In 2014, evolutionary biologists claimed men had reached ‘peak beard’. The days of Brian Blessed facial hair styles was nigh, they said, hirsute hipsters had had their day. They even used sciencey terms to bamboozle the bearded into thinking that pretty soon their bristles would see them lumped them in with the weird and the long-term unemployed.

Of course, that prediction was as reliable as a Michael Fish weather report. Because here we are, several years on and still admiring chin carpets like they’re going out of fashion (which, just to be clear, they’re not).

So to guide you in the right direction of the best facial hair for men, here are the five top facial hair styles every man needs to know and key factors to consider before diving into your journey for whiskers.

How to Choose the Right Facial Hair Style

While it may be tempting to just start growing facial hair and see where it takes you, we’d advise narrowing the pool and choosing a facial hair style that will truly suit you.

When it comes to choosing the best facial hair style, these are the key considerations to keep in mind:

Growth Potential

Before settling on a facial hair style, you’ll want to make sure that you can actually grow it. If you struggle to grow tons of facial hair, or have significant patches in your growth, you’ll want to forego more full beard styles and stick to a short beard or goatee.

On the other hand, if you grow lots of hair rapidly, stubble probably isn’t the ideal style for you.

It’s important to base your facial hair style around what you can actually grow and maintain. Otherwise, you’re setting yourself up for failure right off the bat.

Face Shape

After you assess how much hair your face is capable of growing, you should think about your actual face shape. While some facial hair styles may look striking on one face shape, they can be totally wrong for another.