Which Beard Style Suits Me?

Pick your face shape below to see which of the 40 beard styles balance your features — then try them on your own photo. Not sure of your shape? Measure it in four steps.

What is your face shape?

Anchor beard style
Anchor
Balbo beard style
Balbo
Bandholz beard style
Bandholz
Chevron beard style
Chevron
Chin Curtain beard style
Chin Curtain
Circle Beard beard style
Circle Beard
Goatee beard style
Goatee
Dali beard style
Dali
Ducktail beard style
Ducktail
English beard style
English
Extended Goatee beard style
Extended Goatee
French Fork beard style
French Fork
Mutton Chops beard style
Mutton Chops
Fu Manchu beard style
Fu Manchu
Full Beard beard style
Full Beard
Garibaldi beard style
Garibaldi
Gunslinger beard style
Gunslinger
Handlebar beard style
Handlebar
Horseshoe beard style
Horseshoe
Hulihee beard style
Hulihee
Long Stubble beard style
Long Stubble
Lampshade beard style
Lampshade
Pencil 1 beard style
Pencil 1
Pencil 2 beard style
Pencil 2
Painters Brush beard style
Painters Brush
Rap Industry beard style
Rap Industry
Side Whiskers beard style
Side Whiskers
Soul Patch beard style
Soul Patch
Sparrow beard style
Sparrow
Stubble beard style
Stubble
Toothbrush beard style
Toothbrush
Van Dyke beard style
Van Dyke
Verdi beard style
Verdi
Imperial beard style
Imperial
Villain beard style
Villain
Walrus beard style
Walrus
Winnfield beard style
Winnfield
Zappa beard style
Zappa
Zorro beard style
Zorro
ZZ beard style
ZZ

How to work out your face shape

Stand in front of a mirror, pull your hair back, and take four measurements. Whichever is largest tells you most of the answer.

1

Face length

From the centre of your hairline straight down to the tip of your chin.

2

Cheekbone width

Across your face at the widest point, from the outer corner of one eye to the other.

3

Jawline width

From below one ear to the tip of the chin, then double it.

4

Forehead width

Across the widest point of your forehead, roughly halfway between your brows and hairline.

Reading it: widest at the cheekbones with a narrow forehead and chin is diamond; widest at the forehead narrowing to a small chin is heart; widest at the jaw is triangle. If all four are close, you are round when the jaw curves and square when it turns a corner. If length clearly exceeds width, soft edges make it oval, a cornered jaw makes it rectangle, and a pronounced difference makes it long.

Best beard styles for every face shape

The principle behind every recommendation is the same: add weight where your face is narrow, keep things close where it is already wide.

Oval face shape

How to spot it: Your face is a little longer than it is wide, your forehead is slightly broader than your jaw, and the line from cheekbone to chin curves gently with no hard corners.

Oval is the most forgiving shape — it is already balanced, so almost nothing is off-limits. The only thing to watch is adding so much length that the face starts to read as long.

Start with: Short boxed beard, stubble, Van Dyke, Balbo. A full beard works too, kept tighter at the chin than the cheeks.

Go easy on: Very long, pointed beards that stretch the face downward and undo the natural balance.

Round face shape

How to spot it: Width and height are close to equal, your cheeks are the widest part, and your jawline curves rather than turning a corner.

Borrow length and give the jaw a defined edge. Weight belongs at the chin, not at the sides.

Start with: Van Dyke, goatee, extended goatee, ducktail, a full beard kept long at the chin and short on the cheeks.

Go easy on: Round or bushy cheek-heavy beards, and mutton chops — both add width exactly where you already have it.

Square face shape

How to spot it: Forehead, cheekbones and jaw are all close to the same width, your jaw turns a distinct corner rather than curving, and your face is about as wide as it is long.

You already have the jawline most beard advice is trying to manufacture, so the job is to show it off rather than rebuild it. Keep the sides close and let the corners stay visible — the mistake is piling on width and turning a strong jaw into a blocky one.

Start with: Short boxed beard, stubble, a circle beard, or a Van Dyke. Anything cropped close to the face keeps the structure without bulk.

Go easy on: Wide, square-cut full beards and heavy sideburns, which square off an already square jaw. Long pointed chin beards fight the shape in the other direction.

Rectangle face shape

How to spot it: Like a square — same straight sides and cornered jaw — but noticeably taller than it is wide, with more distance between cheekbone and chin.

The angular jaw is an asset, but the extra length is not. Add a little width at the sides to shorten the face, and avoid anything that pulls the chin further down.

Start with: Mutton chops, chin curtain, or a full beard with fuller cheeks and a flat-trimmed bottom.

Go easy on: Long goatees and pointed chin beards, which stretch an already long face.

Heart face shape

How to spot it: Your forehead is the widest part of your face and it narrows steadily to a small, often pointed chin — sometimes with a widow’s peak at the hairline.

Build visual weight at the jaw so the lower face catches up with the forehead.

Start with: Full beard, Garibaldi, chin curtain, a fuller stubble carried low on the jaw.

Go easy on: Thin pencil lines and narrow goatees, which draw attention to the narrow chin instead of balancing it.

Diamond face shape

How to spot it: Your cheekbones are the widest point, with a narrower forehead and a narrow chin — the face tapers in both directions from the middle.

Fill out the chin and keep the cheeks lean, so the widest point moves down from the cheekbones.

Start with: Chin curtain, full beard kept close at the cheeks, Balbo, a squared-off short beard.

Go easy on: Bushy cheek growth and heavy sideburns, which widen the part of the face that is already widest.

Triangle face shape

How to spot it: Your jaw is the widest part of your face, narrowing as it rises to a comparatively small forehead.

Keep the jaw tidy and draw the eye upward rather than adding more weight at the bottom.

Start with: Short stubble, a neatly trimmed goatee, a light beard kept tight along the jawline.

Go easy on: Wide, full beards and long sideburns — they emphasise the widest part of an already jaw-heavy face.

Long face shape

How to spot it: Your face is distinctly longer than it is wide, with a high forehead and a chin that sits well below the cheekbones.

Add width at the sides and stop the beard short, so the face reads shorter and squarer.

Start with: Mutton chops, chin curtain, a full beard with volume on the cheeks and a flat bottom line.

Go easy on: Pointed, long or goatee-style beards, which add yet more vertical length.

Face shape and beard questions

Stop guessing — see it on your face

Face shape narrows the list down. Your own photo settles it.