Are you one of those men who have patchy hair growth on their cheeks but still want to enjoy the pleasure of having facial hair? Or are you one of those men who find the full beard style wild, unkempt, and difficult to maintain? Either way, the style that you are looking for is the circle beard style which is more commonly referred to as goatee, although incorrectly.
The circle beard style is a happy combination of clean-shaven and facial hair, allowing you to get the best of both worlds. It is a neater shape and a more refined alternative to the full beard style, making you look more groomed and masculine.
Despite its negative associations with gangsters and godfathers, the circle beard style is the best way for a man to enhance his facial features and make his jaw look more structured and chiseled while elongating his face at the same time.
After being out of style for decades, the circle beard style is making a comeback in the 21st century with a bang to occupy its position as the number one and the coolest beard style.
History of Circle Beard Styles
Even though the circle beard does not have a rich and traditional history, its predecessor, the goatee, has been sported by respectable men throughout history and has even been mentioned in holy books such as Bible, albeit in an evil connotation.
In Bible, the Satan was shown to be having a goatee which greatly influenced people’s mindset by associating it with evil men, and also scientifically, the inverted triangle shape that the circle beard style creates is said to harm the observer’s mind making it advantageous for men with softer features to look more aggressive and threatening.
The circle beard style grew in popularity during the 18th century in Australia, and the American President, Abraham Lincoln, hugely popularized the chin hair and the goatee. While being docile for a lot of decades, the circle beard style’s fame shot up with its depiction in the critically acclaimed TV series, Breaking Bad by its protagonist, Walter White, from 2008-2013.
Famous Personalities with Circle Beards
Many celebrities have sported this style on various occasions in a bid to highlight their facial features and give a perfect shape to their mouth while appearing neat at the same time. Perhaps the celebrities that first come to mind when we think of goatees or circle beards are Amitabh Bachchan, Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kanye West, Drake, Idris Elba, Johnny Depp and, Robert Downey Jr, all of whom have contributed towards the resurgence of circle beard styles.
Various politicians and statesmen sport this style as it provides a mature and wise look making them more appealing and stylish to their audience and even wakes attention to their mouth.
What is a Circle Beard?
The Circle beard is a variety of goatee where mustache and chin hair is connected while the cheeks are clean-shaven to form a ring-shaped circular beard. Also known as the Door Knocker beard, the circle beard connects the mustache to the chin hair, which features the maximum facial hair under the lips, which can be grown in varying proportions depending on your preference.
There is facial hair around the mouth in a circular shape, while cheeks are shaven clean or trimmed to a length of stubble to focus maximum attention around the mouth.
The circle beard is mostly exhibited by older men who have full facial hair growth because younger men do not have much facial hair under their lips, which does not truly provide the circular beard look.
Why go for Circle Beards?
The reason why you should surely go for circle beard styles are:
Attractive
This stylish beard style is the best way to strengthen a weak jaw and make it appear squarer, adding to its manly look. The clean-shaven cheeks make a face look narrower the hair around the mouth elongates the face making it look manlier and meaner, giving you that bold look you have been yearning for. The circle beard styles are said to be the most popular facial hairstyle for men above the age of 30.
Versatile
The circle beard style is probably the most versatile beard style because it can be rocked by any man with enough facial hair growth around their mouth. If you have patchy facial hair on your cheeks, then this beard circle can work wonders for you. On the other hand, if you feel that a full beard is very wild, unkempt, unruly and, difficult to maintain, then you can always enjoy flaunting your full circle. This is why it so popular among celebrities.
Easy to Maintain
As compared to other beard styles, the circle beard is relatively easier to maintain. In addition, it can be groomed in the comfort of your homes with tools that most men already possess with very little attention to detail like other goatee shapes such as Van Dyke or the French Beard.
It does not require regular trimming like that of a tailored full beard and can be groomed once a week. It is a boon for men who like to shave less frequently, and the stubble that grows can enhance the look of your beard circle.
Attention to Mouth
This is one benefit that most public speakers must be looking for, or if you are an owner of a large public company and want to make an impact on your employees. The beard circle focuses the attention of the observer towards the mouth, making them more inclined to listen to you. Even if you are a salesperson and are finding it troublesome to achieve the sales target given to you, go for a circle beard to instantly grab your vendor’s attention to set yourself for new targets and more compliments.
Circle Beard and Different Face Shapes
Heart Shape Face
People with heart-shaped faces usually look youthful and non-threatening. A circle beard style will elongate their face by adding bulk to their chin and giving them an imposing look. It will even add structure to your facial features to look. Example: Leonardo DiCaprio
Oval Shape Face
The thing with people with oval faces is that they look naturally good in any hairstyle or any beard style. The circle beard style will only further elongate their face to add on to its manliness and highlight their jaw while giving you a new style to become the circle of attention. Example: Will Smith
Round Shape Face
The circle beard style can be magical for people with rounder faces by hollowing out the sides, raising the cheekbones, and transforming the entire face to appear squarer and more structured. Example: Justin Timberlake
Square Shape Face
People with square jaws have the best capacity to experiment with their circle beard styles to create different varieties and shapes to look bolder, more stylish, and masculine than ever. Example: Brad Pitt
Diamond and Triangle Shape Face
People having diamond and triangle shape faces already have very defined jawlines and cheekbones. adding a circle beard to the mix will only define it further, which can be a little overwhelming and make your face appear as if it has gone through surgery. Example: Ryan Gosling
How to Grow a Circle Beard?
Step 1
Like all the beard styles, you have to let your beard grow uninterrupted for at least 4 weeks. However, if you are looking forward to a short and tamed circle beard, then you can allow your beard to grow for as little as 2 weeks.
Step 2
During the growing period, take proper care of your beard as you do of the hair on your head to keep it clean and ruly. Invest in a good beard shampoo and conditioner to keep your beard soft, smooth and, shiny to prevent it from getting tangled and all curly, which in the end makes it hard for you to shave it off.
Also, use beard oil to provide nourishment to your facial hair follicles and stimulate healthy and flowing growth.
Step 3
If you are a first-timer with a circle beard style, then we recommend you go to a barber for shaping up the beard to get an insight into the intricacies involved in giving those touch-ups around your lips, mouth, and neck. Then, if you have done this before, you can shape and trim your beard within the comfort of your home.
How To Shape and Trim a Circle Beard?
The Right Tools
Before trimming and shaping your circle beard, it is very important to be ready with the required tools. These are:
- Electric Trimmer
- Shaving Cream
- Electric Shaver/ Razor
- Warm water
- Aftershave
- Moisturizer
- Towels
Steps to Shape and Trim a Circle Beard
Step 1- Set the right length on the comb of your trimmer that you want for your circle beard, and you can leave some extra for creating gradients later.
Step 2- Trim the beard evenly throughout the face, neck, cheeks, near the lip, and the mustache.
Step 3- Remove your trimmer’s guard and, with the precision trimmer, define the boundaries of your circle beard. Set vertical contours about half an inch from the lips and define the boundaries above an inch from the adam’s apple.
Step 4- Once you have defined the boundaries of your circle beard, prep your face for shaving off the rest of the board by rinsing it with warm water to open up the pores of the skin and making the beard soft. Next, lather the beard with shaving cream evenly to prevent nicks, cuts, and ingrown hair follicles.
Step 5- Grab your electric shaver or razor and shave the beard apart from the one which is within the defined boundaries in the direction in which it grows. Shave with light and gentle strokes to prevent razor cuts and irritation.
Step 6- Rinse the blades of the razor regularly after 2-3 strokes to prevent the buildup of hair particles which in turn can lead to nicks and cuts on the skin of your face.
Step 7- Once you have clean-shaved the rest of your face, it is time to groom the outlines of the circle beard and create any fade or gradients. You can keep the hair on your chin either a bit longer than the mustache or equal in length to the mustache, depending on how you want your face to look.
Step 8- Once you have achieved your desired look, wash your face with cold water to close down the pores. After patting dry your face, splash some aftershave to prevent any buildup of bacteria leading to razor burns, bumps, or any kind of irritation on the face.
Different Types of Circle Beard Style
Tamed Circle Beard
Also known as the precision cut, this is a very sophisticated look because of its fine and well-defined boundaries. It looks very neat and can work with official environments.
It can be achieved by evenly trimming the circle beard and leaving a distinctive soul patch under the lip to enhance the style further.
Stubble and Goatee
You can achieve this beard style almost naturally by keeping a circle beard ungroomed for 4-5 days which will create a stunning 5 o’clock shadow around your cheeks. This style is something that you can play around with while enjoying both the sides of a clean-shaven cheek and a drool-worthy stubble.
Extended Circle Beard
This circle beard style can be achieved by leaving a thin line of facial hair around your jawline along with the beard circle around your mouth and shaving the cheeks clean. It is a form of goatee which enhances your jawline and gives a very funky look.
Light Stubble Circle Beard
This beard style can be achieved by defining the traditional circle beard with the mustache but trimming it down to a length of stubble like 3-4mm to create a mysterious guy look. This will look unbelievably good on people who want their faces to be comfortable and enjoy the pleasure of owning a beard.
Full Circle Beard
This can be achieved by only those people who have an even facial hair growth throughout their cheeks and face. It is an extended form of circle beard wherein the beard is grown to a full-length beard, but the circle surrounding the mouth is lengthier than the beard on cheeks and jawline. This creates a look of the structured jawline and is amazingly fine but difficult to achieve.
Conclusion
In the 21st century, it is very important to try out different looks on yourself to see what suits you the best. The circle beard style is one of the trends that we wish to see coming back with a bang. It is one of the best ways to add volume to your face, which adds to the mysteriousness and masculinity in your persona.
We recommend you to surely try the light stubble circle beard look if you want to surprise yourself and the people around you and get some fine compliments!
