Can a Beard Make You Look Thin? (Styling Your Beard For a Thinner Face)

Facial hair is a mighty weapon in a man’s appearance arsenal. Is your face too round? A beard can thin it out. Is your face too thin? A beard can fill it out. Beards are powerful because they can drastically change your look.

A beard can make you look thinner if you choose the correct style for your face shape, keep it groomed, and shape it well.

Read on to find out how to style your beard for a thinner face!

How a beard can make your face look thinner

It happens to the best of us. A few years of beers and burgers result in a few pounds gained. Sometimes this extra weight becomes apparent in the face and the gut. Can a beard take off a few pounds, or will it just add to the problem? Good news! A beard can work to your advantage.

A beard can make your face look thinner when you pick the right beard style for your face shape. To look thinner, round faces must avoid hair in the cheek area. Choosing styles that cover the chin and lower jawline brings the eye down instead of out.

Conventional wisdom states that women have the upper hand in hiding imperfections on their faces due to makeup. I boldly disagree with this. In terms of facial camouflage, we’ve got the market cornered.

Beards can hide many imperfections and add to the illusion of a different face shape. Not to mention women equate bearded men with suitable long-term partners. 

Studies also show that women prefer faces that have a lower fat composition, and facial shape can influence how healthy a man is perceived. 

Bottom line – some men with fatter faces desire to make themselves look thinner, and a beard can help with that. Beards can also make you look older, wiser, and like a member of high society. That’s a lot of mileage out of a few whiskers!

How can the thickness of a beard make you look thinner?

If you can grow a thick beard, consider yourself lucky. Many men struggle in this department. However, you need to apply some thickness discretion if you want your face to appear thinner.

The thickness of a beard can make you look thinner if the thicker parts are concentrated on your chin. Too much thickness on the sides can make your face appear wider. Too much thickness underneath your chin can push your beard out and make your face look wider.

The trick to making a round face look thinner is drawing the eye down. You’re doing the opposite if you have thick hair on your cheeks or the sides of your face. Save the thickness for an impressive goatee or a nicely V’d full beard. 

If growing a thick beard isn’t your superpower, that’s ok. Even a short boxed or chin strap beard will add some definition and counteract the roundness. You don’t want the thin, patchy stubble look, though, since this style won’t do you any favors.

Can the color of a beard make you thinner?

Does the color of your beard matter if you’re trying to slim down your face? Not really.

The color of your beard alone won’t make you look thinner. Darker beards do appear thicker than lighter ones. As a result, a lighter-colored beard may call less attention to fuller areas of the face. Darker colors can be slimming, too, as long as they are trimmed short on the sides.

Beard shape and style are bigger contributors to facial size perception than color. 

How does the shape of your face affect its appearance?

The shape of your face can affect your appearance. While some beard styles flatter most face shapes, there are some tips to keep in mind if you try to maximize or minimize certain features.

There are seven common shapes, and a beard can compliment them if you follow a few tips.

• Round
• Oval
• Oblong
• Square
• Triangular
• Heart-shaped
• Diamond

Since we’ve covered the round face in this post, let’s move to the oval face shape. Oval faces are about as close to perfection as you can get in the face-shape world. Everything is in proportion, and you can carry almost any beard style. 

Oblong faces are longer than they are wide. Adding hair volume to the cheeks and sides will avoid a gaunt look. Beard styles with a higher hairline on the cheek area bring the eye up instead of stretching it down.

Square faces showcase a rigid jawline. Many men (and women) favor a rugged, chiseled jaw. Light to heavy stubble can soften it up without hiding it completely, or go with a goatee and leave your jawline hair free.

Triangular faces are broad at the cheeks and jawline but end with a pointy chin. A goatee or full beard can soften this chin point.

Heart-shaped faces have a slightly pointed chin but rounded cheeks. Overall, face real estate is smaller than the other shapes. Experiment with sideburns, mustaches, and short beard styles until you achieve the correct proportions.

Diamond faces have well-defined cheekbones and jawlines, but the chin area can be long and sharp. Soften the chin point by choosing short to medium styles with squared-off ends.

Tip: Do you know your face shape? If not, some simple vertical and horizontal measurements can help you figure it out, or you can always google “face shape app” and find a digital version.

How do you style a beard to make you look thinner?

Once you decide on a style, it’s time to add the finishing touches.

To style a beard to make you look thinner, get rid of cheek hair, trim the sides short, thin out volume underneath the neckline, and focus on the vertical. 

• Bare the cheeks
• Trim the sides
• Thin out the fluff
• Focus on the vertical

Bare the cheeks

No need to shed your pants for this step. If you have round cheeks, don’t call attention to them with hair. Your face will look thinner if the apples of your cheeks are kept hair-free. When choosing a beard style, opt for styles that start lower on your face.

Trim the sides

The sides of your beard need to stay short, so they don’t stick out and call attention to the widest part of your face. Short fades are great but tricky, so you may want to visit a barber for this style. Chin straps and boxed beards will work and add rigidity to a soft, round jawline.

Thin the fluff

A long, full beard is an excellent choice for a round face because the length provides a new focal point at the thinnest area of your face. Just thin out and trim the hair underneath your chin periodically to avoid a wide frame around your lower jawline. 

Focus on the vertical

When grooming your beard, always comb or brush the hair down, so it lays flat. Apply beard products to keep errant hairs in check. Take a look in the mirror to check out your face proportion. You want your eye to flow naturally vertically instead of horizontally. 

How else can a beard change your appearance?

Beard psychology is a captivating topic. So much so that scientists and academics have spent time and money studying beard perceptions.

Beards can change your appearance by making you look older, more aggressive, masculine, and attractive than your clean-shaven counterparts. They also signal social status and successful parenting.

Beards can make you look:

• Older
• Aggressive
• Masculine
• Attractive
• Socially adept
• Fatherly

Research says a beard can add up to 10 years to your perceived age. Women see bearded men as more aggressive, masculine, and attractive than those who shave. However, there did seem to be a point of diminishing returns. Heavy stubble won out as the most attractive beard style.

Women also saw bearded men as high on the social status meter and excellent candidates for procreation.