Beard styles for an oblong face

What a beard does to an oblong face

Left to grow, a beard extends the outline of the face downward, adding length. On a long face that is the one thing you do not want. But a beard also adds width along the jaw and cheeks, which is exactly what a long face needs. The whole craft is in shaping the beard so it gives width and not length.

The rule is short at the chin, fuller at the sides, higher cheek line.

Styles that suit an oblong face

• Full beard, short under the chin, fuller on the cheeks and sides. The standard shape for a long face: trim the chin close, let the cheeks carry the length.
• Short boxed beard with a high cheek line. The straight lines add structure and the higher cheek line fills the upper face, adding width where a long face is narrow.
• Wide sideburns and mutton chops, for a bolder look. They add width at the sides directly and are one of the few faces this style flatters.
• Chinstrap with fuller cheeks, keeping the chin line tight while the sides carry weight.
• Well-shaped heavy stubble with a high cheek line, for a lighter version of the same effect.

Cheek line and neck line

Set the cheek line high, close to its natural upper edge, and do not carve it down. On other face shapes a high cheek line adds unwanted width; on an oblong face that width is the point.

Set the neck line higher than usual, just above the natural crease where the jaw meets the neck, and keep the underside of the chin trimmed close. Length under the chin is length added to the face.

Length guide

Chin: short, from stubble to about a centimetre, kept flat rather than pointed. Cheeks and sides: longer, a few centimetres, with the outline kept wide and flat at the bottom rather than tapering to the chin. Sideburns: full and connected, a little wider than average.

Styles to avoid on an oblong face

• Goatees of any kind, which concentrate the beard at the chin and narrow the lower face into a point.
• Long chin beards, ducktails and any style that extends below the chin.
• Beards with a low cheek line and shaved cheeks, which take away width at the cheeks.
• Tight, thin sideburns.

Pairing with hair

Keep the top of the hair flat and the sides of the hair fuller, so hair and beard both add width and neither adds height. A fringe brought forward with a full-sided short beard is the standard combination. Avoid a tall quiff above any beard, which lengthens the face at both ends.

The face shape test reports the length-to-width ratio and jaw width. The higher the ratio, the more the beard should stay off the chin and on the sides.