60 Kick-Ass Mutton Chop Sideburns for The Boldest Look

Mutton chop beards are so named because they resemble a piece of chopped mutton, particularly when shaped correctly. Mutton chop sideburns are also termed as ‘pork chop sideburns’ or ”lamb chop sideburn’.

They are characterized by sideburns that are chopped, or cut, along with the lower jawline and extend to the chin. Because the shape and style are so specially shaped, you have to be extremely careful when you shave your mutton chops. Precision is critical.

How to Shave Mutton Chops?

Before shaving, comb your sideburns from top to bottom and from the sides of your chin. That way, you train the hair to lie flat in the direction you want.

Choose a comb based on the texture of your facial hair. The softer and finer your mutton chops, the finer your comb; the coarser and denser your facial hair, the wider your comb.

You can choose to wear mutton chops with or without a mustache. If you don’t want a mustache, then shave your upper lip, the middle of your chin, and your neck as you grow and form your chops.

As you trim the hair on your cheeks, shave at a slanted angle. Your mutton chops should measure about 1 and ½ inches at the widest point. They’re more narrow near your ears and temples.

For the close work, especially along your cheeks and on your chin, you might have more luck with an electric shaver than a traditional razor. It’s also a good idea to invest in a small but powerful trimmer for dealing with edge work and tight spaces. It’s too easy for a razor to slip and take out a chunk of hair.

You also need to consider the shape of your face when shaving and styling your mutton chops. There are different styles to choose from, you know. For example, a round face looks best with chops that are short on the sides and long at the bottom, while the opposite is true for long faces.

Maintain small, neat chops if your face is small and larger, fuller ones if your face is big. Style round chops for square jaws to create balance. It’s all about symmetry. The styling of mutton chops became increasingly popular in the 19th century among Europeans.

The sideburns were allowed to grow bushy and thick and the beard was shaved off in order to further stylize and personalize the look.

Later sported by Teddy Roosevelt, Elvis Presley, and even Mr. T, mutton chops have begun to make their way back into the limelight with each new generation. Now it has become one of the most trendy, popular and modern facial hairstyles for all ages.

How to Grow Mutton Chops?

So, how can you grow a mutton chop? Here is the summary:

• Grow your beards for at least one or two months at least.
• Make sure that you clean and comb your beards to reduce the hair becoming curly.
• Apply oil to repress facial hair breakage.
• Make sure that the sideburns are joined with the mustache prior to trimming.
• Trim your sideburns on sides; more importantly, make sure you shave all the hair on your chin.
• You should trim the mustache regularly to maintain the clean mutton chop shape.

Suitable for

Mutton Chop is basically characterized by the sideburns as well as the mustache. If you lack the two, then you are obviously out of the league. Face shapes with Oblong and inverted Triangle look good in mutton chop.

Precautions

•  Always keep your chin clear and clean.
•  Avoid using blade equipment to repress the chances of getting bumps.
•  Always use the right cream when shaving Mutton Chop.

A New Variation of Mutton Chop: Friendly Mutton Chops

Friendly Mutton Chops beard style is actually a little modification of the regular Mutton Chops. It has long sideburns which are connected with the mustache.

Popular Mutton Chop Sideburns

If you’re thinking of incorporating mutton chops into your look, here are a few modernized options to choose from:

1. Friendly Mutton Chops

Friendly mutton chops are kind of a modern twist to the classic mutton chops. It simply adds a mustache to it to connect the two sideburns on both sides of the face.

2. Gujarati Mutton Chops

Men from many different parts of India have traditionally grown some kick-ass beards over the years. They are no strangers to the friendly mutton chops but with extended sideburns and overly grown and excessively prominent mustaches like in this picture.

3. Mutton Chops with Shaved Cheek

Like we said before, Indians have been dominating beard styles ever since. This specific style consists of completely shaving the cheek and chin area, and instead allows the growth of the mustaches into a more prominent look that comes all the way down to the jawlines.

4. Modern and Minimal 

This is definitely one of the more modern mutton chops that are kept minimal and clean. The sideburns are slightly extended towards the cheeks which are combined with a goatee.

5. Connected Mutton Chops

One of the best things you could do is connect the two mutton chops across your face with facial hair on the chin. Samuel Jackson pulled this look off for a while and looks like it was completely worth it.

6. Not-so-friendly Mutton Chops

This is a classic mutton chop combined with a circle beard. The circle beard is basically a goatee, with the mustache and the chin beard attached to each other in a straight line with facial hair.

Add pointed mutton chops to it and you’re going to have one of the most bad-ass looking mutton chop beard styles to ever exist.

7. Keeping it Simple

If you don’t have a dense beard or you don’t want to go through the long, tiresome process of keeping prominent mustaches and sideburns, here’s a simple mutton chop style that might just get you the look you want.

Make sure to keep the sideburns nicely trimmed, the cheek and necklines well defined, and the chin and cheeks with minimal facial hair.

8. Mutton Chops at Work

If you’re more of a professional but still like to wear a beard, this beard style could be perfect for you. It’s a fine cut with well-defined neck and cheek lines.

Even though the chin is clean shaved the mutton chops do connect with each other below the chin and the mustache.

9. Mutton Chops for Hipsters

You live a life of freedom. You’ve renounced all the rules that society decided to force upon you. But you still can’t figure out which beard style expresses more of who you really are.

If that is you, you might want to try this beard style out. It doesn’t matter if you define the cheek or necklines. It doesn’t even matter if you connect the chops, or not. You just do whatever you want.

10. Patchy Mutton Chops

This beard style is not advised for those with patchy beards as there are far better options for a beard look if you have a patchy beard. But if you were thinking, yes, it is definitely possible to grow mutton chops with a patchy beard.

11. Clean and Classy

This look is achieved by fully growing out the sideburns into the beard, shaving off the goatee, and trimming down the hair of the beard with scissors. Keeping the chops moderately thick is the key to this look, as it further outlines the masculine shape of the jawbone.

Precision and symmetry are very important when styling this look, so brushing down the hair and trimming each day may be necessary for some.

12. ‘statue it Up

This look is similar to the first, but the mustache is left on as opposed to shaved off. If you want to leave a little bit of unruliness to the look, you can do that by slightly trimming the beard and mustache down until you’ve reached the desired length.

The most popular beard styles for men

13. Thin Strap

Also known as the “friendly mutton chops”, this style is a sleek, more sophisticated chop option.

You can achieve this look by shaving off the bulk of the chop so that all that is left is the chin strap and mustache. Then tailor and trim down the hair with some scissors to leave the hair short while still maintaining some thickness.

14. T- Chops

This style is achieved by leaving the chops thick and cutting them down short, shaving the mustache thin and away from the nose, and leaving the chin portion of the beard long.

This badass look has been sported by none other than Mr. T, himself, who pities the fool who questions his chop style.

15. Boomerang

This mutton chops beard is a very edgy option, giving you a more precise and sleek look.

In order to achieve this, shave off the goatee and, starting from the chin, create a shop that begins thin and gradually increases in size as you move up to the sideburns. You’re trying to achieve a thin, triangle-like shape that frames the jawbone.

16. The Wolverine

While you won’t have the ability to heal super fast or retract 12-inch razor-sharp claws from your knuckles (I know, bummer), you can at least look the part. Hugh Jackman made this particular scruffy version of mutton chops popular in the X-Men and Wolverine movies.

To achieve this look, shave off the mustache, a small portion of hair underneath the mouth, and expose the chin. The key to this look is leaving the majority of the beard intact to frame the chin and mouth.

17. The Lumberjack

These mutton chops are more stylized, as the chin portion of the beard is given a more rounded shape, and the hair framing the jaw is shaved thin while the sideburns are left thick.

18. The King

If you’re bold enough to sport the look made famous by Rock n Roll king, Elvis Presley, then make sure your sideburns remain thick as they grow into the beard.

Then, shave the majority of your face clean, leaving a small portion of your beard right below the cheekbone. Shape and trim the hair down for a more precise look.

19. Barely There

This is a more modest chop that is both modern and sexy. To achieve this, shave off the goatee portion of the beard and cut the beard down very short using either clippers or scissors. Shape the chops so that they frame the jawline.

20. Holy Mother of Gaul

If you’re not afraid to sport some gaudy chops like these, grow it all out, shave off the chin beard using some beard wax, comb the rest of the hair up into a sophisticated coif. Go hard or go home, right?

#21: Six o’clock Shadow

This look is part way between a mutton chops style and a full-bearded look. Shave the hair off of your chin leaving only a little bit of stubble in the area underneath your mouth. This look is perfect if you want a rough and ready look.

22: Fluffy Sideburns

The “lack of styling” helps to make this style what it is. This style really goes against the grain.

You can work to create this look by running a comb backwards through your sideburns, to help to fluff the hair up a bit.

23: Angular Styling

This style joins up the mustache with the sideburns. A steeply sloping mustache creates sharp angles where it meets the mutton chops and helps to create a serious look.

This style is very popular with older gentlemen who command respect.

24: The Mod

British cycling hero Bradley Wiggins is well-known for his modish sideburns. In fact, he is partly responsible for helping to bring sideburns back into fashion! This mod look is a total throwback to the 60’s.

25: Thick and Dreamy

This style is perfect for people who love the idea of sideburns. They are very thick and cannot be missed by people who are looking at them. Although this is a very retro style, plenty of people have chosen to bring this style into the new millennium.

26: The Burnside

General Burnside is the king of the sideburns. He rocked the style so hard that sideburns are even named in honor of him. His attitude towards facial hair was big and bold. If you want to make a big impact like Burnside, try copying his facial hair style.

27: Bushy ‘burns with a Handlebar Mustache

Invoke an old school style with big sideburns and a classic handlebar mustache. This style involves big and bold sideburns and a big and bold mustache, but never the twain shall meet! Keep teasing your mustache so that it turns up at the corners to give it a more 19th-century look.

28: Pretty in Pink

Make a real impression by dying your hair a wild and unusual color such as shocking pink. Dye your sideburns and any other facial hair the same color that you dye the hair on your head. This will help to give you an undeniably eye-catching look.

29.Bushy Chops with a thin Mustache

Bushy facial hair with a thin mustache is actually a really great style choice if you have a round face. The bushiness can help to take away from the circular shape, whilst the thin mustache will help to ensure that your face remains open and approachable.

30. Facial Hair with a Shaven Head

The effect of your facial hair is likely to be far more striking if you have less hair on the top of your hair. A shaven-headed style is great if you want to maximize the effects of your amazingly thick sideburns and your connected handlebar mustache.

31. Chin Strap Beard with Handlebar Mustache

If you want to try to make your jaw look more square, you can grow your sideburns into a chin strap beard. The “chin strap” follows your natural jawline but can be used to enhance its shape. Although chin strap beards can go all of the way around, this chin strap cuts out the middle section in favor of a mustache.

32: Thin Sideburns

Whilst many of those who have sideburns choose to style their facial hair in big, bold and bushy styles, sideburns can still look great even if they are on the thinner side. If you struggle to grow thick facial hair, this might be the right sideburn style for you.

33. Underbeard

This sideburns and beard combination carries on under the chin and then across to the other side. It’s a good choice if you want a style which is a little bit wild and shaggy looking. It is a kind of werewolf style!

34. Sideburn Art

If you are feeling bolder, then choose to shave your sideburns into art. It is best to ask a competent barber to help you out. In order to do this style for yourself, you will need a steady hand and you will have to be able to work with both your right and your left hands!

35. Geometric Sideburns

Geometric patterns and shapes can help to make your mutton chops look more business-like. If you want to keep things looking smart, then you will have to trim and groom your ‘burns every morning before you head into the office.

36. The Classic Sideburns

A proverb goes that “form is temporary, class is permanent.” That’s entirely true in the fashion industry. One classy style may not get a perfect attention it deserves temporarily, but ultimately class remains forever. This is such a classic style where the sideburns steal the show from the beard.

37. Design As You Like

The fashion industry is always dynamic. There should be no set rules as the trend is an arbitrary thing. Check out this special mutton chop beards that have taken a new shape with the help of handlebar mustache and a soul patch. Such innovatoon shouild be welcomed warm-heartedly.

38. Record-Breaking Muttonchops

Well! That’s a heck of muttonchop beards. This one surely breaks the record of any muttonchop beards that connect with a mustache so integratively. This one has been taken fromGuinnessiness World record of beard and mustache champiomship, 2014. One must be couragous enou8gh to compete with this muttonchop beard.

39. John Lenon Special

Though John Lenon died long ago, he has fans all around the world. But only a few of them know that he donned a muttonchop beard once. This is true and authentic. You can get this beard style both to show your love for Lenin and to look chic.

40. Full & Voluminous

Let the beard grow full to the sides and connect that with the sideburns. As this is muttonchop beard, the chin area should be kept clean. One can apply color to the beard to make it look more well-groomed. That would not be a bad idea if the color is aesthetic.

41. Easy Stubble

After watching this style, I hope you have understood that muttonchops are not that hard to come by. Let your beard grow for some days or trim the beard to the size of standard stubble. Shave off anything that covers the chin. This is the easiest way to get muttonchop beard.

42. Horn of the Muttonchops

Don’t get confused seeing the title. This is not a real horn. But the sideburns along with the muttonchop beard grows sideways and form a dreadlock to make it look like this. This is a unique beard style. One needs to be very passionate and careful while getting these muttonchop beards.

43. Elvis Presley

Maybe you were wondering why we are not mentioning Elvis Presley when we have already talked too much about sideburns. Yeah! That’s true. You can’t help talking about Elvis’ style when it comes to the topic sideburns. He had a distinctive sideburn hairstyle throughout his whole life.

44. Nice & Beautiful Muttonchops

This could be the best version of muttonchop boards for you if you are a decent and serious guy. It doesn’t include any fancy design. Only the basic muttonchop beard style is followed to get this sort of muttonchop beards.

45. Messy All the Way

Your muttonchop beard may get mixed with a mustache and create a new beard style. Look at this picture. Though the style looks a bit messy, there is some innovation in that style. If you like to produce new thing, this is the right choice for sure.

46. The Cowboy Style

Cowboys have their own style of wearing anything. One can get this muttonchop beard style to prove himself desperate like the cowboys. Long hair and a cowboy hat associated with the glamour of muttonchop beard will run the extra mile for you in this regard. You will look stunningly beautiful with this sort of attire and attitude.

47. Extreme Sideburns

If you are an extreme lover of sideburns, you get to love this style. The sideburns are prolonged to the corner of the chin and there is no hair on the face except the sideburns.

The beauty totally depends on how the sideburns turn out to be. Before donning this, we suggest giving a trial.

48. Muttonchops for Round Face

One can easily elongate his round face by donning a muttonchop beard. The sideburns and the beard will cover the cheek and the chin will be left blank. This makes the face look a bit long.

49. Wide And Blank Chin

The muttonchop beard looks like a new style if modified with a bit of styling. In most cases, the chin is exposed to a lower degree.

You can change this tradition by making the chin wider and more exposed without any facial hair. This will add a new dimension to the muttonchop beard style.

50. Mutton Chops with Thin Mustache

If you have a patchy beard and still want to grow a mutton chop beard style, try this. Trim the mustache and let the beard grow to a certain length.

51. Hulihee

Hulihee beard is a variation of imperial mutton chop beard styles. Grow out a Friendly Mutton Chops or remove the chin and neckline from a Full Beard. It’s perfect for those looking to make a bold statement with their facial hair.

52. Square Mutton Chops with Disconnected Soul Patch

The square-shaped mutton chops give off a tough and masculine vibe, while the disconnected soul patch adds a touch of non-conformity. It’s a great choice for those who want to showcase their edgy side.

53. Neat Mutton Chops

The neat mutton chops are simple yet refined, showcasing attention to detail and refined taste. It’s a look that is sure to impress with its simplicity and refinement.

54. Quiff and Mutton Chops Combination

From a casual night out to a formal event, you can rock every occasion with this mutton chop beard style. The quiff hair adds a touch of contemporary flair, while the mutton chops bring a sense of vintage masculinity. 

55. General Ambrose Side Burn Muttonchops

It is commonly referred to as “General Ambrose Side Burn” or “Burnsides” but it is not a true mutton chop style. His style features long and narrow sideburns that are connected by a mustache but with no hair on the chin. The lack of hair on the chin sets it apart from the classic mutton chop.

56. Lemmy Kilmister’s Extended Mutton Chops with Horseshoe Mustache

Lemmy Kilmister, the late frontman of Motörhead, had extended mutton chops and a horseshoe mustache. The style has become popular among heavy metal fans and serves as a tribute to his musical legacy.

57. 70s Sideburn Mutton Chops

The mutton chops were often paired with a long mustache and were commonly seen on musicians, actors, and other celebrities during the 1970s. 

58. Mutton Chops with Inverted “U” Shape Chin Strap and Mustache

Chin strap mutton chops are a style of facial hair that features a thin strip of hair along the jawline, connecting a prominent mustache to long and narrow mutton chops that look like an inverted U shape around your lip.

59. Thicker Burnsides

The style refers to a mutton chop style that features sideburns that grow thicker to the cheeks and are disconnected from the mustache. The chin remains clean-shaven. 

60. Mexican Mutton Chop with Thin Gap Between Mustache

Grow out thick and full mutton chops that extend down to the jawline, with a small gap of hair kept between the mustache and the mutton chops. The mustache is typically thin and neatly trimmed. You can consider a Mexican mustache style as it is often seen in Mexican men.

FAQs on Mutton Chop Sideburns

1. Who invented the mutton chops?

Even though sideburns have been a brand of facial hairstyle that dates as far back as at least 100 BC, with one of the earliest known instances found in a mosaic of Alexander the Great, the sideburns were named after Ambrose Burnside who happened to sport an unusual facial hairstyle at the time.

The sideburns were prominently in the shape of “mutton chops” which were connected to a mustache, while the chin area was completely clean shaved. Ambrose was a politician, businessman, and the Union Army General and once he started wearing this style, it quickly spread over to other people as well.

2. Why sideburns are called mutton chops?

Burnside was popular both as a General and as well as a politician. His popularity, and his strange beard style, for the time, helped start something of a new facial hair trend in the 1870s and ’80s. People started calling the style “burnsides”, named after the inventor.

Eventually, in a few years, the style of facial hair down the side of one’s cheeks, connected by a mustache, began to be called “sideburns”.

The first recorded instance was in 1887. After a while, due to the similar shape as that of mutton chops, it quickly picked up that name in many regions across the US.

3. How do you tell the difference between sideburns and mutton chops?

Mutton chops typically run across the cheeks. Some actually run across the cheeks and then also extend downwards up to the jawlines or even cross the jawlines and run across the neck.

They are kept disconnected by keeping the chin area clean shaved or connected to each other using a mustache. The mustaches typically come with prominence. 

Sideburns, on the other hand, don’t travel across the cheeks but rather grow straight down from the hair on your head.

Obviously, there are so many variations of both these styles throughout different regions of the world, that it’s easy to get confused and not at all possible to put all those styles in a box. Most styles have been mixed and matched with each other over the years. An easy way to know this is by remembering this: All mutton chops are sideburns, but not all sideburns are mutton chops.

4. Will sideburns make your face look thinner?

To put it simply, it depends completely on which style of beard you go for. A longer sideburn helps to give your face a narrower appearance, although it will offset a square jawline.

Longer sideburns, usually reaching the bottom can help with this. On the other hand, shorter sideburns that are a bit wider are a great way to reduce your face length.

5. Are mutton chops in style?

Mutton chops are a timeless classic that we think will always be in style. Given that prominent facial hairstyles are back on the rise it seems even more likely for the mutton chops to stay forever.

6. What face shape suits mutton chops beard?

Mutton chops are perfect for those with oval or round-shaped faces. It’s also a good fit for those who have a thin or long face.

They do need to make sure that the mutton chops are bushier than normal; that’ll add more depth to the beard. If you have a pointy chin, though, you might want to try out a more suitable beard style for your face.

Beard is one of the best ways to add manliness to a man’s appearance. That’s why mutton chop beard style demands a good amount of attention and time.

Before going for any style, think twice. Make sure you will look amazing with the beard style you’re longing for. Read our other articles to get ideas about other popular beard styles. And regarding muttonchop beards, we hope this article is enough!