Not everybody’s a fan of big, bushy facial hair. And we haven’t all won the genetic lottery to grow a full beard, luckily we have a lot of beard styles for all types of beards. But there’s still a way to get that masculine vibe with a defined jawline without having to grow a full face of hair.
Chin strap beard styles are super versatile and they work great for all face types. This beard look is an oldie that can be traced back to the 18th century. But although it’s one of the classics, you’ll find that most popular styles such as the mutton chops beard styles have a very modern twist to them.
You can pair a chin strap beard with a goatee, or you can add some flair with a show-stopping moustache. You can trim it thin, or let it grow thick and wild. The possibilities are endless, and you’ll have the freedom to groom and style to your heart’s desire.
Read on to find out how to achieve this amazing facial hair style and find some inspiration from the hottest looks out there.
How To Syle Chin Strap Beard
Achieving a Chin Strap look means you have to let your sideburns connect with your beard along the bottom part of your jawline and chin. You’ll then have to shave off the rest of your facial hair to create a continuous band that hugs the edges of your face. This will create a visually pleasing effect that emphasizes the jawline and creates strong, sharp edges.
Although the classic chin strap beard style is worn without a moustache, you can certainly add more elements to personalize your look.
Step 1. Wait until your beard grows to a consistent length
As with many beard styles out there, you’ll have to be a bit patient in the early stages. You’ll need to let your beard grow to a consistent length all over your face. The thing is, your facial hair doesn’t actually grow at the same rate all over your face.
You’ll need to give it time so that when you start the trimming process you’ll have an even length throughout your beard. Your beard can grow an average of half an inch per month or approximately 1.3 cm. This means that you’ll have a good amount of hair growth after the one-month mark.
Step 2. Trim the hair to your desired length
Trimming your beard is best achieved by using a trimmer with an attachment comb to help you figure out the length. Try using a larger guard to even out the length of your hair and switch to a smaller one until you’re satisfied with the results.
One pro tip is to also use your trimmer against the grain. This will help even out the length of your hair even in the thickest parts of the beard.
You can trim your hair between stubble length and 10 mm long. Some beard styles like the Pencil Chin Strap are really narrow, and you’ll have to keep the length to a minimum. Other beard styles like the Thick Chin Strap work best with longer hair fibers in order to create a sense of fullness and definition.
Step 3. Define the shape of your Chin Strap beard
This is probably the most important stage. You’ll need to remove your trimmer guard or use a precision trimmer to start defining the outline of your beard and moustache area. Use your trimmer to remove all the hair above and below your chosen beard shape.
You can start by creating a thicker strap, and making adjustments to define the final shape. The true challenge will be in creating symmetrical lines, so make sure you have a good-sized mirror in a well-lit space.
Step 4. Clean shave to sharpen your look
After defining your beard outline, you can get a smooth finish by shaving the stubble around your chin strap. If you’re happy with a bit of stubble, then that’s fine too, and you can just skip this step.
Use your preferred shaving oil, cream or foam, and make sure to avoid covering your beard. This will help prevent accidentally ruining the perfect lines you’ve created with your trimmer. For this step, you can either use a safety razor or a straight razor to achieve a neat, smooth finish.
Shave your hair against the grain with single, even strokes. Once you’re done, don’t forget to wash your face and beard. You don’t want to leave your shaving products or small hairs lingering on your skin because these are a major cause of post-shave irritation.
Step 5. Moisturize and maintain your Chin Strap
Although a thin chin strap beard covers only a small portion of your face, it will demand a fair bit of care and grooming. You’ll need regular trimming and shaving to keep those perfect lines in check. You can trim your beard once every 2 to 3 days, depending on how fast your beard grows and the style of beard you’ve chosen.
And just because you won’t have a full face of hair, doesn’t mean you can skip important steps like using a proper beard shampoo or applying your beard oil. You’ll need to incorporate all the elements of a basic beard care routine to keep your facial hair healthy and strong.
15 Best Chin Strap Styles For Men
We’ve selected some of the best Chin Strap Beards to help you decide your future look. There are a lot of variations from chin strap style to circle beard styles and it’s almost impossible not to find a look that you’d like to try out for yourself.
1. The Classic Chin Strap
Some things become classics because they serve as a reference point and a source for inspiration. The Classic Chin Strap is a true reflection of this style of beard. The hair is kept short in length and it follows the lower lines of your face to fuse seamlessly with the sideburns.
You can either define this look by shaving your lines to create perfect edges or by creating a fade to get a smoother transition. You can also trim the edges on your jawbones to be rounded or angular to get a different effect. The overall look will be smart and classy, but still a bit playful.
2. The Puffy Chin Strap
Torn between the idea of a thicker chin strap and a long beard? What if you can have both? The Puffy Chin Strap is a great blend between a medium beard and a chin strap, and it captures the best of both worlds.
You can keep the straps that follow the contour of your face nice and short, and let your chin hair grow longer. You’ll have to create a cool fade that smoothly integrates the changes in length and the results will be spectacular.
3. The Patchy Chin Strap
This look was created to embrace and elevate the patchy beard look. It’s a great style because it plays towards your facial hair’s strengths and makes an uneven coverage look deliberate, rugged, and manly.
You will still have to do some regular trimming and maintenance to keep things from getting out of hand and leaning towards the wild and unkempt side. But apart from that, you should simply outline a thin strap that follows your chin and jawline and keep some of the hair on the upper portion of your neck. This will help create some texture and shadows to trick the eye and make your beard appear fuller.
4. The Goatee Chin Strap
This is a combination of two classical styles. Each one is amazing on its own, but put them together and you get a true masterpiece. It works great with shorter hair and really clean, crisp lines.
You will need to define and emphasize both elements. This means trimming your goatee to connect your moustache and your chin hair. And then create a strap on the lower edge of your face to connect all the elements together.
5. The Wide Chin Strap
Sometimes bigger really is better. Depending on the shape of your face, you can trim your chin strap to be a bit wider than the classic look. Your hair should extend a bit more towards the cheekbones, but it should still closely follow the lines of your face.
This look will give you a full beard vibe, but with the added advantage of having a bit less maintenance to do. You can trim the edges in perfect lines and shave off the extra bits, or finish your lines with a fade and maybe leave some stubble for a more rugged feeling. Just explore and have fun with it.
6. The Pencil Thin Chin Strap
This is the most minimalistic beard style you can imagine. As the name suggests, you will have to trim your hair to the width of a pencil. It’s basically a very thin line that contours your jawline and chin to create an outline that emphasizes your features.
You’ll need to keep the hair really short to pull this style off. We’re talking something between 2 to 4 mm. Anything longer and you won’t be able to create that super-thin, crisp line. If you’re feeling adventurous, you can also create a goatee to go along with it.
7. The Subtle Chin Strap
If the idea of regular trimming and shaving sends a chill down your spine, then we’ve got the perfect alternative for you. The Subtle Chin Strap is a very low-maintenance style that requires minimum upkeep.
You will need to trim your beard thicker around the jawline to create the actual strap. You can keep the hair on the outsides of your strap to a stubble so you don’t have to worry about shaving regularly. This look is very forgiving when it comes to hair length and it gives you creative license to keep it simple and natural.
8. The Beardstache Chin Strap
Some people are a bit weary of the beardstache, but we kinda love the whole look and feel of it. By definition, it is a moustache that you combine with a unique beard style, where the length of your hair is longer in the upper lip area. The moustache is the actual star, and the beard is there to complement the look.
You can choose a moustache that fits your personal style and personality, and pair it with a great chin strap. This is also a look that you can pull off even if your facial hair is a bit patchy.
9. The Circle Beard with Chin Strap
This is a variation of the mutually beneficial goatee-chinstrap combo. The circle beard is basically a goatee that creates a circle around your mouth. This beard style should be trimmed to perfection and it will require some serious upkeep.
You can style your chin strap to be thick or thin to suit your face shape and features, and you will have to integrate it perfectly with your circle beard. This works best if your facial hair is trimmed a bit shorter and the overall length is kept even throughout the beard.
10. The Carved Out Chin Strap
If you lean more towards natural beard styles, you’ll probably enjoy this variation of the chin strap. The look it creates is a bit more organic and less controlled by essentially `carving` out the hair according to natural growth patterns.
You’ll still end up with a chin strap, but the lines that define it will be less straight lines and more of the natural curves of your face. You can also combine this look with a cool moustache or a goatee.
11. The Chin Curtain
Although it stands as its own separate beard style, we’ve included the Chin Curtain in this list because it respects the overall characteristics of a chin strap beard. This is a look that feels really old-timey but you can give it a try if you’re feeling adventurous and confident.
The Chin Curtain is a style that resembles mutton chops that meet in the middle of the face in the chin area. It’s trimmed really low on the edges of your jaw and chin and it’s traditionally kept longer than you’d see in most chin strap styles.
12. The Wide to Narrow Chin Strap
This is a style that’s bold, playful, and creative. It can create shadows and lines that help elevate your key features, and it can give the impression of a well-groomed, highly-styled look. The key element is having a different width for your strap through its length. One way is to start wide from your sideburns and keep it narrow on your chin.
The actual styling and the shapes you create will need to be tailored to your features, so there might be some experimenting involved if you’re choosing to DIY this look. This beard style pairs very well with a subtle moustache and even a soul patch.
13. The Curly Chin Strap
Don’t get discouraged if you have a curly beard. You can still rock a Chin Strap beard and look like a total badass. One way to do it is to trim your beard shorter along the sides of your face. You can let it get gradually longer towards the middle of your face.
The end result will be a very controlled, sharp look that doesn’t make your face look wide. It’s a great way to create a stronger jawline while still getting to keep some actual length and enjoying the feel of a wonderfully styled beard.
14. The Angled Chin Strap
We all know that finding the right angle is important for everything from solving a problem to taking a picture. This is also true about your chin strap beard because the shapes you create can totally alter your features.
This particular style is perfect if you want to make your jawline more prominent and sharp. You can use this by creating an angle between the vertical and horizontal parts of your strap. The sharper the angle, the more definition it brings to your jawline.
15. The Long Chin Strap
Sure, the textbook definition for the chin strap beard is that it’s kept relatively short. But you know, life is short and we don’t often feel like playing by the rules. You can actually grow your beard as long as you want. If it follows the edges of your face and maintains a chin strap shape, then you’re doing this style justice.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a chin beard called?
Chin beards come in many style variations, and they describe any type of beard that involves growing hair that covers your chin area. Depending on the length, size and shape, a chin beard can be a Goatee, a Chin Strap beard, or a Chin Curtain beard.
How to grow a chin strap beard
Don’t start trimming before your facial hair reaches an even length throughout your face. Facial hair grows about half an inch or approximately 1.3 cm per month, but the speed of growth is different for every area of your face. Once your beard fills in, you can start shaping your chosen chin strap style.
How to shave your beard to get a chin strap?
You should trim your hair to form a band that hugs the outer edges of your face. It should start from your sideburns, run along the edges of your jawline, and connect with your chin hair. The strap or band of hair can be as thin or as thick as you want.
Start trimming to form a wider band and narrow it down until you find the perfect thickness for your face and features. Once you’ve finished the shape, you can shave off the excess hair to get a smooth, professional-looking finish.
Do girls like chin strap beards?
Women find bearded men attractive and masculine. A chin strap beard is a good way to emphasize facial features without the hassle of a full beard. Chinstrap beard styles can make your jawline look sharper and more pronounced, giving it an overall masculine vibe.
Grow A Chin Strap Beard With Lines As Sharp As Your Bearded Axe
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