25 Goatee Beard Styles for Men: Small Beard, Big Statement

The classic goatee keeps a moustache and chin beard joined at the corners of the mouth, with clean cheeks and a clean neck. It’s the shape most people picture when they hear “goatee.”

Keep the width about the same as your mouth, from one corner to the other. Wider than that, and it starts to look like an unfinished full beard.

Where the Goatee Got Its Name

The goatee is named after the tuft of hair on a billy goat’s chin, which a chin-only beard resembles. Over time, the word came to cover most beard styles centred on the mouth and chin, including ones with a moustache.

Getting both sides even is where most goatees go wrong. I comb the hair straight down first and use the centre of the chin as my marker for the width.

Then I take a little off one side, the same off the other, and keep swapping back and forth. Every so often, step back from the mirror and look at the whole shape, not just the bit you’re cutting.

The classic mistake is taking too much: you can always cut more, but you can’t put it back. A close second is chasing whichever side looks wider until the goatee ends up far thinner than you planned, and daily tidying can slowly creep the line upward too. If you overdo it, just let it grow for a few days.

A short goatee keeps everything around 3–5 mm, so it looks tidy and understated. It’s the easiest goatee to wear day to day.

A short goatee shows its shape quickly when the cheeks grow back, so shave the cheeks every one or two days.

A full goatee is longer and denser, around 1–2 cm. It has a bolder, more masculine presence than a short goatee.

The bottom edge matters at this length. A gently rounded chin looks balanced, while a flat, square bottom can look heavy.

A full goatee can feel itchy around the second and third week of growth. A beard oil softens the hair and calms the skin underneath.

A circle goatee connects the moustache to the chin beard in a smooth, rounded shape around the mouth. It’s softer and rounder than the classic goatee, which can look angular.

Goatee names get used loosely, so here’s how the main shapes compare.

The circle shape needs full growth at the corners of the mouth, where the moustache meets the chin. If that area is thin, a disconnected goatee is a better fit.

A disconnected goatee keeps the moustache and chin beard separate, with a small gap at the corners of the mouth. It’s a modern look, and it works around one of the most common thin spots.

Trim both ends near the gap with a clean, rounded edge. Ragged ends make the gap look accidental rather than designed.

An extended goatee starts with a full goatee and stretches it partway along the jaw, stopping before the sideburns. It looks closer to a beard without needing cheek growth.

A sharp extended goatee, with crisp lined-up edges, looks more polished. Softer edges make it feel more relaxed.

Stop the extension before the jaw gets thin. If the hair under the ears is patchy, ending the extension earlier keeps the shape even.

The anchor beard is shaped like a ship’s anchor: a pointed chin beard that extends slightly along the jaw, paired with a separate moustache. The point at the chin adds length, which balances a round or square face.

This style needs precise trimming every few days. If you don’t want that much upkeep, a disconnected goatee gives a similar feel with less work.

A Van Dyke pairs a pointed chin beard with a moustache that doesn’t connect to it. It’s one of the most recognisable goatee styles.

Keep the chin point short. A long point exaggerates the length of the face and starts to look like a costume.

A royale combines a moustache with a narrow strip of beard on the chin, and nothing else. It’s minimal but noticeable.

The moustache usually stays separate from the chin strip. Trim both neatly, since a royale only works when every line is clean.

A soul patch is a small tuft of hair just below the lower lip, with the rest of the face shaved. It’s the smallest goatee-family style.

Who This Isn’t For

If you want a beard that frames the face or adds definition to the jaw, a soul patch won’t do that. It’s more of a small accent than a beard.

Keep it small and neat, no wider than about a centimetre. A soul patch that spreads looks like a missed spot while shaving.

Some men grow a strong chin but a thin moustache. A goatee without a moustache, sometimes called a goat chin beard, keeps the chin and shaves the upper lip.

Shave the upper lip every day or two. Even slight regrowth there looks like a moustache that didn’t come in.

A goatee with stubble keeps the goatee slightly longer and the rest of the face as short stubble. It looks softer and more relaxed than a goatee with fully shaved cheeks.

Keep the stubble short enough that the goatee still stands out. If the stubble gets too long, the two blend together.

A faded goatee keeps the chin fullest and blends the hair gradually shorter toward the cheeks and jaw. There’s no hard outline, so it looks smooth and modern.

For the opposite effect, chin strap beard styles keep a hard, clean line along the jaw.

You can do it at home with a trimmer:

The blending flicks are what hide the lines between guard lengths. Straight passes leave visible steps.

This version blends the goatee into a faded haircut, with the jaw and sideburns tapered short. The haircut and goatee look like one connected style.

A low or mid fade suits this best. A very high fade can leave a gap between the haircut and the goatee.

Here the cheeks and jaw stay at short stubble length, while the goatee grows longer. The contrast between the two lengths makes the goatee stand out.

Trim the short beard regularly, every few days. If it grows out, the length difference shrinks and the effect is lost.

A long goatee grows well below the chin, often several centimetres. It’s a strong, distinctive look that takes patience to grow.

Trim the ends every few weeks. Split, uneven ends make a long goatee look straggly rather than intentional.

A scruffy goatee keeps the shape loose and textured, with soft edges rather than sharp lines. It feels outdoorsy and relaxed.

It’s best for casual settings. In formal or professional environments, a neater goatee usually looks better.

A professional goatee is short, even, and neatly lined, without dramatic points or long lengths. It looks groomed and understated.

Consistency is what makes it professional. A quick trim every few days keeps the edges sharp and the cheeks clean.

Coily beard hair, common among many Black men, looks full even when short. A sharp line-up around the moustache and goatee makes that texture look crisp, and it pairs well with waves or a low cut.

Coily hair dries out easily. A daily beard oil keeps the goatee soft and helps the curls look defined.

A rounded afro with a goatee gives the face volume on top and a clean focal point below. Shaving the cheeks keeps the afro as the main feature.

The curls in a coily goatee add natural texture, so it needs less shaping than a straight-hair goatee. Keep the edges tidy, and let the curls do the rest.

Use a leave-in conditioner on the hair and oil on the goatee. Both stay softer and more defined with regular moisture.

A goatee gives a bald or shaved head a focal point, adding definition to the lower face. It’s a strong, clean combination.

Moisturise the scalp and oil the goatee. A shiny, dry scalp next to a dry goatee looks unpolished.

A grey goatee looks distinguished, especially when it’s neatly shaped. Clean cheeks keep the grey looking sharp rather than wiry.

Grey hair is often coarser and drier, so a beard oil or balm helps it lie flat. A long grey goatee needs especially regular trimming to stay neat.

Many men, including many South Asian men, grow dense, dark beards quickly. A full goatee shows off that density, while shaving the cheeks keeps it from overpowering the face.

Keep the goatee width to the corners of the mouth. Dense hair can make a goatee look wider than it is.

A goatee balances long hair by adding a clear focal point to the lower face. It works especially well with a man bun, since the face is fully visible.

With hair worn down, a short goatee keeps the face clean. With a bun, a slightly fuller goatee balances the exposed face.

Early facial hair usually comes in first on the upper lip and chin. A short, simple goatee shape makes use of that growth and looks neater than patchy stubble everywhere.

If the growth is very light, a clean shave can look tidier. Facial hair usually fills in more with age.