Few facial hairstyles are more versatile than the goatee. A well-trimmed and properly groomed goatee can fit the personality and image of almost every type of man. And if you are the restless type that doesn’t like to maintain the same type of facial hair for long periods of time, then you will enjoy changing your goatee into a variety of shapes and lengths.
Goatees are much more widely accepted into today’s society than they were just a couple of decades ago. Whereas the goatee was once associated with rough and tough biker types or outlaws, goatees can successfully be worn today be everyone from the construction foreman, to the CEO of a multinational company high up on the Forbes List. Famous actors and athletes have also adopted the goatee and one style of goatee has even earned the nickname the “Hollywoodian.”
If you´re considering growing a goatee the most important thing you’ll need to know is how to shave a goatee. Though goatees can be good-looking, they do require a certain amount of maintenance. A goatee that is left to grow on its own will usually turn out looking like an unkempt and disheveled patch of chin puke rather than a stylish fashion accessory you wear on your face.
In this brief article we will teach you how to shape a goatee during the initial establishment phase. Once your goatee is in place, we´ll also give you some tips on goatee trimming and grooming to make sure your goatee looks great and adds to the image you’re trying to portray.
How to Grow a Goatee: The Establishment Phase
The first thing you’ll need to do when growing a goatee is to grow a full face of pretty long stubble bordering on a short full-faced beard. It’s never wise to try and establish your goatee from a clean shaven face as it is harder to get the symmetrical look that is essential for a great goatee.
If you’ve never grown facial hair before, this initial phase can be somewhat uncomfortable as your facial hairs may become itchy as they grow in different directions. It is especially hard to learn how to shave a goatee under the chin. Plus, facial hair needs to be trained to grown in similar directions and this is best done with the use of bears oils, beard balms and a quality beard comb. Once your newly grown beard is long enough, you can start to comb it every morning downwards with the help of some oil. My favorite pick for a beard comb is by Wahl (available on Amazon).
How to Trim a Goatee : Shaping the Goatee
Once you have your beard under control and all the hairs are growing downwards in an ordered fashion, it is time to get the goatee style plastered on your face. There are literally hundreds of options for goatee styles. The Van Dyke, the Balbo, the minimalist goatee, and the extended goatee are only a few of the options that you can play with depending on your desired look and the impression you wish to exude.
Once you’ve decided on a style, take a quality beard trimmer, put it on one of its lowest settings and start to shape your goatee. You’ll want to make sure to aim for symmetry on both sides of your face. For example, if you’re trying to grow an extended goatee with hair extending from the chin up the jaw line, you’ll need to make sure that the hair goes up the jaw line the same length on either side of the face. The same goes for the lines connecting the moustache to the beard. When shaving these connecting lines with the beard trimmer, make sure you place the trimmer the same distance from the edge of your mouth when shaving downwards. If you have two different styles on either side of the face you may get the “Two-Face” look and people will assume you simply don’t know how to shave a goatee. See the beard trimmers that I recommend by viewing this page.
Another important thing to take into consideration is where to stop the goatee. Goatees never have hair high up on the cheeks (that would qualify as a beard) nor on the neck. It is best to keep your goatee shaved about an inch above your Adam´s apple and no higher than the jaw line if you want the extended goatee look.
Once you have the basic shape of your goatee plastered on your face, it’s time to take out the razor and clean it up. A straight razor is usually best for this, though if you’re new to facial hair it might be best to use a regular razor and shaving cream while you’re getting used to the daily shaving routine.
Trimming a Goatee and Daily Maintenance
You’ve finally got your goatee style established on your face, but that’s not the end of your work. To keep your goatee looking great you’ll need to dedicate a little bit of time each morning to maintaining that quality look.
Though some men can pull of the longer goatee with stubble on the cheeks and neck look, most men prefer to maintain their cheeks and neck clean shaven. The appeal of the goatee is the contrast between the clean shaven parts of your face and the grown goatee shape. Allowing stubble to grow in the spaces around your goatee will give you a messy look and diminish the allure of the goatee style you spent so much time creating.
You will also need to use the beard trimmer to keep your goatee at an acceptable length. Unless you prefer the long and scraggly goatee that literally looks like the hair coming off of a goats chin (hence the name) then you’ll want to trim the goatee at least once every week or two depending on how fast your facial hair grows.
Lastly, maintaining your goatee clean and groomed with the use of quality beard care products is a must. Beard shampoos, beard oils, and beard balms are all great options to maintain your goatee well kept up and under control. Click here to see the organic beard shampoo that I recommend that is available on Amazon.
Some Final Words
Growing a goatee can be a lot of fun and allow you to place with the creativity that the versatility of the goatee offers. You can have a full blown extended goatee with hair growing up your chin line all the way to your ears one week and then shave it off for a minimalist goatee the next. Whatever type of goatee style you desire, following these basic steps outlined above will make sure your goatee will attract the ladies and radiate the confidence and manliness of your personality.
