Facial Hair for Men – A Primer
Posted: Saturday, January 28, 2006
by Danny Davids
I did it for the first time right after graduating high school. After all, I was an adult and was perfectly capable of doing adult things. As time passed, I changed the way I did it (didn’t someone once say that variety is the spice of life?), but I never gave it up. Well, I think I did once for about a week, but that was because I was a groomsman for a friend’s wedding. But after the “I do’s" were pronounced I got out of that tux and started all over again. And I haven’t stopped since.
Maybe you’re debating “taking the plunge" and growing your first whiskers instead of shaving them off. Perhaps like me, you’ve had facial hair a long time and are looking for a change. Well, why not come along and find out what’s available, what’s hot, and what’s not?
The Obvious: Where Is Facial Hair Located?
There are three areas of the face identified as being able to grow facial hair – the upper lip, the chin/jaw line, and the sides of the face, or sideburns. (Note: The root of the hair has to originate in one of these areas in order to qualify. Hair hanging down the sides of your head and covering your face is not facial hair. It may, however, identify you as a member of a religious sect.) Various combinations of hair in these three areas make up for a wide variety of facial hairstyles, including:
The Moustache
Upper lip fur. The caterpillar. Whatever you choose to call it, most males make this their first attempt at growing facial hair. (Some are more successful at it than others.) While it can be worn many ways, today’s moustache is usually kept short, with the ends of the hair off the upper lip, and worn thinner, not filling the entire space between the lip and the nose. Older gentlemen might want to consider going with that full lip of hair, though. There’s an added bonus in that it gives those unsightly nose hairs a place to hide. Hey, the less grooming you have to do, the better, right?
The Beard
After a few years of brandishing a moustache, I decided it was time to go for the beard. To be honest, it was an issue of credibility. While I was in my late 20s, people took me to be younger…a LOT younger. Adding the beard made me look older. The full beard covers all three areas identified above. Where the “terminator" line between beard and face falls is up to the wearer. Some men don’t allow any line at all and let it grow freely (think mountain man). Others keep the line well defined, cutting across the cheek or following the jaw line, and keep a straight line along the neck and under the chin. Beard length varies, but the current style seems to be a trimmed and well-groomed look. Oh, and a word of warning: The three-day stubble look is out, except among the small portion of the populace who think grunge is still THE look.
The Goatee
I thought I knew what a goatee was – facial hair covering the upper lip and wrapping down to cover the chin. I was only half right (not a bad average for me). The upper lip is not part of a true goatee. What you and I see on so many male faces these days is actually a combination of goatee and moustache. The shape varies, which is probably why this has become such a popular look. Length also varies, from bushy to very short (three-day stubble fans, take note!). Again, the popular style is a trim length that looks well groomed. While some sources say this style is on the way out, I see plenty of men everyday whose faces tell me otherwise.
I thought that these three styles were it as far as facial hair went. While they are definitely the mainstream, they are not the full list by any means!
The Runners-Up
These styles may not be as popular, but they are definitely in use.
The Chin Curtain may not be a familiar term to you, but if you’ve ever seen an Amish person, you know exactly what it looks like. Think facial hair coming down the sides of the face, under the jaw line, and joining under the chin. No moustache, no hair under the bottom lip. Younger wearers who favor this style tend to cut patterns into the hair itself. Hmmm…I wonder if I could sell my face as advertising space…!
Muttonchops or sideburns are facial hair growing down the sides of the face from the top of the ear and usually no longer than where the jaw line begins. They can be thin or thick, long or short in length, depending on what’s popular at the time. They’re not seen so much in men with shorter hairstyles, although those who are bringing back the hairstyles of the 70s are sporting them. C’mon, guys – bringing back a style that failed the first time is not the way to make friends and influence people!
Ever see a picture of a beatnik? Then you know the Soul Patch (also referred to as a Small Beard). That’s the little tuft of hair just under the lower lip. While the popular style is to keep it short, some get creative, letting these grow to great lengths and even braiding and decorating them with beads and such. At my age, going this route is akin to unbuttoning my shirts to the navel and wearing twenty pounds of gold chain around my neck.
Which Style Do You Choose?
Thanks to the “metrosexual" revolution, men have more choices in clothing, grooming, and hairstyles than ever before. Facial hair, once considered taboo in many professions, is becoming more accepted. So why DOES a man grow facial hair? Well, because he can, for one thing. Including facial hair (or removing it) can change a person’s appearance, making him look older, younger, wiser, “wilder", or just plain different. It can also help tone down or emphasize facial features one can’t change, or cover up perceived flaws on the face. I wanted to look older (and believe me, I needed to look older!). My guess is most men do it for vanity. We all want to look better, and we feel better when we look better. And growing facial hair is a lot cheaper than plastic surgery.
For those three of you who want to know, I finally went from full beard to goatee and moustache. My wife says it slims my face and makes me look younger. How about that? I can stave off the mid-life crisis for a few more years!
This Article has been viewed 24,458 times. (Not updated in real-time.)
Top-level comments on this article: (4 total)I THINK YOU SHOULD ADD PICS OF EACH DIFFERENT KIND OF FACIAL HAIRSTYLE. PEOPLE LIKE PICS AND YOUR SITE WOULD GET MORE HITS.
i have to agree with emily.i was looking for pics.it would be nice if ya had some here.
ya, i agree too, you would definitly get more its if u added some pics.
I have good facial hair on lips and on chin but only less on cheek .. Please help me to grow it thicker..
We want your comments! If you can read this, you don't have javascript enabled, so you can't use this comment system. Please enable javascript.