Are you looking to add some style and sophistication to your facial hair game? Look no further than the Van Dyke beard style! This classic, elegant look has been a favorite of stylish men for centuries and continues to be a popular choice today.
The Van Dyke beard is a classic beard style that has endured over centuries. From the palaces of kings to the face of celebrities, it has adorned one and all.
The Van Dyke beard style is characterized by a neatly trimmed mustache and a pointed goatee, creating a unique and distinguished look.
The style was popularized by Flemish painter Anthony Van Dyke in the 17th century, who was known for his elaborate and stylized portraits featuring men with similar facial hair.
In this guide, we will tell you about how to get a Van Dyke beard, maintain it, and the benefits of wearing a Van Dyke beard.
if you are as excited as we are, let’s get straight into it.
What is a Van Dyke Beard?
The Van Dyke beard is essentially a beard that has a fully grown goatee along with a mustache. However, the mustache and the goatee are not connected. Also, more often than not, both the mustache and the goatee will be long and pointy.
Nevertheless, the above is not mandatory and different variations of the beard can be grown.
The Van Dyke beard is a beard that is named after the 17th century Flemish (Spanish Netherlands) painter Sir Anthony Van Dyck.
He wore this beard style but it was not until he drew a portrait of King Charles I of England wearing the same beard that it became popular.
However, it was almost lost and forgotten in the 18th and 19th centuries. In the 1990s rockstars such as Eddie Vedder and Kurt Cobain brought it back into vogue. Today it is a mainstream beard style that has been carried around for years by celebrities.
What is the difference between a Van Dyke Beard and Goatee?
Many people mistake the Van Dyke beard for a goatee. However, this is not the case. For a beard to become a goatee, it has to be only growing on the chin, and hence it is also called a chin beard sometimes.
Goatees don’t need to have a mustache. On the other hand, a Van Dyke beard is characterized by the presence of a goatee and a mustache.
Read Also: Goatee With Sideburns: Benefits, Guide, Examples
How to Trim A Van Dyke Beard?
Now that you have had a proper introduction to the Van Dyke beard, it is time for you to learn how to shave and grow it.
Here is what you need to do. First things first, of course, you’ll need to grow your facial hair and also the hair on your upper lip. The hair needs to be at least an inch long.
Step 1 – Prepare your face before shaving
Skin that is hydrated and moisturized always feels better when you’re shaving. Wash your face with warm water. This helps to hydrate the hair before shaving. Use a shave gel to lather those parts of the skin that you need to shave completely clean. A shave gel can help protect your skin from irritation, cuts and nicks.
Step 2 – Trim your facial hair
When you trim your hair before shaving, it helps eliminate tug and pull while shaving, preventing clogged blades later on. Therefore, make sure that you make facial hair length even.
Step 3 – Define the shape of your beard
Use your trimmer without the comb and trim the beard to define the Van Dyke beard shape. Make sure to shorten the hair on the neck and cheeks for best results. It is a good idea to from the shape of a circle beard first and then trim it more from there. It need not be an exact circle; a rough circle will do.
Step 4 – Check for uniformity as you trim
The eyes can often play tricks so make sure that you don’t trim too much to make your beard look even. The beard below the jawbone should connect with a straight line along your neck.
Step 5 – Rinse & Moisturize
Once you are done shaving, wash your face with cold water and apply a hydrating aftershave lotion.
How to Maintain a Van Dyke Beard
Maintenance rule 1
The Van Dyke beard is all about lines and angles. In short, it is about precision. Irrespective of whether you’re using scissors or a trimmer, the hair length should always remain consistent.
This means that the mustache and the goatee should match each other in thickness. One thicker than other would ruin your entire look.
Maintenance rule 2
Except for the goatee and the mustache, the face has to be clean-shaven. This means no stubble or random outgrowth of hair here and there.
The clean face is essential to a Van Dyke because the barren nature of the face accentuates the Van Dyke features.
Maintenance rule 3
The next thing that you need to maintain for a clean Van Dyke looks is a clean-shaven neck. One of the rules for a Van Dyke beard is a clean-shaven neck.
This means that irrespective of the length of the goatee, even if the goatee exceeds the jawline, the neck should be always clean-shaven.
Maintenance rule 4
The Van Dyke goatee and the mustache need to be combed regularly every day to remove any stray bits of hair popping out and spoiling your style. It also helps to get rid of any debris from the beard.
Plus, regular combing in the downward motion gives direction to the hair to grow downwards. It also helps the hair to get less knotty.
Maintenance rule 5
Beard butter and beard oil help shape the mustache’s narrowness and make sure that the goatee is inclined downwards.
Some men love a rectangular goatee, but if you want to go with the vintage look of the Van Dyke facial hair, you want your goatee to be a ‘V’ shape.
5 Best Van Dyke Beard Styles That You Can Go For
The Classy Look
To flaunt this look, you need to have a handlebar mustache. Classy Van Dyke beard will instead have an upside-down beard, which will look like an inverted Japanese fan.
It will begin pointy right at the center below the lips and gradually fans outward. Ensure that the ends of each side of your beard are joined around the neckline. This is how you will create a curved effect.
Your handlebar mustache; however, it will not be connected to your beard.
Pierce Brosnan’s Style
The next Van Dyke look that we will talk about is inspired by none other than Pierce Brosnan. The handlebar mustache will be rugged and thick for this style.
Unlike the classy look, to carry Pierce Brosnan’s Van Dyke look, your mustache will be linked to the mustache.
The main highlight of this look is that Mr. Brosnan carries a somewhat trimmed beard. Here, the Van Dyke is a lot thicker, and it is the thickness of this style that becomes the main highlight.
When it comes to the rest of the beard, they are not shaved off.
Jawline Van Dyke Style
You will have to clean shave leaving soul patch, mustache, and the line that borders your jawline for this look. This one is relatively very easy to style.
All you will have to do is shave the excess hair from your face and trace your jawline.
Ensure to clean shave your face because jawline Van Dyke works best with a clean shaved face.
Anchor Van Dyke Style
You will often see Johnny Depp flaunting this style. If you have scantier facial hair, anchor Van Dyke style will suit you the best. To go for this look, you can either go with a handlebar or regular mustache.
Those who have a scanty beard, here’s a tip for you. Ensure that your mustache is in proportion without being too thick.
It’s up to you whether you would like the beard margin to be attached to your mustache or not.
Texas Van Dyke Beard Style
The cowboy look with the bushy, thick mustache. If you like this kind of semi-long and bushy facial hair that keeps, however. all the Van Dyke principles, go ahead.
It will be much fun!
The Full Van Dyke Style
To go for a full Van Dyke style, your beard needs to be full with a pointy bottom. Apart from this, you need to have a handlebar mustache that is curved and long.
This one is perfect for men who like to have a long and thick beard.
Ensure that you trim your Van Dyke mustache correctly, and don’t forget to some quality beard grooming products. A well-maintained beard is easy to style.
No matter which Van Dyke style you would like to go for, remember to shape the soul patch and mustache properly. You have to be disciplined with this look because your facial hair will start to grow soon.
Is The Van Dyke Beard Attractive?
The VanDyke beard is something you can flaunt irrespective of the occasion and it is a style that goes well in an informal or formal event as well.
The benefits of a Van Dyke beard are as follows:
- When you have scanty or patchy beard growth on your cheeks, this is a beard that can come to your rescue.
- This is because both the goatee and mustache don’t require a lot of facial hair, and they are the main essentials for a Van Dyke beard. Even if you have less hair growth, you don’t have to feel conscious any more.
- The Van Dyke beard goes with different face structures, so irrespective of your shape, get a look that you love.
- You don’t need complicated tools to achieve this look. If you have a simple trimmer, you are all set and done.
- It is also a low-maintenance beard that requires minimal upkeep.
What Does Sporting a Van Dyke Beard Say About You?
Relax, we are not going to talk about psychology here. A Van Dyke beard is all about precision and paying attention to minute details.
This means that when people see you in a Van Dyke beard, they know that you have invested time and patience to cultivate a look that makes you stand out from the rest.
This shows that you are a classy and refined man willing to wait it out to enjoy the finer aspects of life.
Celebs that wear the Van Dyke Beard Style
Some celebrities who have looked cool with the Van Dyke beard style are the late musician Kurt Cobain, Chris Cornell, and actors Johnny Depp and Pierce Brosnan, the well-known former soccer player and model David Beckhman, and many many more.
You won’t be the first one to wear this beard!
Conclusion
The Van Dyke beard is here to stay, and it is one of the most attractive beard styles that a man can hope to get. It is a classic and time-tested style that will elevate your looks and style quotient.
It is extremely stylish and an all-time classic.
Read Also: Popular Celebrities With Goatees
Most men that wear it do not grow full beards, but there are also men that can grow a beard but still prefer this beard style.
In this article, we discussed the Van Dyke beard style, how to get it, how to maintain it, variations of the beard style and more.
And that’s it for today. I really hope you found our blog post useful and informative. We always want to do the best for our readers.
Are you ready to make a change and look amazing with your new beard style?
Take action!
If you have any comments or questions feel free to write them in the comment section below.
Until next time,
Stay safe and…let it grow!
Tasos.
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Tasos Moulios is the founder of Beardlong. He loves trying different beard and hair styles and blogs about them. The tips he shares come from his own experience and love for what he does.