Question on shaping up a Goatee

[wvheadshaver]

Most of you probably saw in the Dream Beard post the kind of goatee I like to grow out, and the look I try to always go for.. Which is sort of in a way a more rounded look, rather than the common "squared look" type of goatee.. Which is why, when I had the long goatee, while trimming the sides, I always sort of rounded it off, rather than shaved it downward in a straight line, from beside my stache down below the jawbone.. If that makes sense.. I have a bald spot under my chin as well, it's not huge, but it's enough so that I usually keep my neck line a bit shorter than I probably need to, and is also why sometimes it looks better rounded off rather than that square type of look. I don't know if that makes sense, if you saw the picture of the wrestler in that thread, you can see he has more of a rounded type of look, not so much the more common squared look..

What can be difficult though, is when you eventually shave your goatee, and you let it grow back out... It can be hard to shape it up while you're letting it grow back out, and not go too short with the shaping, try to keep both sides even and all of that.. I tried to shape it up the other day and feel like I already went too short, it looks way too rounded off and I want it to be a bit fuller this time, so I probably should have left it alone and just trimmed enough so that it doesn't look so crazy.

Honestly i've never been good at goatee shaping, trimming, etc.. I got really lucky last time, that it grew out the way it did and toward the style I was looking for. I realize you shouldn't try to go for the same look as others, be happy with what you can grow, but i'm mainly asking about shaping. I have a good growth, so maybe I should leave it alone and let it grow out a good bit more, and then go with the shaping.. I'm not exactly sure at how I should keep it trimmed/shaped up in order for it to grow out to that style I want, the last thing I want to do is go too short, and keep on going too short until it grows out to that length again only for me to realize I done it wrong the entire time and it's not the way I want it. Now, I keep my sideburns shaved, but maybe I should leave the entire goatee area alone from now on and let it get to a good length before I try and figure out how I want to shape it up this time.

I wish it were as easy as connecting with that wrestler, handing a him a razor, and saying here, dang it, shape me up exactly like you do, the best you can, so I can get as close as possible to your goatee look as I can with what growth of hair I have! lol!

[DOC_OSMC]

The pic that I posted was when I had just the goatee.  Is that the kind of rounded shape you are referring to?  Part of it is based on how the hair on your face grows, some grow straight down, some grow a little rounded.  I've been able to shape it both ways, straight and rounded.  If you want it rounded, let it grow out fuller first, keep it trim so it's neat, but allow it to grow out.  Once you've done that, then you can start shaping it.  The fullness will allow you to shape it.  If there's not enough growth, then your options will be limited.

To shape it, I used a Fusion ProGlide.  It's got that single 6th blade on the back that works perfect for shaping the goatee.  You don't have to worry about the other blades accidentally shaving off you other hairs.  The single blade lets you allows you to create clean lines to give you the shape you're looking for.

[DOC_OSMC]

Pic

[Cave Dweller]

Picking up on what DOC_OSMC stated, I usually allow mine to grow out and then go to a barber to have him trim it. I have a nice beard trimmer, but I do not have the talent nor dexterity to style mine into the shape I want. It costs me about $10 with tip about once every six weeks or so.

I now am going to have to check out my ProGlide's blades, however.

[DOC_OSMC]

Thinking about it now, if you have a steady hand, you could probably do the same witha DE razor or a straight razor since you juse need that single blade. 

[slybeard]

I have found when I want to really get a close line, I can do a better job with a single blade disposable.  While not very good for shaving, with the single blade it is easier to know what is, or is not, being cut.  I just shave "close" with my normal razor, and use the single blade to line up the beard/goatee/etc.

The final look depends as much on your face shape as the trim job.

[reddog]

I use a personal groomer clippers. First I blowdry then keep combing it in the direction I want it, and carefully trim with the clippers. A very little at a time over a couple of days.

[DOC_OSMC]

Blowdry the goatee and beard...hmmmm....I have never thought about doing that.  Wonder who else puts the blowdryer to the facial hair.

[gwsmallwood]

How about one of these?

 

[DOC_OSMC]

Ummmm....if you need that to shape you're goatee, you might as well turn in your man card!  Hahahaha!!!

[wvheadshaver]

Thanks for the suggestions, definitely going to try them out! Proglide or a disposable sounds best for the shaping, this Mach 3 just doesn't do the trick.

To DOC, yes that's about right. Not as thin though, but my hair doesn't grow up that far toward my mustache anyway, so I can't really "round" it like you're thinking. But that's about it. If you look at the pic of the wrestler I posted in the Dream Beard thread, that's about the same "rounded" look as in your pic, just grown out longer. You see what I mean? Very hard to judge how to trim and shape that until it has grown out to a good length. I should have known to just wait last time I shaved lol.

As for trimming errors.. If you, say, shave a neck line too close or make some sort of error that is a bit more serious, does that area eventually usually catch up to the other area, which obviously is longer? Like when you shave a part too close and one area is more full and the other is just a bit above a stub... Just from looking at it, it doesn't seem like it would catch up and look right, but always be a bit shorter than the other part. Or maybe im wrong, and eventually it blends in so good it doesn't matter. Last time ( 4 days ago or so ) I went just a bit too short, but I let it go, in hopes that it didn't matter and would catch up eventually. Took me like 2 weeks just to get this much back, not going to clean it off and wait another 2 weeks again LOL.

Also, Van Dyke may be the style i'm referring to, kind of.. Not as rounded, since my hair doesn't grow up as close to my mustache, but I like that type of look more than the usual squared off look. Maybe some of that liquid type stuff for your beard would help shape, or "train" it to stay in a position like that. Now for a Van Dyke, that looks EXTREMELY complicated, as far as rounding it off evenly goes.. Overall with my last goat I think I did pretty good with achieving that look when I wetted it down & kind of formed it into a position. I just need to let it grow much more before I get into any type of shaping habit with it lol.

[Sir Harry]

When I shave my beard I use my DE (I may change blades if I shave my head first, however)

[wvheadshaver]

Just tried out a disposable for the goatee trimming, definitely worked alot better with less blades, honestly seemed to shave a littler closer than the cartridge's, too. Hoping I didn't go to short with the shaping, guess it's one of those things where in time I will know, when it starts to grow longer. So hard to resist trimming it up when you're in the moment.. Would have liked to left it alone and do the shaping later but in the moment sometimes my hand keeps moving LOL. I think it will work out, though. It's about shaped up the way it was last time.

As far as my neck line goes, I still have a bit of a bald spot, so I tend to keep my neck line a bit shorter because of that anyway. It's in a spot where, if I kept it just a bit lower, the bald spot would look really weird, so I go up just a bit higher, in order to get rid of that spot, LOL. Might be why last time my left side didn't seem to grow as thick as the right. No big deal though, with a little shaping with that beard oil/balm type stuff I could keep it looking even.

In these next couple of pics, this is that same wrestler, while he was growing his goat out.. ( Before he dyed it black LOL ). It looks like, he too trimmed his a bit rounded and didn't let it grow too far down to the sides and under the chin. It definitely doesn't look like the more common "Squared" type of trim, so I think i'm heading down the right road..


















See what I mean? Would love to have a full untrimmed goatee and be shown exactly how to go about shaving/shaping it, in order to achieve as close as possible to that type of look. I think I do okay with it, but those pictures give you a better idea of the look i'd love to be able to get close to, however close my growth type would allow me to get. I never even cared about goatees/beards until I saw his this year. Should have left mine alone, I was so close to that look, and now have to start all over again lol. That's why I ended up dying mine too, love the black goatee look much more then my natural reddish lol.

[wvheadshaver]

On those last 2 pics, see what I mean? Maybe I need to try and model that trim style  as close as I can with what I have.... IF that is the type of trim style he kept with, while growing that big goatee... Looks simple, as long as it grows out the right way with that kind of "trim" style.

[slybeard]

Get some length on it and I don't think you can go wrong.