Beard and mustache are signs of adulthood in men, and can be styled anyhow you want it. If you’re like most men, you must have experimented with different facial hair styles to see what best suits your face. While some styles are great on you, others won’t fit so well.
One of the styles that often raises questions is the beard-without-mustache style. I hear a lot of men ask: is it okay to grow a beard without a mustache?
Beards without mustaches are normal, even if it feels weird at first. It feels weird for many men because they have always had a mustache, so shaving it can alter their looks significantly. A change in appearance can feel odd, especially to the individual and those used to their usual looks.
It’s normal to wonder how you’ll look without a mustache, especially if you have gone a long time with one. For some men, it takes quite an effort to grow and maintain their beard and mustache, so it is logical to want to be sure before doing something different.
If you find yourself thinking about shaving off your mustache, you will first need to consider a couple of factors, such as the shape of your face, facial features, beard length, and what you generally want to achieve by growing a beard without a mustache. And, most importantly, you will need to know that it is perfectly normal to wear your beard with a clean-shaven upper lip.
Why It’s Okay to Have a Beard without Mustache
Growing a beard and mustache is the norm for a lot of men around the world. Ask the average child to draw a man’s face, and they will be very likely to include a beard and mustache.
Somehow, that is the “standard” image of a man’s face that has been drummed into most people’s minds. That is why it is not surprising if you or anyone thinks it is weird to go against the “standard.”
However, who’s to say you can or can’t grow a beard without a mustache? Who set that imaginary standard, and would you consider all Amish men weird?
All beard styles—with or without a mustache—are a matter of personal preference. The first reason you should wear any style is that you want it, and secondly, because it suits you (or you think it fits your face). Any other considerations are really not important, and shouldn’t be, at least, to you.
Your self-image, or how you view yourself, is connected strongly to your self-esteem and self-confidence. Besides that, do you know what else all these qualities are tied to? Your looks! What you think about your looks affects how you present yourself in more ways than you may realize.
If you think having a beard without a mustache will make you appear weird, it will be in the best interest of your self-image simply to stick to a style that resonates with you. On the other hand, if you want a beard without a mustache, wear it proudly. You are not weird, and you definitely don’t look funny. You are simply doing what you want!
The “Weirdness” is Only a Matter of Perception
A person who is meeting you for the first time is not likely to think anything is “off” about you, regardless of your beard style. You could be donning a full beard without a mustache or clean-shaven, and they’ll not even notice. Since they’ve never met you before, they’ve not formed a concrete image about you.
However, someone who’s always known you with a particular beard style will immediately become aware that you look a bit different if you changed your usual style. You may look “weird” or different because the image they have of your face is different from what they can see.
Picture this: someone you’ve known with full hair for a long time shows up at your door with not a single hair on their head! Would that not look weird to you at first? Certainly! But, do they look weird to someone who doesn’t know them as well? Most likely not!
Here’s the thing: we all associate people’s faces with a particular image. We are hardwired to do just that. If a person does anything to change that picture in our minds, they will immediately look “out of place” to us, at least for a while. However, before long, we will replace the old image with the new one.
If you are worried about looking odd to your friends and family by shaving off your mustache, just give them a couple days or weeks. They’ll soon get used to your new looks and give up staring at you like an alien from Mars.
The person you should be worried about is you! If switching to a new style will affect your self-confidence, it is best to avoid it. After all, the goal of looking good is to feel good about yourself. Anything besides that defeats the purpose.
5 Reasons for Growing a Beard without Mustache
When heads turn as you walk by, it could be because people think you are attractive or odd. However, looking good is highly subjective, and everyone is entitled to what they think suits them best.
But no one wants to look out of place. Imagine putting in the time and effort to look awesome, only to end up looking, well, weird! Doing something that most people think is unusual takes some courage and confidence, which is why it is important to know exactly what you want and why you want it.
Apart from doing it because you want to, there are a couple other reasons that anyone would have a beard without a mustache. Some of these reasons are intentional, whereas others are accidental.
1. You Want to Standout from the Crowd
A lot of men grow beards these days, and it is all too easy to become lost in all that sameness. One way to look unique on the crowded route of similarity is to choose to walk the path of the less-traveled mustacheless beard style.
Wearing a beard without a mustache distinguishes you and will definitely draw attention. It’s a cool way to get people to steal glances at you! I recommend a high-performing electric trimmer like the Braun Electric Razor Series 7 to get that distinctive look.
2. Your Face Looks Great Without a Mustache
There are several beard styles that still look great without mustaches. For example, the soul patch, neat chinstrap, and the Lincoln beard styles are perfect without mustaches. Growing a mustache will mar the exquisiteness of these unique styles.
If any of these beard styles go well with your face shape, it makes sense to remove the strip of hairs lining your upper lip. Letting a mustache sit on your face when you are aiming for the soul patch, for example, will invalidate the style.
3. You Want to Try a Different Beard Style
There’s a reason it is called a “style;” If everyone wears the same beard, it will no longer be called a style! Beard is to men what makeup is to women. You can do whatever you choose with your facial hair—cut it, trim it, or shave off any part of it.
But, you want to look decent while being creative with your facial hair, which is why it is important to choose what has been deemed a “style.” If the style requires removing your mustache, there’s no reason to feel weird about doing so.
4. You are Tired of Grooming a Mustache
Growing a mustache may be easier than growing a beard, but shaping and trimming them can be quite frustrating sometimes. You can trim off more hair than you intend easily and end up looking pretty funny!
If you’re sick and tired of grooming the hairs on your upper lip, the obvious solution is to simply shave it off and wear one of the other impressive beard styles that don’t require a mustache.
5. You Shaved Your Mustache Accidentally
Okay, this may not be the perfect reason to adopt a mustache-less beard style, but it can become a necessary thing to do sometimes. If you trim off too much mustache, you may have to remove it entirely (unless you want to wear a fake one!).
Of course, this is only a temporary measure until you can grow a new mustache. Thankfully, that patch of hair doesn’t take long to grow back for most men. You can avoid costly mistakes by learning useful tips on how to maintain your mustache here.
8 Impressive Beard Styles Without Mustaches
Now that you have a good enough reason to rock this unique facial hairstyle, the next logical question is: what style suits you most?
Here are a couple beard styles that look great and decent, even without a mustache. If you are thinking of parting ways with the hairs sitting squarely on top of your upper lip, you can choose from any one of them. However, if you want to be creative, you can try something completely unknown. Who knows—you may come up with a new facial hairstyle, that is, if you don’t end up reinventing the wheel!
1. Soul Patch
The soul patch is a small strip of hair below your lower lip. Howie Mandel, one of the judges in America’s Got Talent reality TV show, is known for this cute beard style.
The soul patch is perfect for you if you don’t have a lot of time for grooming but still want to retain some facial hair. It is one of the easiest beard styles without a mustache. All you have to do is get a good electric razor and shave off every other facial hair to make the soul patch standout. And, since it is a clean-shave, you will need a post-shave healing balm like this one.
You can shape the soul patch whichever way you want—triangular, square, wide, or thin. It all depends on how unique you want to look.
2. Chin Puff
The chin puff is similar to the soul patch, except that, rather than having a small strip of hair under your lower lip, the “puff” is a small patch of beard under your chin. It takes some maintenance to keep this attractive look. Besides making sure there is no stubble on your upper lip, you will need to remove any facial hair regularly.
3. Neat Chin Strap
Anyone who thinks growing a beard without a mustache is weird probably hasn’t seen the chin strap beard style. This style can make you look pretty hot and quickly noticeable.
It involves maintaining a neatly-trimmed beard on the sides of your face down to your chin without a mustache. It is fuller than a stubble, but not quite the length of a full beard. The chin strap is also a perfect fit for you if you have patchy beard hairs. This amazing Philips Norelco trimmer can help you shape the “strap” around the hairless areas.
4. Lincoln Beard
The Lincoln beard is named after Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States. It is a beard style without the mustache that immediately gives you an air of power and prestige.
It may appear easy to grow and maintain this beard style, but it requires considerable effort—an effort that will be worth it eventually. Extra care is required to trim your chin curtain, so your beard will maintain the same length all throughout. You must maintain a no-stubble appearance continuously; that is to say, your cheeks, under your lower lips, and on top of your upper lips have to be clean-shaven at all times.
If you don’t have the time to be meticulous about your beard or are simply lazy, it will be best to consider another mustacheless beard style, such as the medium stubble or the Amish beard. Choose the Lincoln beard if you have what it takes to be presidential! After all, prestige and power do not come without some hard work.
5. Amish Beard
The Amish people may be a hardworking group, but their beard style is the lazy man’s dream. The Amish beard is, perhaps, the easiest beard without a mustache to grow.
All it takes is to shave off the mustache and allow your beard to grow to its full length. Trimming your beard length is not necessary. Simply let the beard grow. If you want to really crush this look, trim the edges of sideburns lightly all the way to your chin, and then use high-quality Amish Beard Oil to maintain the full beard.
Here’s one thing to keep in mind, though. The Amish beard is not ideal for most work environments or corporate organizations that demand a tidy appearance.
6. Medium Stubble
Another simple beard-without-mustache style is the medium stubble. Simply maintain a 5 o’clock shadow look without a mustache, and you’re all set. You can use a precision trimmer to keep the beard at the same length every day.
Here’s a small caveat: avoid this style if you don’t want ladies asking for your digits!
7. Both Sides Shaved
This beard style requires considerable effort. It is meant for men who take their beards seriously. Apart from removing the mustache, you need to trim your chin beard to a considerably short length. Also, your side beard, cheeks, and neck will require daily, or at least, frequent trims.
8. Long Beard without Mustache
The long beard without a mustache style is strictly for guys with impressive beards. You need to have a full beard with considerable length to pull off this amazing look.
Allow your beard to grow fully and shave your mustache. Occasionally, trim only the cheek region lightly and use beard oil to keep your full beard looking great.
There’s a long list of other beards without mustache styles that you can try. Some of them include the Chin Curtain, Full Chin Curtain, Islamic Beard, Retro Sideburn, Neck Beard, Goatee without Mustache, Mutton Chops, Petite Goatee, Long Goatee, and others. That’s a surprisingly long list for a beard style that some people consider as weird.
All the facial hairstyles mentioned above are great, but won’t fit everyone for obvious reasons. Although we are all men, we don’t have the same face shape and facial features. I strongly recommend that you find something that fits the shape and features of your face.
Determine if you have an oval, oblong, round, diamond, heart, triangle, or square face shape. This will help you choose a beard without a mustache style that goes well with your face.
Conclusion
Society has made us believe that beards and mustache go hand in hand; yet, there’s nothing odd about beard styles without a mustache, there’s only your perception about it.
If you’ve always wanted to try it and you think you can pull it off successfully without doing harm to your self-image, by all means, give it a go! In fact, there are many fascinating ways you can style your beards and appear decent if you do not have a mustache as discussed in the article.
Regardless of what facial hairstyle you choose, the way you carry yourself tells others that you are self-confident or are full of self-doubt. And confidence is what makes you attractive—not just a beard or mustache. Choose what suits you and make it right.
