New beard style for boys. Goatee styles: what are your options?, Philips

Favored by the most fashionable celeb set Long chin beard.

Johnny Depp. Nicolas Cage. Colin Farrell. Samuel L Jackson. Edward Norton. Brad Pitt. These are the kind of men whose face-fluff choices are almost automatically respected... and guess what? They are also all goatee wearers. It's no wonder it's seen such an emphatic return to fashion.

That rejuvenation is no mistake - there's a lot of scope to craft a goatee into something that will truly grace your face. Many people just don't realize there are so many goatee styles to choose from - well, we at Philips are here to educate you about them.

Don't let yourself down in the goatee stakes

If the above list of illustrious names does anything, it should have alerted you just how high standards are in the more rarified circles of 'goatee-dom'. If, therefore, you are going to 'go goatee' at all, you really need to do it with panache - which couldn't be easier when you experiment with the following goatee styles:

Get your beard 'training wheels'!

A Soul Patch is a small hair tuft connecting a wearer's goatee to their lower lip, and it's a pretty easy style to achieve and maintain - indeed, Soul Patches have even been described as 'training wheels' for a full-on beard, although some more advanced goatee wearers may be a little offended at the imputation.

Goatee styles that also incorporate a Soul Patch pay handsome homage to the 1950s artists and beatniks who made this low-maintenance facial hair option so popular, not to mention the jazz trumpeters who are said to have first introduced it out of rather more practical considerations.

remains relevant to the present day

Of course, there's not much functional purpose to a Soul Patch now, but then, the same can be said of a goatee... so fill your boots. Oh, and remember to regularly shave the rest of your face and reshape your patch with a stubble or precision trimmer to keep your overall goatee and Soul Patch looking sharp.

Goatee with Handlebar mustache

The facial hair for the most elitist hipsters

Different types of shaving styles

It might just be the holy grail of aristocratic hipsterdom - the goatee with a Handlebar mustache. We've written previously on the Handlebar mustache, which somehow manages to exude both 19th-century upper-class sophistication and a hint of cowboy. Combining this 'tache with a goatee, however, helps to offset that slightly elitist look.

But it isn't actually that hard to achieve

It takes a lot of diligence to grow a Handlebar mustache, even when you don't have a goatee to worry about, but that doesn't necessarily make this combo the sole preserve of hardcore beardists. Quite the opposite - in the first week of 'tache-growing, also grow out a standard '90s goatee for a nicely complementary look.

Join the legends with this fabled combo

The end results will be more than worthwhile - a lovely busy Handlebar 'tache that Wyatt Earp himself would have been proud of, plus a goatee that he quite possibly wouldn't have been. Don't forget to invest heavily in wax for the daily shaping of your mustache once it has grown in.

Not a goatee for shrinking violets

Some goatee styles are shy, sitting on the face but not really putting themselves forward. The Chin Puff, though, is an entirely different beast. There's a certain amount of dedication needed to actually grow and maintain a Chin Puff, which is a thin, slightly elongated U-shaped beard that starts at the lower lip and extends down past the chin.

The steps to your dream Chin Puff

So, why not set yourself apart with something that’s very definitely not 'just another goatee'? The first step is to simply grow a conventional beard, which can then be shaped into the exact style of chin decoration you desire. Starting at the ears, shave inwards, switching sides periodically, and once you get to the chin area, shave from side by side in order to achieve a nice central position for the Chin Puff, finishing off with a trimmer.

An ideal facial hair pairing...

When the Chin Puff is combined with a Handlebar mustache, the result is a look that might have observers wondering whether you are a 19th century courtier who has just been teleported into 21st-century Britain. But of course, why should this combination be such a surprise? After all, the Handlebar 'tache and the Chin Puff are both very proud styles.

Different men's beard styles

Dip your toes in the water of goatee-dom

This upside down teardrop number starts just beneath the lips and extends slightly beyond the chin. As the name suggests, it is a smaller, partial goatee that you might fancy trying if you are still indecisive about your longer-term participation in goatee-dom, or if you just struggle to achieve the facial hair growth required for a larger goatee.

A goatee that demands maintenance

Like many other goatee styles, the Petite Goatee needs to be carefully groomed and manicured in order to maintain its subtle appeal. Nonetheless, a well-kept Petite Goatee can be a fine facial hair addition, giving you that touch of class without the need for a more substantial beard.

But creating one is simple enough

Your chin hairs need to be at least half an inch in length in order to be styled into a Petite Goatee, so you should resist shaving your chin hair during the early growing stages. Indeed, the process of growing a Petite Goatee basically involves spending two weeks growing a normal goatee before you get to work on shaping it into a Petite Goatee.

A goatee with true Hollywood appeal

Johnny Depp has a lot to answer for in the goatee world, not least in regard to one of the most iconic goatee styles of all, named after his Pirates of the Caribbean character, Captain Jack Sparrow. You can achieve a Sparrow by shaving your face entirely except for your Soul Patch, before growing out the hair at the bottom of your chin until you are able to make two plaits.

This one has to be seen to be believed!

The result is surely the most spectacular goatee of all, and definitely not the sole preserve of pirate fans. The full Jack Sparrow look isn't just about the goatee, however, it effectively combines multiple facial hair styles, including the goatee, chinstrap and Handlebar mustache.

Keep your Sparrow in tip-top shape

Latest hair and beard styles 2016

Maintenance of this goatee style involves regular trimming, shaving and daily grooming, including the use of wax to help preserve the shape. Like other beards, the Sparrow can attract random bits of food, so keeping your goatee both clean and shaped is essential.

Goatee with connected mustache (Circle Beard)

The goatee that breaks the sacred rule

It is the mortal sin of goatee-dom - attaching it to a mustache. What are you thinking, man?? Goatee purists won't thank you for this one, constantly reminding you that any goatee that blends seamlessly with a 'tache simply isn't a goatee.

Also referred to as a Circle Beard, this trespasser into the world of goatee styles has been confused with 'true' goatees since at least the 1990s. Still, it's your face that you're playing with! This 'tache and goatee beard combo should not be confused with the Van Dyke, which involves growing your goatee up towards your mustache without the two actually meeting.

Don't be afraid to experiment!

Circle Beards offer plenty of scope for flaunting different styles. Some are round, others are square, yet others are hexagonal... but in many ways, the most impressive thing about any Circle Beard is how neatly shaved its various angles are. Not for no reason do the likes of George Michael, Kanye West and Leonardo DiCaprio love this goatee style.