The Soul Patch (or Small Beard): The Soul Patch is most readily
identified as a style popular among the beatniks and jazz artists
of the 50s and 60s. In earlier periods, the soul patch was called a
'small beard' for obvious reasons. It is characterized by its
confinement to the area just below the lower lip. It has been
seen trimmed short, or grown long and groomed into varied
shapes. Modern versions are often trimmed short and narrow.
The Handlebar Moustache: This is one of only two moustache styles
chosen to include here. Moustaches as a whole are simply variations on a
theme, styled and trimmed full or thin. The handlebar moustache is
characterized by the fact that it must be worn long enough to curl the ends
of the moustache upward. This is usually achieved and maintained through
the use of specialized styling wax. Modern moustache styles tend to be
close-trimmed and worn thin.
The Fu Manchu: The other moustache style included here is
the Fu Manchu. The name is not politically correct, but comes
from a popular film from the late 60s called "The Many Lives
of Dr. Fu Manchu". The Fu Manchu is characterized by
its position over the lip and extension down each side of
the mouth to the jaw. Modern variants have seen the style
rounded and square, and trimmed into different shapes at the bottom.
Mutton Chops: I mentioned that men's facial hair could be categorized by
the areas of the face it covers. One style of facial hair that is often
overlooked as being facial hair is sideburns. In the 70s, the Mutton Chop
style of sideburns was popularized by Elvis Presley, although it has been
seen throughout history. Mutton chop sideburns are characterized by being
grown in wide swaths down the sides of the face and ending usually at the
curve of the jaw, although they can be worn as far down as to almost touch
the corners of the mouth. Modern Mutton chops are usually close-trimmed and kept thin.
Friendly Mutton Chops: This style takes mutton chops and combines them
with the moustache to create one continuous line of facial hair.
Traditionally, the style was worn in a wide, full swath of facial hair, but
today is seen more closely-trimmed and thin, although the line can often
follow varied patterns as it makes its way across the face.
The Full Beard: The Full Beard facial hair style is characterized by
its coverage of all three basic areas of the face - upper lip, chin
and sides. The full beard typically is only minimally groomed at
the neck area, at the lip-line and along the cheeks. However,
fully-bearded men sometimes prefer to grow the beard hair long,
and style it into any number of shapes, from tapered points to
rounded and bushy swells of hair. Current trends in full-beard
styles are closely-trimmed and often groomed with hard angles or
patterns to accentuate the face.
If you are considering growing facial hair, or making a change in your facial hair,
there is a wide array of websites devoted to men's facial hair styles. Take a look at
what styles other men with similar facial structure have chosen and what they look like.
And if you are concerned about being able to achieve the look yourself, consult your
hairstylist. Most stylist will enjoy the chance to help you create the look you want.
