How to Grow a Goatee

Choosing a Style

Make sure you have the face for a goatee. A goatee is a good beard to grow if you have a weak chin, or a rounder face. It can help cover up and fill out that part of your face. A goatee is a versatile beard that can look good on many faces, though you may find another beard type that will look better on you.

Consider the contrast between your skin tone and hair color. The starker the contrast, the more dramatic your goatee will appear. If the colors are close together, you may want to consider another kind of facial hair style if distinctive and noticeable is what you are going for.

Look at different styles for your goatee. Traditionally, a goatee refers only to the hair that grows off your chin, which hangs down like that of a goat. There are other forms of beards that use hair on the chin, and are sometimes referred to as “goatees.” You’ll want to choose the one that best enhances your face, and that you are best prepared to take care of. Look through magazines and websites for pictures of goatee variations that you might want to experiment with.

Grow a Van Dyke. This is a goatee with a disconnected mustache. When wearing a Van Dyke, the rest of your cheeks should be completely shaved and smooth. If you grow a Van Dyke, you’ll want to take special care that it stays trim, as it looks better when the beard is more defined.

Grow a circle beard. This is a goatee connected to a mustache that grows in a circle around your mouth. This is a fuller beard, but not so much that it covers your whole face. A circle beard is a great choice for a man with a softer jaw line, or if you have a squarish face or jaw. Because it has a lot of hair, a circle beard can also help to cover up skin breakouts.

Grow a Musketeer. This look combines a goatee with a Hungarian mustache. This is a more labor intensive beard, but definitely a distinctive one. With a Musketeer, you’ll want to keep your goatee trim, but let it grow a little longer down your chin. Because of the thickness, you’ll want to use some wax or conditioner to help the hair keep its shape.

Growing Your Goatee

Let your facial hair grow out. Once you know what you want to try, stop shaving and let the facial hair below your chin, around your mouth, and below your nose grow out. It should be nice and bushy before you start shaving and shaping. After about one week, you should have some good growth. Itchy skin for a few days is a normal part of growing a beard. Don’t let yourself feel self-conscious about scratching your face often. If you find it’s particularly irritating, you can use moisturizing lotion to sooth the skin a bit. You can grow out the rest of your facial hair as well, though you don’t have to. Having the extra hair can give you a little more flexibility when determining the size of your goatee.

Shave the outline. Start from your neck by making small cuts with a trimmer blade. Work your way around your chin and up your cheeks until you have the basic outline of what you want your goatee to look like. You’ll probably want the outline to start about an inch above your Adam’s apple on your throat. This may feel a bit long, but you will always be able to shorten it slightly if you don’t like the way it looks. If you shave too close too soon, you will have to wait to grow that back.

Shape your goatee. Now that you have an outline, you can shape the edges of your goatee to get it to the size and shape you want. Make sure you have a clean, sharp razor to get the shaping accurate. If you use a manual razor, a new razor will give a cleaner shave. If you use an electric shaver, you will find the trimming tool handier to use. Before trimming, run a comb through your beard to straighten out curled hair. This will make your hair easier to trim, and will give you a better sense of how long your goatee will be. Make sharp, clean corners at the jawline. Get the right width. A typical goatee will be about the same width as your mouth. You can help to define this width by smiling. Use the creases from your dimples to better judge where the edges of your goatee should be. No matter what kind of goatee you're shaping, make sure that both sides match symmetrically. Every few minutes, stop what you are doing and check in the mirror to make sure things are even on every side.

Goatee Maintenance

Trim your goatee regularly. Even if you want your goatee to grow out, it should still look clean around the edges. Shave every day, and don’t let the edges of your goatee grow out in every direction. Using an electric trimmer ensures that your goatee is symmetrical and neat. Also, the built-in length selector enables you to select the length of the hair rather than guessing with a pair of scissors. Most trimmers give you several different length choices. A nose hair trimmer can be a useful tool for giving the edges a finer shape. Trimming the part of the goatee where your chin meets your neck can be quite awkward, so position your mirror below head height, and pull your chin into your neck to get a better idea of how it looks. If you are including a moustache with your goatee, trim the top to make sure those hairs don’t connect with your nose hairs. That is not a look you want to have.

Keep the rest of your face shaved. A goatee generally looks best when the rest of your face is clean-shaven, so make sure you get the rest of your face clear. Clear shaving gel is better because it allows you to see the edge of your goatee more clearly when shaving. When you are shaving near your goatee, make sure to move your razor away from the goatee. You don’t want to accidentally move too close to the goatee and shave part of it off.

Wash your beard. Wash your goatee on a regular basis with shampoo and conditioner. You want to help prevent your beard from becoming oily or unruly. This allows oils to get trapped in it, causing acne and other skin problems. Use shampoo instead of bar soap, as it will help keep your skin and beard moisturized. Remember to dry off after washing. Gently pat and wipe your beard dry with a clean towel. Consider using beard oil as well. These oils can be better than moisturizer because they are specially designed for cleaning beards and protect the skin underneath. Rubbing in a few drops of oil daily while your beard is still a bit damp should be enough to keep your beard clean and prevent acne forming under the hair. Be mindful of the fact that when you eat, food can and will get lodged in your beard. Make sure you brush and wash any food out of your goatee. To help prevent this, take smaller bites when you eat, and wipe off your face after each bite.

Stay healthy to keep your hair strong. A goatee, like any other beard, will grow nice and thick by taking care of your body. Eating well, sleeping regularly, and exercise are all good ways to help your beard hair grow in nicely. Eat well. A balanced, healthy diet is good for skin and hair, though you can supplement that. Foods high in protein, iron, zinc, and vitamins A, C, and E are all good for growing and protecting hair. You can also include a B vitamin called biotin, which is found in whole grains, liver, egg yolk, soy flour, and yeast. Regular exercise is another good way to boost testosterone, which helps in hair growth. Weight lifting and high intensity interval training are both good exercise programs for increasing your body’s testosterone levels. Get regular sleep. A good 7-8 hours, depending on your needs, will keep you fresh and healthy, and help aid in regular hair growth.