium and long beard styles

Beards are still very much on-trend in 2022. If this is the year you want to become a ‘beard man’, let us help you choose from the best short, medium and long beard styles

 

T o grow a beard, and become a ‘beard man’ has long been a rite of passage. In recent years, it’s also become a hugely popular trend and as we head through 2022, it’s a trend that doesn’t show any signs of slowing.

 

One of the benefits of lockdown-enforced remote working is that our usual grooming schedules have been relaxed, so it’s no surprise many of us saw beards creeping in. If you’re on a break from the corporate environment, it’s the perfect time to let your beard grow freely or take the opportunity to experiment more privately with one of the best beard styles for men for 2022.

 

Best short, medium and long beard styles 

Whether you’re looking to make a statement, become a ‘beard man’ or simply have fun and express your personality, beards are a growing (excuse the pun) face accessory.

 

What’s more, an eye-catching beard can detract from thinning hair, or add maturity to baby-faced men. If you want to cover up a double chin or skin imperfections, a beard can be a confidence boost. Beards can also change the shape of your face or accentuate your best features.

 

To take your facial hair to the next level, try out some of the most popular beard styles for men for 2022.

 

Best short beard style: Faded Beard

 

The skin fade has long been a popular technique for men’s hair styles and it’s now making its way into beards, too. The faded beard gradually blends your beard up to your hairline to give you a perfectly manicured face that lets everyone know you’re slick and well-groomed.

 

Most face shapes can pull this off but it’s particularly good for square or rounded faces as the shorter sides lessen the appearance of a wider face.

 

While it looks amazing, it’s a high-maintenance beard style as you’ll need regular trips to the barber to keep it looking fresh but, if you want to be on-trend, it’s a great choice for a modern look.

 

Best boxed beard style: Lined Up

 

This beard style is all about precision. If you like clean lines and a sharp look, the Lined Up is the best of our pick of beard styles for men to suit you. Ask your barber to neatly etch the line of your beard along your cheek, jaw and back edge, then get a razor cut finish on your cheekbones for a crisp, straight line.

 

Again, this is one of those beard styles for men that you’ll need to keep on top of if you want to maintain your perfectly-polished edges. Yet it’s great for men with diamond-shaped faces if you want to accentuate your cheekbones. For square-faced guys, it can also really define a jawline.

 

Best goatee beard style: Hollywoodian

 

Made famous by Leonardo Di Caprio, the Hollywoodian is basically an extended goatee – a moustache connected to a beard but with the sideburns removed. It’s become one of the more popular beard styles for men as it’s lower maintenance than a full beard, but it works best with a full, thick goatee.

 

As there’s less focus on the sideburns, this beard style is a good choice for rounded faces. Especially if you want to detract from your wider shape because the Hollywoodian draws attention away from the cheeks and towards the jaw and chin.

 

Best medium beard style: Verdi Beard

Extravagant and distinguished, the Verdi beard style is a big statement by men who ooze confidence. Named after the Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi, it boasts an impeccably groomed moustache that sits atop a rounded beard.

 

Ask your barber to trim the hair just below your lower lip to create what is known as a sculpted ‘soul patch’ and then style your moustache with wax at the handlebars so it hangs over the top of the beard in a curl.

 

The Verdi beard suits all faces but it’s especially good for triangular shapes as the show-stopping moustache draws attention away from a wide jawline.

 

Best long beard style: The Ducktail

 

No, we’re not talking about the greased 1950’s hairstyle with the rear centre parting, but the inspiration is the same. This beard is trimmed at the bottom into a ducktail shape to create a more distinctive look than the standard rounded bottom.

 

You’ll need around four to six inches of length to achieve a really defined shape, which is perfect for square or round-faced guys who want to elude to a more chiselled jawline. If you want to work your way up to the Ducktail, you could start with a gentler spade-shaped beard to begin with.

 

Best statement beard style: Mutton Chops

It was General Burnside from the American Civil War that first sported what we now know as Mutton Chops. Yet centuries later it has made a remarkable comeback in the list of the most popular beard styles for men.

 

Hugh Jackman kickstarted the return of the trend with his popular Wolverine look and, more recently, the Newcastle United football player Andy Carroll emerged from the first lockdown with this as his new look.

 

To achieve this beard style, the focus is on the sideburns (the bigger, the better) paired with a short moustache and a clean-shaven chin. It’s not best suited to square face shapes as fuller sideburns will only accentuate this shape. It’s also best avoided for diamond-shaped faces, where its best to have some hair on your chin to offset your cheekbones.

 

However, if you’re not afraid to make a statement then the Mutton Chops beard is a bold style to claim.

 

Best low-maintenance beard style: The Yeard

If you want to connect with your wild side, embrace the power of your facial hair and become a full-on ‘beard man’, try the Yeard!

 

A portmanteu of the words ‘year’ and ‘beard’, this style is twelve months of untended growth. It’s the easiest beard to own as it requires little maintenance, but a lot of patience. Just let it grow naturally without trimming for an uninhibited, gnarly look. Just remember to wash it regularly to keep it fresh.

 

The Yeard is a great beard style for men with round or diamond-shaped faces as these tend to suit longer beards, but it’s best avoided for triangular-faced men as it will extend the fullness of your lower face considerably.

 

If you have more of a square shaped-face then we advise you to keep your beard shorter than your hair so, unless you’re growing your locks out too, this style may not be the one for you either.