FACIAL HAIR, WHEN WORN RIGHT, CAN BE COOL, FASHIONABLE AND TAKE THE FOCUS AWAY FROM HAIR LOSS ISSUES.
In recent years many men have moved away from the clean-shaven look as facial hair has become more and more popular. This trend has allowed men to become increasingly creative in their overall appearance by utilizing more than just the hair on top of their heads. And it isn’t just mustaches anymore — facial hair trends involve nearly the entire face.
An additional bonus to incorporating facial hair into your look is the ability to shift the focus from worrisome areas. For example, if you have thinning hair, hair loss or a large nose, facial hair can help make flaws seem less prominent.
Facial Hair Styles
SIDEBURNS
If you want to make the jump from a clean look, sideburns are a good way to ease into the world of facial hair. Simply let your sideburns grow while shaving the rest of your face. Once the sideburns appear, you can experiment with length, width and density until you find your desired look. If you can’t find the right type of sideburns to match your hairstyle, consider changing your hairstyle to match your newfound sideburns!
GOATEE
The goatee is a more advanced version of facial hair. A true goatee doesn’t involve a mustache — just hair on the chin. Compared with sideburns, goatees allow a lot more room for creativity. You can have a short and narrow goatee, or you can sport a long goatee that is both wide and deep. Since the upkeep can be difficult, it’s a good idea to get in the habit of asking your barber to trim your goatee when you go in for your haircut. If you are handling your goatee by yourself, be sure to take a good look in the mirror before you head out for the day — you don’t want a messy, crooked goatee sabotaging your style.
The shape of your face should be taken into consideration when choosing the length of your goatee. If you have a round face, go with a bushier goatee so that it can artificially elongate your face. For those men with longer faces, a closely trimmed goatee is a must. Otherwise, your long face will appear to be even longer. (A standard mustache, although not a trendy look, is a great way to shorten a long face.)
SOUL PATCH
You can also just leave your “soul patch” without a beard. The soul patch is the small section of hair between your lower lip and your chin. Speed skater Apolo Ohno wears this style well.
STUBBLE
Purposefully unkempt hairstyles are on trend for men. For that reason, subtle stubble is a savvy complementary look. You can master that laid-back yet sexy look by altering how often you shave. If you currently shave every day, begin shaving every two or three days. If you want consistent stubble, use an electric razor daily on the shortest setting. Actor George Clooney is an example of a celebrity who has mastered the art of subtle stubble.
BEARD
The most daring type of facial hair is the beard. While beards are trendy right now, they can also lead to stylistic disasters. The main key to beard success is to keep it trimmed. This is especially true when you are first growing out your beard, since the hair on your face grows at different rates. Use an electric razor to keep your beard the same length throughout.
Cleanliness also is extremely important when it comes to beards. A grimy beard is a painfully obvious turnoff, so be sure to clean the hair on your face just as diligently as you clean the hair on your head. A tip to make your beard look classy instead of nasty is to keep the rest of your look in tip-top shape. If you have a chic wardrobe, a trendy haircut and eye-catching accessories, your beard will be viewed as a fashion statement rather than a testament to laziness.
There really isn’t much risk when it comes to facial hair. Feel free to mix and match the latest facial hair trends to find something you like. If worse comes to worst, you can always just shave and start over again!