The “goatee with chinstrap” is a great example of two distinct styles combined to form one, glorious, attention-grabbing style.
It’s no secret that wearing a chinstrap beard on its own doesn’t always receive the warmest of receptions.
This is particularly true of the thin, pencil chin straps which tend to be the brunt of a lot of jokes on social media.
But when combined with a goatee, the chinstrap does tend to be seen in a better light. It’s more subtle and understated. It’s also seen as a supplement to an existing style as opposed to an individual one.
I wanted to delve deeper into the style by first showing you exactly what it looks like. Then, I’ll walk you through a brief, step-by-step tutorial on how to trim this style.
I’ll finish it off by discussing some benefits of this style, to help you decide whether or not it might be for you.
What The Goatee With Chinstrap Looks Like
It looks like this.
The best way to explain what this style consists of is to discuss the two individual components separately.
A “goatee” is a facial hairstyle in which there is hair on the chin but not on the cheeks. Traditionally, it referred to an isolated tuft of hair on the chin. But in modern men’s grooming, it often includes a mustache as well.
The mustache and chin beard may or may not be connected. In some goatee variants they do, and in some, they don’t. But fundamentally, there is no hair on the cheeks.
The “chinstrap” is a strip of hair extending from one side of the hairline to the other. It follows the angle of the jaw, covering the edges of the jaw and chin.
The thickness of the chinstrap is variable. Some are pencil-thin, whereas others can be an inch-wide. But it shouldn’t cover the entire chin, as this is what differentiates it from the “chin curtain”.
The chinstrap and goatee combo consists of a classic goatee with a mustache included, together with a chinstrap running from ear to ear. Remember, there is no hair on the cheeks.
How To Trim The Goatee With Chinstrap
Following these steps should help you achieve the look you want.
It may take a few tries to get it exactly right, especially because it can be difficult to estimate length and chinstrap width.
But perfection will come with practice.
1. Trim the whole beard down
You’ll want to trim your whole beard down to the length you’ll eventually want your chinstrap with goatee and mustache to be.
The reason you trim everything down first is that it’s easier to carve out a shape once the length is even.
An electric trimmer is necessary for this step. You may already have one, but if you don’t, check out the Philips Norelco Oneblade QP6520/70 on
Make sure whatever trimmer you buy is capable of trimming down to the length you want. In general, this style is easy to sculpt with any length up to 10mm – but that isn’t a hard-and-fast rule.
Set your trimmer’s adjustable length to your preference, and start trimming.
Keep the skin gently taut and vary the angle of your trimmer to catch the more difficult hairs.
Trim the mustache, the chin beard, the cheeks, and the neck. Remember, this step is just about getting the hair evenly trimmed in preparation for carving out the goatee and chinstrap.
2. Define the neckline
This would be a good time to define your neckline. The neckline is the border between your neck skin and beard.
A well-defined neckline at the correct height is integral to this style. Neck stubble never looks attractive and needs removing in order to maintain tidiness.
Visualize a curve across your neck that runs from ear to ear, passing a point that’s two finger-widths above your Adam’s apple. Allow the curve to slant upwards on either side, roughly following the angle of the jaw.
Remove the guard from your trimmer and trim this curve using the naked blade alone. Trim everything beneath this curve, making a point to get rid of any neck stubble you can find.
Using the naked blade will still leave some very short stubble, but don’t worry because you’ll be shaving it later.
Following this guide will allow you to carve out a neckline that’s not too high, not too low, and looks natural when observed from any angle.
A neckline that’s too high can produce an unusual-looking “double chin” appearance. One that’s too low – well, you might as well have just kept the neck stubble.
3. Carve out your goatee and chinstrap
Again, you’ll be using the naked blade of your trimmer for this step. It’s time for the main event – sculpting this glorious style.
When trimming the sides of the goatee, it’s important to not make it too narrow. A good goatee is a little wider than you might initially have thought.
The sides of the goatee should follow the curve of your mustache downwards. This curve should be gentle and gradual. A mistake would be to make the sides abrupt and vertical.
It would be reasonable to consider the sides of your goatee as simply extensions of your mustache downward. This would usually lead to a very natural-looking and attractive result.
Using the naked blade of your trimmer, trim the sides of your goatee following this curve downward. Remember not to trim all the way down to your jawline – leave enough room for the chinstrap!
Decide how wide you want your chinstrap to be. Some may prefer it to be pencil-thin, whereas others even up to an inch wide.
Carve this out on either side using your trimmer, closely following the angle of your jawline.
Trim all the hair off of your cheeks above your chinstrap and either side of your goatee.
The soul patch is something you may choose to trim off. Personally, the goatee with soul patch is a style I find impressive. But this is very much personal preference.
You’ve just completed the main step in trimming this style.
4. Neaten up the mustache
It’s easy to forget this step. Ensure that there are no stray mustache hairs creeping over the upper lip. This is very unattractive.
You can use the naked blade of your trimmer. Using tiny little trims, neaten up the mustache but trimming the edges of any hair crossing the border of your upper lip.
5. Shave for ultimate smoothness
Although you could leave it at that, shaving the areas outside the borders of your goatee with chinstrap would give you a much neater-looking result.
Using a manual razor or an electric shaver, shave the cheeks and neck outside your borders.
Benefits Of The Goatee And Chinstrap
1. It adds definition to the jawline
A chinstrap is a great way of defining the jawline and making it appear more sculpted. This is particularly useful for men with round or square faces.
The goatee in itself is a great way of adding length to the chin. So, combining the two styles is an effective way of making the face more oval-shaped overall. This is typically a desirable outcome.
Having sharp lines either side of the jawline nicely contours the face and looks impressive from most angles.
2. It’s more versatile than the chinstrap alone
As I mentioned earlier, on their own, chinstraps don’t have the best of reputations. It isn’t considered a typically “sophisticated” facial hairstyle.
It’s very hard to make a chinstrap look professional when it stands on its own. That’s where the goatee comes in.
A goatee is able to add a touch of sophistication to the chinstrap and makes it more suitable for more formal situations.
It’s more familiar and universally accepted. The chinstrap will be seen in a very different light with a neat goatee attached to it.
3. It’s more interesting than the goatee alone
The goatee can look fantastic on its own. It’s one of the most widely adopted facial hairstyles in the world and would effortlessly suit almost any context.
However, because it’s so commonly seen, it often isn’t very interesting to look at. Perhaps it used to be, but these days – not so much.
That isn’t to say those goatee variants can’t still turn heads. For instance, the goatee with stubble or goatee with soul patch.
My point is that there just needs to be something more with a goatee to make it interesting. Adding a chinstrap is a good way of making a goatee a little more unusual, in the best possible way.
Unusual is what turns heads, and as long as it gains the right kind of attention, it’s what you want.
What About The Long Goatee With Chinstrap?
The goatee traditionally refers to the hair on the chin, and a long goatee is simple long hair extending from the chin.
That’s the only thing that differentiates this style from the more conservative style I described above.
Again, there is no hair on the cheeks.
It’s a great style choice for men who don’t mind the extra maintenance requirements of a longer beard style. You’ll need to brush, comb, oil, and potentially balm.
But it adds another level of uniqueness to the style which often works very well. You’ve still got the same benefits of a chinstrap – jawline definition and a unique touch.
Conclusion
This goatee and chinstrap combo isn’t hard to maintain. The routine I described above will become easier and easier as time goes on.
It’s a great way of adding definition and contouring the face. The style is becoming increasingly popular but is still unusual enough to be considered unique. It’s simple, stylish, and always interesting.
Hopefully, you’ve now learned everything you could ever want to know about this style. Try it out for yourself and assess whether or not it’s the one for you.
Ready Sleek founder. Obsessed with casual style and the minimalist approach to building a highly functional wardrobe. Also a fan of classic, vintage hairstyles.