How to Trim a Cool Goatee

Some goatees have only a thin line of bristles around the chin.

A goatee is a type of beard in which hair is grown on the chin area and above the lip. The side areas around the cheek and below the sideburns, however, are usually closely shaved, in contrast to traditional beards. Due to their distinct shape, goatees can be difficult to trim once they start growing back. Goatee.org recommends goatee wearers visit experienced salons to keep their goatees looking cool. However, you can also trim your goatee at home with some basic grooming instruments.

Things You'll Need

• Conditioning shampoo
• Small hair scissors
• Beard comb
• Magnifying mirror
• Beard trimmer

Instructions

1. Wash your beard with a conditioning shampoo prior to trimming your goatee. Ensuring the hair follicles of your beard and the skin surrounding it are clean will help achieve a better trim.

2. Examine your coal goatee. Beards grow at different rates on different people. Determine which areas of your goatee are looking messy and need to be tidied up.

3. Trim the side areas of your face. The gap between the sideburns and the chin is the area that most clearly defines the goatee look. Run a bear trimmer from the bottom of your sideburn to the point where your goatee begins. Some people shave this area sharply to leave smooth skin, whereas others merely shave it closer than the chin and sideburn area, so the goatee remains clearly defined.

4. Position a magnifying mirror in front of you. This will allow you to trim strands of hair precisely and keep an accurate shape.

5. Comb your moustache using a small comb. Trim away any strands that appear longer than others or ones that are turning gray and look out of sync with the rest of your beard. Shave any strands inside the nostrils that are running into the moustache.

6. Shave the chin area using the beard trimmer on a low setting if your goatee is full beneath the chin. Closely shave the main area of the chin if this is the style of goatee you wear. Some goatee beards have only a small tuft of hair at the base or upper area of the chin. Others have a clearly defined line around the bottom portion of the chin with the skin above closely shaved. Shave or trim these segments according the look you have adopted.

7. Keep the shape of the goatee by keeping the shaved area even on both sides even. You may need to lift your head and examine the underside of your chin in the mirror several times to ensure you haven't missed any hair strands or damaged the shape of your goatee.

8. Tidy the chin bristles by combing thoroughly with a small comb if you are keeping your goatee full beneath the chin. Clip off any longer or graying strands with scissors so all the bristles of your goatee are roughly of equal length. Leave longer strands at the center base of the chain and taper-in the cut from the edges if you want a more pronounced, pointed goatee style.

9. Wash your face again to remove any hair fragments that may be caught in your goatee. Dry your bear off with a towel and comb it back into shape. Your goatee is now trimmed and ready to show off.

Tips & Warnings

• Move the bear trimmer in all directions when trimming your goatee. Hair can grow in all directions, so going only with or against the grain may result in missing out bristles that need trimming.

References

• Goatee.org: Maintenance