Growing a beard is a great way to enhance a man’s character. Researches suggest that men with beard are regarded as more mature, more masculine, more dominant and as well as more responsible. There are several facial hairstyles available out there, however, it is important to determine the right kind of beard that best fits your facial structure.
To identity the shape of your face here a few simple steps that you need to follow. But first, get yourself a measuring tape (recommend linen tapes used by tailors), follow the instructions, and take note of the measurements of your facial features as we go along. In case, you do not have a partner to help you out, do this in front of a mirror to help yourself with the process.
1) Estimate Your Face Length
Measure the extent from the tip of your chin up to the end of your hairline, right through the middle of your face.
2) Estimate Your Forehead Width
Measure across the midway of your forehead in between your eyebrows and the upper hairline from one side to another.
3) Estimate Your Cheekbones
Start from the highest point of your cheekbone at one side and stretch the measuring tape across to the other highest point.
4) Estimate Your Jawline and Face shape
Take the measurement from the center-tip of your chin and extend the tape all the way up to the point where your jawline starts to angle up towards the earlobe. Multiply the estimated value with two to get the total width of your jawline across both ends.
Since now you have taken all four measurements, it’s time to determine your face type and the compatible beard style to go along with it. There are primarily 6 types of face shape that we have taken into consideration.
A. Square Shape:
If all four of your facial measurements are quite similar, then you have a square face.
Suggested Facial hair: You may choose facial hair that softens the area of your jawline to give a little round look to your face like a chin beard, full or an imperial style. A petite goatee, royal beard, or circular beard can also give a more elongated appearance to help downplay those pointy cheekbones.
B. Rectangular/ Oblong shape:
If your face length is the longest with the forehead, cheekbones, and jawline width being similar in size, you have a rectangular face.
Suggested Facial hair: The objective here is to give your face a shorter and rounder look. To achieve this, you may opt for a short beard, full beard, or an extended goatee along with a mustache.
C. Oval shape:
You have an oval shape if your face length is greater than the width of your cheekbones and the forehead width is more than your jawline.
Suggested Facial hair: Consider yourself lucky as you have been blessed with the most ideal face type. You can experiment with almost any beard style be it short, full, a 5 o’clock shadow, a goatee, a mustache, thick sideburns, etc.
D. Round Shape:
People with round faces have their face length quite equal to the width across their cheekbones and they are usually larger than their jawline and forehead.
Suggested Facial hair: Try a bread that is shorter on the cheeks and longer at the chin to add some more definition and length to your face. Boxed beard, chin straps, circular, full, and pointed beards look great on round faces.
E. Diamond Shape:
In this case, the width of your cheekbones is usually the widest, followed by a narrow forehead and a small jawline.
Suggested Facial hair: If you have a diamond face you can try a beard that is a little longer or thicker on your cheeks to add some more volume towards your jawline. A full beard, a Balbo, a chin strap with a mustache, or a goatee can work out great for diamond-shaped faces.
F. Heart Shape:
A heart-shaped face usually consists of a large forehead with a small cheekbone width and an even smaller jawline. The face length would not matter here.
Suggested Facial hair: The goal here is to compensate for a weak chin and balance it with a wide forehead. You can try a short beard with a little extra on the chin to add more volume to the lower end of the face, or you may even opt for a designer stubble on the sides to add more definition to your cheekbones. Mutton chops, chin curtain, a Balbo, or an extended goatee could be recommended.
Take notice of the fact that you may not fit exactly into each of these categories, you may be a combination of rectangular and a heart-shaped face, or a mix of a square and a diamond, so keep experimenting and have fun with different beard styles available at your disposal and determine what style suits best with your unique face style.