Beard styles, done right, can look great — but there are a few styles that sit above the rest (and for good reason). These styles are often defined as timeless, trendy and sophisticated; you may be familiar with some of them! 

In this blog, we’re going to go through what we consider to be eight amazing beard styles, styles you should be considering the next time you pick up your clippers or shaver to sculpt your beard.

1. Anchor Beard

This beard gets its namesake from its shape — look at it from a distance and it’ll appear to look like an anchor (or maybe a tree). It’s a popular beard style and is nothing more than a full beard with a thick goatee and the section that connects the moustache and the chin shaved. 

(Just make sure the missing sections are trimmed regularly to maintain the appearance of the anchor!)

2. Goatee

The goatee has remained a popular beard style for ages (how long we could not tell you) and remains one of the best choices for a short beard. The best thing about a goatee is that you can style and sculpt it in different ways to achieve certain looks.

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3. Short Beard

A bit more than stubble, but less than a full beard, a short beard can be a great look once you allow your beard to get past the 'sloppy' stage (where it looks incomplete and ruins the frame of your face). 

Let your beard grow for a week or two (so that everything’s connected and symmetrical). If there’s more than you need, shorten it with your clippers using a number 2 guard. 

4. Circle Beard

Simple yet sophisticated, a circle beard will look great with any face shape. Everything needs to be rounded from the moustache to the chin, then back up towards the ears. 

Try to get as much curvature as possible when you trim your beard (a barber will be able to do it perfectly) so that you get the right look. The goatee should be the focal point of the beard. 

5. Bushy Beard

Provided its groomed and shaped well, a big bushy beard can look pretty darn cool. They’re simple enough to achieve (just let your beard grow, use beard oil, moisturise your skin and comb the beard regularly), but you need to be patient. 

Another thing to bear in mind is that not everyone will be able to achieve a “perfect” bushy beard, this being one that connects at all points and covers the right areas of the face. 

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6. Carved Beard

The carved beard style is a lot sharper than some of the beard styles listed here as it requires a precision trimmer or razor. This style works really well for black men with dense beard hair, but requires a considerable amount of effort — perhaps even daily — to maintain. 

7. Full Beard

Classic. Timeless. The full beard used to be one of the most popular beard styles, especially for black men, and has been making a resurgence in recent years. The reason why this is such a great style is because it can be grown, shaped and cut to suit almost any face. 

Also, it’ll look even better if you’re able to consistently grow a beard where all the parts connect (for some of us this can take years to achieve and a lot of maintenance).

8. Garibaldi Beard

Now you might confuse this beard with a full beard or bushy beard, but the reality is that it’s a little more than that. 

This beard style is all about achieving a certain shape with a full beard, a “U” shape. You need to grow out your facial hair far below the chin and trim, groom and train it to a “U” shape. It takes time and commitment, so a lot of men simply don’t bother with it. However, when you pull it off, it does look darn good. 

Grow, grow, grow!

These are, in our opinion, some of the most amazing beard styles black men can try right now — but don’t let that stop you from trying out some of the others. 

If you’re trying to grow a beard, our advice would be this: be patient with it and make sure to look after it as you would the hair on your head. 

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