Chin beards consist of styles where facial hair is only grown along the jawline and on the chain. Unlike other full beard styles, the moustache is completely removed. In this guide, you will learn about the different chin beard styles and how to grow them as well as whether they will suit your face shape:

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Ungroomed Chin Beard

What Are Chin Beards?

Typically associated with Abraham Lincoln, the Amish or indeed Leprechauns, chin beards have a deep and varied history. Chin beards are often associated with spirituality, symbolism and intellectuals. In 1860, an 11-year-old girl, Grace Bedell, sent a letter to Republican presidential nominee, Abraham Lincoln.

She suggested that his face looked too thin and would look “a great deal better” if he grew a beard. If he did, in exchange she would persuade her four brothers to vote for him.

Furthermore, she continued, “all the ladies like whiskers and they would tease their husbands to vote for you and then you would be president.”

Grace Bedell, 11 years old and already a presidential campaign manager and progressive face shape expert. Finally, Chin beards boomed and became enormously popular throughout the rest of the 19th Century.

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Bespoke Unit Guide to Chin Beard Style Graphic

However, the chin beard can be traced back even further to Pan, the Ancient Greek god of the wild, shepherds and flocks. In Islam, the Prophet proclaimed, “trim the moustache and let the beard grow” to distinguish themselves from other faiths.

Whilst many Sunni Muslims disapprove of shaving the moustache, it’s not forbidden nor uncommon and even permissible among some communities.

Today, the chin beard is mostly seen among older gentleman. However, it is not exclusive to seniors and revised styles are popular with men of younger generations too.

What Is A Brett Beard?

Brett Chin BeardToday, the Brett is the most contemporary and popular variety of the chin beard. The origins of its name are unknown yet the name is useful in differentiating it from its older counterparts. A Brett consists of growth that extends down the Sideburns, along the jawline and meets at the chin.

What sets it apart from the Chin Strap is the presence of a soul-patch. A Brett is typically trimmed short with defined contours. The chin’s hair can be angular with intersections along the soul patch.

It can be achieved with as little as two weeks of beard. However, the best results are achieved after about four weeks to maximise overall hair growth, which is then trimmed down. Brett beards do require prior knowledge of identifying the cheek and necklines.

The cheek line curves below the ears and meets the top of the chin. The neckline is very high. Hair growth is trimmed half an inch (1.25 cm) below the jawline and runs parallel to the cheek line. It widens slightly under the chin to nearly an inch (2.5 cm) of growth to avoid the appearance of a double chin.

Finally, some argue that a Brett’s hair growth stops on the corners of the jawline or doesn’t include Sideburns. Whilst this is true in some cases, it’s a very rare occurrence. A “Klingon” variant exists for Sci-Fi enthusiasts, which retains the corners of the moustache extending to just above the lips.

What Is A Chinstrap Beard?

What Is A Famous Celebrity Chin Strap Beard Stormzy by NRK P3The Chinstrap bears a strong resemblance to the Brett and is sometimes confused with a short boxed beard. However, it’s history is much longer. Much like the Old Dutch, the Chinstrap was very fashionable during the late-18th to mid-19th Century. It was popular mostly in Europe followed by Russia and Japan.

Unlike the Brett, a soul patch is completely absent on the Chinstrap. Furthermore, hair is removed on the top part of the chin to retain a uniform thickness across its entire length.

However, the principles of a modern Chinstrap remain very similar. Both are often kept short and trimmed with defined contours. Whilst the thickness of a Chinstrap is somewhat less than a Brett, both remain relatively similar.

Chinstrap beards can be seen on athletes such as Dwayne Wade and Elvis Andrus as well as British grime artist, Stormzy and Mexican filmmaker, Guillermo del Toro.

What Is An Amish Beard?

Long Amish or Islam Style Beard

Although typically referred to as an Amish beard, we already highlighted above that it is also typical among the Muslim community. In either case, it is a deeply spiritual style of facial hair that carries significant symbolism of the wearer’s beliefs.

The tradition of the Amish beard predates their arrival in America. In Europe, the Amish and other Mennonites were usually persecuted by the military who commonly wore elaborate moustaches.

Graphic of Amish Chin Family Beard Type

The Amish, devout pacifists, sought to differentiate themselves from the military and so forbid their followers to grow one. Nevertheless, they were encouraged to retain their beards to pay homage to men from the Bible and would grow them even longer after marriage.

Furthermore, since the moustache was considered a vain embellishment, the beard was left to grow naturally and untamed.

The tradition endured and is commonplace among the Old Order Amish, which consists of some 2,000 local churches. Unlike other members of the Chin beard family, the Amish beard is grown long and naturally.

Only the cheek line is shaved otherwise the rest is left entirely untamed. This can result in some impressive beard growth well beyond that of a Yeard or a Bandholz.

What Is An Old Dutch Beard?

Old Dutch Long Chin BeardTraditionally referred to as the Shenandoah beard or Chin Curtain, the Old Dutch has a long and passionate history. Often associated with Abraham Lincoln, the Spanish identify it with 1970s Progres Hippie culture as well as writer, Álvaro Pombo.

The Old Dutch is grown long with emphasis added to volume by rounding off the corners and flattening the bottom.

It was enormously popular as a noble or intellectual beard in mid-19th Century America who were influenced by the Parisian bohemians. Aside from Lincoln, it is often synonymous with statesmen and generals during the American Civil War such as Edward Bates.

It can be sometimes mistaken for an Amish beard. However, the Old Dutch is kept neat whereas Amish beards are usually natural and untamed for symbolic reasons.

Nevertheless, this chin beard style owes its name to the German dialect, Pennsylvanian Dutch, which is still spoken by Old Order Mennonites.

Old Dutch Chin Beards Abraham Lincoln & Edward Bates

How To Trim A Chin Beard

Man Trimming Beard With Scissors OctoberThere’s more to styling a chin beard style than just shaving off your moustache! Indeed, a well-groomed chin beard needs a combination of precision and forethought. For a success result, we recommend the following tools:

If you’re missing any of these, feel free to use the links above. They open in a new tab so you won’t lose your place here and will recommend some of the best options according to your needs.

To trim a chin beard, simply follow these steps:

  • Use a razor to reduce the height of the cheek lines in increments to just under an inch above the jawline but leave wide Sideburns.
  • Define sloping contours of the cheek lines with the razor.
  • Remove any facial hair growth around the Adam’s apple.
  • Define an oval contour that neatly follows 1 to 1.5 inches (2.5-3.5 cm) below the jawline.
  • Shave any remaining hair around the neck and shave the moustache.

Chin Beard Trimming Tips

We strongly recommend opting for a shavette rather than a safety razor for delicate contouring. Given that they are equipped with an open blade, they’re far more precise to use. Furthermore, a shavette requires less maintenance than a traditional straight razor as the blades are disposable.

Furthermore, longer chin beard styles will likely need a brush as well as beard balm. These will greatly help prevent wiry hair by providing the follicles with nourishment and stimulation.

Finally, perfectly parallel chin beards are difficult to achieve and it’s recommended that the first trim is undertaken by a specialist. Short chin beard styles require regular grooming to avoid be concealed by stubble, which is easier once the counters have been properly defined.

Will A Chin Beard Suit My Face Shape?

Chin style beards can be used to adjust jawline width and sometimes face length depending on how they’re groomed. However, their decline in popularity can be linked to the difficulty in pulling this off without appearing outdated. You may want to double-check which is yours beforehand with our face shape guide.

Ideal Matches

The following face shapes shouldn’t have any issues growing a chin beard style but may want to read some of our styling suggestions first.

Diamond Face ShapesWhat is a man's diamond face shape graphic

Grace Bedell was revolutionary in her time when she advised Lincoln that his thin face would look a great deal better with a beard. Indeed, Lincoln’s Diamond facial proportions greatly benefited from his iconic beard. It gave him a strong and dignified jawline fit for a progressive head of state.

Heart Face Shapes

Graphic of a man's heart face shape

Heart face shapes can use Chin beard styles to build out their jawline for a strong and pronounced jawline chin.

Oval Face Shapes

What is a man's oval face shape?

Oval faces fare relatively well with Chin beards and they can use them to provide extra definition and bulk to their jawline.

Square Face Shapes

What is a man’s Square face shape?

Square shapes can use Chin beards to curb their hard features by providing texture and softness.

Acceptable Matches

The following face shapes can certainly wear one or two styles of chin beard. However, they will need to proceed with caution.

Oblong Face ShapesWhat is a man's oblong face shape graphic

Oblong faces could attempt this but should keep it closely trimmed to avoid elongating their face. However, a style featuring a moustache such as a Boxed beard would be more efficient as they provide width.

Round Face Shapes

graphic of a man's round face shape

With the use of angular edges and contours, Round faces can use Chin style beards to harden their jawline and make it appear squarer. However, care should be taken not to let them get too long and only accentuate their round features.

Incompatible Face Shapes

The following face shape will struggle to successfully style a chin beard that complements their features.

Triangle Face ShapesWhat is a man's triangle face shape graphic

Finally, unless Triangle shaped faces wish to look like Magical Trevor (and why not? Everyone loves him), Chin beard styles are best avoided.

What Next?

Now that you have read about how to grow a chin beard, check out some of our related guides:

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