How to Grow a Goatee: Maintaining it and Growing Time

Exactly what is the origin of the goatee? It is quite simple, the billy goat.  If you look into the face of the billy goat, you will see a longish beard that is not the same color as the rest of its goat.  Most of the time, it is a brownish color while the rest of the coat is off white.

It is longer than the rest of the coat which gives it the beard-like appearance.  Nevertheless, it does not grow on the sides like a normal beard.

Most of the male grooming gurus claim that the goatee is only suited for a certain type of face.  I am in disagreement with that statement.  I will explain later on how it can work on any style of face.

The experts claim that you must have a diamond-shaped facial structure or a face that is heart-shaped.  I guess on the surface, that makes sense since the goatee will be on one point of the diamond which is your chin.  Your face will be well highlighted and well-balanced especially if you have a nice full head of hair.

Nevertheless, there are no hard and strict rules for the form of the goatee.  If you wish to highlight your jawline, you can simply grow a fine line along the jawline that connects to your goatee. No one is going to confront you and tell you that you actually have a beard and that you should stop pretending that you are attempting to grow a stringy goatee.

A goatee can come in many different forms.  The structure of the goatee that you pick depends on the image that you wish to portray.  For instance, if you are balding and you wish to take the focus off of your shiny dome, a goatee with a mustache would be a perfect direction to take.  People will focus in on your mouth area.  When you talk, they will listen because they are zeroing in on your chin and the front of your face in general.

Nevertheless, I feel that you can go overboard with a goatee.  If you have one of those goatees that mimic the long wave beard of a billy goat, you will have gone too far with it.  Stay real with it, you do not want others to be turned off by your long stringy goatee.  I just feel that it would look messy and in poor taste.

Now that I have explained how goatee can influence your overall, taking the rest steps to grow one will ensure that you have one that you like within a reasonable amount of time.  They can be tricky.  If you over-groom them, you will take a lot longer to grow to the perfect length for the style that you are trying to obtain.

Here are the steps to follow to grow a personalized goatee:

1. First of all, you need to have on hand the right equipment for developing a goatee. You need to have scissors that are beard scissors.  I recommend the Suvorna Scissors (click to see image).  Do not just buy any old scissors.  You need scissors that are designed to trim whiskers.  If you were to try to use simple hair scissors, you are going to become very frustrated.  Whiskers are thicker and therefore harder to style and trim.
2. You also need to have a beard comb that has thick and sturdy teeth.  I like the handmade combs by Kent (link to Amazon).  When trimming the whiskers around the chin area, you need to be able to comb through the many twists and turns of the whiskers that are around the chin.  If you trim without combing your whiskers, you may end up creating sections that are overcut.
3.  You also need to purchase an electric shaver.  Buy one that is smaller in size.  You will need to maneuver it around the curves of the jawline.  If you have a trimmer that is bulky and heavy, you will have more trouble trimming properly your future goatee.
4. Lastly, you need to have beard oil. My top pick of beard oil is by Honest Amish (click to see pricing on Amazon).   The skin underneath the goatee needs to remain as healthy as possible.  If the follicles are dried out and damaged, your goatee is going to look scraggly and unkempt. Beard oil will help to maintain the natural level of oils that are in whisker follicles.  Trimming with a beard oil tends to remove some of the oils that are normally within follicles.
5. There are different styles to follow depending on your facial structure. I will suggest a starting style for you based on your facial structure and a generalization of your personality.  Nevertheless, if you find that my suggestion is off for you personally, try another one that will be listed within these steps.
6. The first style is called the Van Dyke.  Van Dyke was a Flemish painter that grew facial hair on his chin and above his upper lip only. This is great for the arty person that has well-pronounced eyebrows that are long and stringy.  You just need to ensure that you shave most of your jawline and the space below your upper lip.  The chin beard and the mustache do not touch. You will two different sections, the mustache and the goatee that covers the chin area in line with the full length of your mouth.
7. The Van Dyke needed to well maintained.  I suggest that you use your beard trimmer on it daily to maintain a uniform length to the whiskers.  Also, you will need to shave with a razor every day to highlight the sections of this style.  If you notice any whiskers that hanging outside of the borders of this goatee and mustache combo, trim them down with your beard scissors.  Plus, add a small amount of beard oil to your fingertips and rub beard oil into all of the beard follicles on your face to ensure that your skin has a healthy appearance.
8. The next style is the Musketeer.  The mustache for this style is long and thin.  The goatee below the chin is rather long, pointed at the bottom and triangular in shape.  The ends of the goatee mimic the structure of the ends of the mustache. The style matches well for a person that has dark hair and pointed sideburns.  Also, if you have a pronounced widow’s peak, this style would be perfect for you.  The personality traits for this style are the following: an aggressive person that is a rebel, someone that loves to help others in distress, and devilish appearance that scares others but lures them at the same time.
9. For the mustache of this style, it is best to comb it straight down daily with your beard comb.  It has to be trained to extend down from the chin.  It is also crucial to add beard wax to it to keep its form, especially its twisted point.  In addition, you will need to shave along the outline of the mustache and the goatee to highlight the structure.  Since there is a lot of facial skin that needs to be shaved for this style, add in some sunscreen to your face on a daily basis to protect the skin from the UV rays of the sun.
10. Circle Beard Goatee Style – A circle goatee consists of a mustache and beard that are joined.  The goatee meets the mustache ends forming a circle. If you have a round face having a circle goatee would really accentuate your face. Also, if you have a square face, your facial structure will look even stronger if you have a circle beard.  The type of personality that dictates sporting this style is someone that is a great talker.  Your mouth movements will be totally highlighted by this style.  People will zero in on your face and will listen intently to anything that you have to say.  Also, if you have sparkling white teeth, they will be even more pronounced due to being encircled by the dark facial hair. Read my reviews on the best electric toothbrushes (click here).
11. Also with the circle type of goatee, you will be covering more surface area around the mouth region which is advisable if you have any sort of skin problem.  For instance, if you have pimples or a rash, shaving this area would just irritate this region.  Personally, I have a circle goatee and I really appreciate the fact that I do not shave around the point in my chin. I find that when I shave here, that many times I will cut into the skin because it is quite loose and sensitive. Anytime that you are shaving in areas that have a lot of twists and turns, you increase the risk of cutting into the skin.
12. The next step to be aware of for the growing of your goatee is that you need to protect the skin.  Shaving and using a trimmer on facial skin is going to cause some problems.  You cannot avoid creating microscopic cuts into the skin.  Also, the follicles are going to be disturbed by the trimmer and the blades of a razor.  Your skin is going to have less of its natural oils.  This will cause your skin to dry out and to start to flake.
13. Add moisturizing cream that is as close to being natural as possible to your face, including on the areas that have not been shaved.  I would suggest that you add a quarter-sized amount of cream to one hand, then rub together your hands, and to apply to your skin in circular motions.  Also, if you live in a cold environment, the cold air is going to dry out your skin faster. You may have to add moisturizer twice a day if you live in a cold climate.
14. Plus, in a cold environment, if you heat your place with electric heat, your facial skin will become dried out even faster.  Dried skin has tiny cracks in it that will allow bacteria a place to reproduce and to cause skin rashes. Keeping your skin moist is paramount.
15. You should add beard oil to your skin.  I would suggest that you add the beard oil just before bed and not at the same time as your moisturizing cream.  I have noticed that when I add cream to my face that it takes about 30 minutes for it to be totally absorbed.  To get the full effect of the benefits of beard oil, it is probably not a good idea to apply it right after moisturizing your skin.
16. Beard oil is great for skin, most people believe that just makes the whiskers healthier.  It contains oils such as argan, grape seed, jojoba, and hempseed. It will reduce the itchy feeling that happens after you have shaved down skin or after using a trimmer on the facial skin.
17. Also, if you just ignore the itchy feeling that occurs as you are first growing whiskers for your goatee, you will perhaps give up on it and just shave it off.  Your face is definitely going to become irritated as you begin to grow out whiskers.  You are allowing them to push through the whisker follicles.  This sensation is very apparent if you are starting the growth of your goatee while starting off with a clean-shaven face.
18. For maintaining your goatee once you have achieved the perfect length, you need to inspect it daily in your bathroom mirror to ensure that it is symmetrical. The tricky thing about a goatee is that can become uneven if you are not careful.  It is not like a beard that you can just grow up to your sideburns.  You have to turn your head from side to side in the mirror to ensure that it is perfectly even on both sides of your face.  To trim the edge of it, set your trimmer on its lowest setting and hold it straight up and down to trim along the border of your goatee.
19. Also, to create a fine line, add some amount of shaving cream to a fingertip and trace the outline of your goatee with the cream.  Them, using your multi-blade razor, shave along the border of your goatee.  Make sure that you hold the razor at this line and shave away from your goatee. If you try to shave up towards the goatee, you may cut too far out into its border.  If this happens, you are going to have to reduce the whole size of your goatee to maintain symmetry.
20. What I do daily, is I use my beard trimmer on my goatee and mustache.  Click here to read my reviews on the top beard trimmers.  My whiskers grow fast and this is going to keep it neat and tidy. Make sure that you have the trimmer on the setting that gives you your desired whisker length.
21. If you are growing a goatee that is rather thick and dense, you will have to comb it daily.  Combing your goatee and mustache with a beard comb will make apparent the whiskers that are not of the typical length and that need to be trimmed.  For these out of control whiskers, just trim them slightly with beard scissors.
22. Also, for maintaining your goatee, you need to keep it as clean as possible.  It might not feel different daily the day if it housing food particles, but others may notice that your goatee is not spotless.  There is nothing worse than trying to impress a potential mate while a chunk of food is lodged in your goatee.
23. A lot of men that have a goatee, feel that they do not need to inspect their goatee periodically for cleanliness.  They think that this a task that is reserved for full beards. Nevertheless, a goatee is close to the mouth, and it can become riddled with food particles.
24. If you are eating in a restaurant, please excuse yourself at least once during your meal to inspect your goatee. I would rinse it off with just water.  I have noticed that sometimes restaurant soap is of super low quality and that it can easily irritate skin cells.
25. While you are there, you probably should do a quick check of your teeth in case a spinach leave or something else is stuck to a tooth.  This will add just seconds to your restaurant bathroom regiment.  When you have a goatee, your teeth are going to be highlighted, especially if you have a closed circle goatee.
26. The next daily step for growing the perfect goatee is to eat well. Garbage in, garbage out.  You need to watch what you eat.  Here are a few items that I suggest that you consume.  I am not suggesting that you overconsume these items, just try to slip them into your diet.  Start eating a handful of Brazilian nuts.  If you find that the taste of unsalted nuts is too bland, go for the salted type. They contain selenium that is a mineral that can aid beard growth.
27. Also, consume a couple of boiled eggs per day.  At night, prepare and peel the eggs and place them into your fridge. Eggs contain a lot of protein; 13 grams per egg.  They are what I would consider as being a miracle food and they are tasty especially if you do not overcook them. They also contain the vitamin biotin that can increase whisker growth since this vitamin is known for its ability to speed up hair growth.
28. Another food that is great for goatee grow is raisins.  They contain the mineral boron.  Boron boosts the production of testosterone.  Testosterone enhances whisker growth.  A good strategy is to buy the small boxes of raisins that some people add to a child’s lunch.  Have a box handy with you while at work or at the gym so that you can get a daily dose of raisins.
29. Drink a glass of fresh orange juice each morning. If you can afford it, buy a juicer so that you can make your own juice.  Freshly squeezed orange is delicious.  Orange juice contains vitamin C that your body can use to synthesize collagen.  Collagen neutralizes free radicals that tend to damage skin and hair.
30. Try to consume fish twice a week. A serving size of 250 grams would do the job.  Fish helps a goatee because it contains omega 3.  Omega 3 is able to protect the integrity of the cell membrane.  Your goatee whisker follicles are full of skin cells.  Also, fish provides a healthy amount of protein.

Besides the above steps for growing and maintaining a goatee, I wanted to mention two more major tips that actually will incite lifestyle changes.

1. How does Exercise Affect Goatee Growth?

Having a healthy looking goatee does take effort.  There is a way to positively affect beard growth that is required to grow the perfect goatee.  Exercise is your body’s best friend.  I suggest that you work out at the gym at least three times a week, preferably with a trainer so you will be pushed harder.

Exercise can cause better hair growth because it increases the amount of testosterone in your body. Testosterone in your body is going to instruct your follicles to push out whiskers, including the whiskers that make up your goatee.

Besides increasing the male hormone, exercising will reduce your stress level.  If you are stressed out, grunting in the gym because of pushing heavy weights around is going to release a lot of that toxic stress.

Stress is good to a certain degree, but being over-stressed is going to cause constriction in blood vessels.  If your goatee follicles are not getting an ample supply of oxygen, they are going to produce mal-formed whiskers that are going to negatively affect the look of your goatee.

2. Does Sleep Help Your Goatee to Grow? – You Bet it Does!

Many medical studies state that getting 8 hours of sound sleep is the amount of sleep that the general population should be getting.  Of course, it depends on your genetics, but 8 hours is a good benchmark.

If you fail to get enough sleep, your goatee is going to suffer.  Lack of sleep can reduce the amount of testosterone that you are producing.  There is a byproduct that is created by testosterone, called dihydrotestosterone DHT.  DHT becomes active due to an enzyme that is within the oil expelled by whisker or hair follicles.

For those of us that have trouble falling asleep, I would suggest that you avoid screens 1 hour before bed since screen glare can make getting to sleep harder to accomplish.

Also, avoid eating certain foods before going to bed.  For instance, cheese is hard to digest and this will affect the quality of your sleep.  Nevertheless, some foods, such as bananas have muscle relaxants properties due to magnesium and potassium.  Also, the carbs in bananas will make you sleepy.

What are the Best Tips for Growing a Long Goatee?

If you wish to grow an extra long goatee that is going to make a big statement, I have some tips for you:

1. You should start off by realizing that you will need to have a larger area of whisker growth on your face versus having a short beard.  Do not trim above your Adam’s apple.  You will need the extra whiskers to form the long goatee.
2. The time involved is going to about 3 months at least.  You will have to have a lot of patience.  The goatee is not going to look wonderful during this period on its own.
3. You will need to train and comb it a few times a day at least.  Also twisting together the whiskers with your fingers is going to help it to extend further down from your chin.
4. In addition, will need to use beard wax to keep the goatee under your control.  If you do not use beard wax, the whiskers are going to drive you nuts because they will be growing out in different directions.
5. Adding beard oil is going to be must.  Combing and trimming your goatee with scissors is going to irritate and dry out the skin that is underneath this long goatee.
6. Add a few drops of beard oil to one of your hands and then rub together your hands. Massage in the beard oil in circular movements.  I would suggest that you add beard oil every morning.

Should a Bald Man Grow a Goatee?

Yes, a bald man is going to look great with a goatee.  The length is going to vary from person to person based on the image that they wish to portray.

I feel that a goatee will cause others to focus in your face and mouth while you are conversing with them.  If you have a shaved head and shaved face, people may focus in on your shiny dome instead of your mouth region.  While you are talking to them, they are going to be oblivious to your conversation.

Of course, you could grab their attention by sporting a simple mustache, but a mustache along with a goatee is going to have a more positive impact on their attention span.

The stubble goatee also a plus for a man with a shaved head.  It is very neat and masculine at the same time.  Also, it is super easy to maintain with a trimmer.  Furthermore, studies have illustrated many people find stubble to be attractive.