How to Grow and Maintain a Van Dyke Beard

Of all the beard styles that we love, the Van Dyke is probably the most underrated. The beard is named  after a famous Flemish painter Anthony Van Dyke in the 17^th century and has been popular on and off ever since. In recent times, famous men in Hollywood like Pierce Bronson and Johnny Depp have truly rocked a Van Dyke without looking dated or a character out of period dramas. Before we get into the details about how to achieve a look similar to them, let us first describe this unique yet versatile beard style.

A Van Dyke beard is characterized by a mustache, and a goatee style beard with all the hair on cheeks and the sideburns shaved off. In its classic, original form, the beard mustache would be long and curled upwards – a trend that is not as common today since men have put their own twist to the style. We're not complaining about the experimentation, of course. We love it when men have fun with their facial hair.

Is Van Dyke a variation of a goatee, you must wonder? Well, yes and no. We'd like to think of this style as a hybrid beard. While it looks similar to a goatee, it tends to be longer and pointed. The mustache and the beard are also not supposed to connect. A goatee, on the other hand, has a rounded chin beard.

Does a Van Dyke Beard work for all face shapes?

Since a Van Dyke consists of a pointed chin beard, it is best suited for men with aface shape that is either square or round face. This is because thebeard adds length to the face, and if your face is already elongated, adding an illusion of a few more inches can look unflattering. If you have a triangle or a diamond-shaped face, you can still get away with sporting this style as long as the beard is short.

A step-by-step guide to a Van Dyke Beard

One of the reasons we absolutely recommend this style is because it works SO well with light facial hair. Someof us are not blessed with the best genes, and growing a full, thick beard can be a challenge. This style is super trendy, and even if you have a patchy beard, a Van Dyke will ensure you look like a total stud. Growing and maintaining a Van Dyke is extremely easy too. Here are some steps on how to achieve this look:

1. Start with growing out your beard for 3 to 4 weeks and let your beard reach a suitable length. This period will be awkward because you can look unstyled and disheveled during the early growth stages but rest assured, the result is worth it.
2. Once you have grown out your facial mane, it is time to shape the beard into the required style. Comb both your beard and mustache in the downward direction. Then, use a trimmer to shave off the hair from your mustache to your jawline on either side of your mouth.
3. After removing hair from your cheeks, shave them from the bottom and sides of the neck as well but stop before Adam's apple. Remove the neck hair carefully so you can control the shape. At this point, your beard should look like a rounded goatee.
4. Wash your face to remove the excess trimmed hair so that you can go through the next step with ease-; a step that requires precision.
5. Now time for the tricky part. Detach the mustache from the chin beard with the help of scissors but leave your soul patch alone. Be careful during this step as the Van Dyke style is clean, and you want to ensure you get those sharp edges that characterize this style.
6. Once you have achieved the style, maintaining the mustache and beard's clean lines is very important. Keep a trimmer or scissors handy and get rid of any unwanted hair.
7. Apply beard balm to keep your stylish Van Dyke beard in shape,

Learning how to grown and maintain a Van Dyke beard is one of the most straightforward styles to pull off if you have the right tools. Just remember to keep it closely trimmed, and you're good to go! Stay Dapper!!