Few things kill beard motivation faster than a month of growth that comes in thin on the cheeks and bare at the corners. Most guys reach for the razor in frustration. Don’t.
A patchy beard isn’t a dead end — it’s a styling problem, and the fix is working with your density instead of against it: shorter shapes, sharp lines, and looks that put the focus where your hair is thickest. Here are 21 patchy beard styles that turn sparse growth into a deliberate look.
What Does a Patchy Beard Look Like?
Just as the name suggests, a patchy beard is patchy. Even full grown, it has thin or hairless patches and the growing pattern may be uneven. No shame in it, either, gents. Many great men have patchy beards and it doesn’t mean a damn thing.
Think about this: Keanu Reeves’ beard is patchy, but he’s still The One. The late, great Heath Ledger had a scruffy, uneven beard, but he still rocked the hell out of the Joker—and Brokeback Mountain, let’s be for real.
What Causes A Patchy Beard?
Almost always: genetics. The pattern your follicles follow was set long before you picked up a trimmer — it is not a problem to solve, it is a pattern to style, and the looks below prove exactly that.
How to Shape a Patchy Beard?
How do you shape a patchy beard? Well, this is going to depend on how severe your patchy beard is.
One thing to remember is that every man’s beard is different. While some men have lots of patches, other men have full beards that don’t seem to have a patchy area. That’s OK. You can still rock your beard.
The more severe your patchy beard is, the fewer ways you’ll be able to deal with it. If there are extreme bald patches all over your face that don’t seem to grow at all regardless of how long or short your hair gets, you might have to stick with a mustache or a goatee-style beard.
On the other hand, if you have a single small patch on one side of your beard, you might be able to grow the beard around that bald patch and use it to help cover that patchy area.
Remember that your beard also changes over time, especially if you are a younger man just starting your beard growing journey. Don’t get discouraged if your beard isn’t where you want it right now. Those patches could very well grow hair over time and as you get older.
Does Shaving Fix Patchy Beard?
No, it does not. But, unfortunately, shaving to fix a patchy beard is a myth that men with patchy beards want to believe. Shaving to fix a patchy beard can often cause more problems by damaging the hair follicle and causing a bald spot.
If you are trying to fix a patchy beard, your best bet is to wait until your patches have grown out and then try some of the different possible treatments for the patchy beard. After all, there are many possible causes for a patchy beard, so why not treat what’s really wrong instead of just shaving and trying again?
There are two major issues when dealing with patchy beard growth: genetics and health.
The good news is that you don’t have to stay bald if this is the case. It’s more than likely going to be an easy fix by simply replacing your meds or dealing with whatever illness has caused your patchy beard in the first place.
Finally, instead of shaving to fix a patchy beard, make sure you’re eating right, getting enough sleep, and drinking the right amount of water.
Doing these things will help ensure that your hair growth is as healthy and as strong as possible, which is precisely the opposite of what most men with a patchy beard are doing.
Patchy Beard Fix: What to Do
Work with it, not against it. Keep the patchy zones trimmed short so the contrast fades, put the visual weight where you grow strongest — usually the goatee zone — and keep your lines clean. A short, deliberate beard beats a long, gappy one every single time.
Interesting Facts About Patchy Beard
- It Comes Down to Genetics – It’s not your fault that you grow a spotty beard. You probably have no control over it. Why sweat something that you can’t change?
- Let It Grow – don’t be demotivated by your patchy facial hair. Keep growing your beard anyway. More beard is always better.
- Beard Oil Is Your Friend – not only does beard oil make your beard softer and more manageable, but it can also create the illusion of fullness. In addition, it can help you to create a variety of patchy beard styles—even styles you didn’t think were possible.
- No One Has a Uniform Growth Pattern – for real. Not even those lumbersexual dudes with the virile beautifully styled beards. Their beards are full because they’re long. See, length is the key.
- It Might Get Better – It really might. Sometimes, a man’s beard fills in as he gets older. Just give it a few years.
The Thin Strap
If your beard barely grows in at all, or the patchiness is very uneven and scattered, you may want to try rocking a chin strap. This look features a thin strip of beard that travels along the entire jawline and up to the sideburns. To achieve this, shave the face clean leaving a small amount of beard along the jawline. Then, using a trimmer, shape the beard into a clean, straight line.
02 of 21Strap and Goatee
Another chin strap to consider is this goatee combo. This is perfect for men who don’t like to sport a bare face. Just style your beard like the one above, but make sure to leave your goatee instead of shaving the entire face clean.
03 of 21Chin Beard Only
This goatee features a beard on the chin and beneath the lip. For men whose beards suffer from extreme patchiness, this look is a great option. Just shave the face clean, leaving the hair on the chin. Then, shape and style the goatee to your preference.
04 of 21Into the Wild
Long hair and a long uneven beard produce a rugged “wild man” style. It’s a great look if you don’t want to spend ages grooming your head hair and your facial hair. Just let it grow wild and free!
05 of 21Light and Dark
Patchy beard styles often go hand in hand with uneven coloration. The most common type of uneven coloration is the style in which the facial hair is lighter or darker immediately around the mouth.
Moderate Patchiness
These styles are for men who can grow a moderate amount of beard but don’t know how to style it properly in order to either disguise or accentuate the patchiness. A few of these can be achieved by men who have severe patchiness, but most of these styles require a bit longer beard.
06 of 21Thick Strap
Here’s a thick chinstrap option for men who can grow a decent amount of hair along the chin. Instead of shaving the majority of the beard off, only shave the cheeks and hair below the bottom lip clean, leaving the mustache intact. Then, using a trimmer, shape the outline of your beard to mimic the shape of your jawline.
07 of 21Thick Patchy Strap with Full Goatee
This chinstrap option features a full goatee which is perfect for men who are able to achieve this level of hair growth. To achieve this style, shave the cheeks clean, leaving the goatee and hair along the jawline intact. Trim the outline of your beard using a trimmer to mimic the natural shape of the jawline.
08 of 21Patchy Goatee
This unattached goatee features a soul patch, mustache and patchy beard combination. Instead of shaving the face clean, leave the beard as is and trim the hair short. Next, shape your soul patch and mustache according to your liking.
09 of 21Full Goatee
Here’s another goatee that is thick in nature, but has been stylishly trimmed down to a conservative and uniform length. If you are able to achieve a beard this thick, then this may be the style to consider.
Embrace the Patch
These looks are for men whose patchiness isn’t as severe as others. If you’re a man who isn’t afraid to show off the unique nature of his beard, allow these styles to encourage you to embrace the patchiness.
10 of 21Faded Cheeks
Here’s a full look that can be sported by those whose cheek hairs don’t grow in too patchy. To achieve this style, grow your beard out and trim only the cheek area very low in order to give a fading type of effect. Then, outline your goatee as you’d prefer.
11 of 21Highlight the Cheekbones
If your beard only grows in underneath the cheekbones, this may be a great way to show off its unique character. To achieve this style, outline the hair beneath the cheekbones so that the line is straight. You can opt to sport a goatee or just a mustache with this style in order to switch it up.
12 of 21Carefree
This look features another look for men whose beards tend to grow thin in the cheek area. Sporting a detached goatee with soul patch while allowing the beard to grow in as it naturally does, will give you this carefree look.
13 of 21Fill Your Face With Patchy Beard
Here’s a goatee that has been filled in with a special type of coloring which gives the illusion of a fuller beard. While this style has been very popular among African-American men, this option is totally available for any man who wants to achieve a sleek look with their beard.
Full Bearded Patchiness
These styles are for those men who can achieve a full beard, even though it is patchy in nature. Although many of these styles are reminiscent of a week of not shaving, you’ll see that it’s the character of the beards and their uniqueness that sets them apart from the rest.
14 of 21Conservative
This patchy beard has been trimmed moderately short in order to accentuate its slightly patchy nature. The outline of the beard is left to grow as it naturally does, giving it a very carefree look while still maintaining a sense of professionalism.
15 of 21Full Glory
This style is an effortless look that highlights the patchy nature of the beard. Just allow the beard to grow out fully, but be sure to outline the lines across the cheeks in order to give a sight sense of precision and to maintain symmetry.
16 of 21Patchy Stubble
This manly style treads the fine line between a clean-shaven face and a short beard. Stubble like this shows that spending hours grooming yourself is not your “thing”. This is a style without “styling”.
17 of 21Fade out Facial Hair
Fade-outs are popular among young men. So why not try using this same style on your beard too? The facial hair is thick and full at the top near to the sideburns, but it thins out and gets more patchy as it gets closer to the chin.
18 of 21Six o’clock Shadow
This patchy beard style was rocked by Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero during a book signing at the clubs. He has just a hint of stubble which will slowly grow out into a sexy patchy beard style. His shadow is darkest around his mustache and mouth for added effect.
19 of 21Unkempt Cool
This style sends out a message like: “I’m not going to try too hard because I will look cool regardless.” There are some patchy beards that grow up on the cheeks and down onto the neck. It’s your style, so you can keep if you want and shave off the patchy parts you don’t want!
20 of 21Patchy Goatee
If you’re comfortable with showing off your patchy beard, you can do so by combining it with a goatee. Johnny Depp has a severely patchy beard that he sports with a thick mustache and a soul patch that extends down into his chin beard.
21 of 21Wide-Eyed and Wonderful
This patchy beard is the epitome of patchy but stylish look. Although there are lots of bits where the hair is not as thick, this is all an important part of the style. It helps to make the wearer look rugged, wild and unspeakably handsome.
How to Deal With Patchy Beards
As I had mentioned before, patchy beards are simply an uneven growth pattern — and the fix is styling, not chemistry. And therefore, there are no definite ways of dealing with such a condition. However, you can maintain a clean-shaven look or try to stimulate facial hair follicles and grow more hair until all patches are covered.
- Take more rest and less stress. It’s important to get a healthy beard.
- High protein diet helps to get your beards to the optimum functional level, so you should try it.
- It’s better to try natural ways if you aren’t that desperate.
- Try and take what you have got. Say you can’t grow connectors for the mustache, just grow an epic mustache. If you have a strong goatee growth and you have some patches on the sides then get a killer goatee!
Trimming A Patchy Beard
It is sometimes very tricky to handle patchy beards. Conversely, you still have a number of options. For instance, you can keep full beards, goatee beards, mustache or maintain a clean shave. You can also shave mutton chop depending on where you have the patch. All the above styles are still an option. How does one trim patchy? Let’s check out:
- Clean your beards with warm water as a way of softening your skin as well as keeping your beards tidy.
- Prepare your shaving apparatus and place them closer.
- You must choose a style that will suit your patches.
- Trim your facial hair depending on the style you choose.
Patchy beards are not bad if you can style them properly. They can even lead to a unique beard style if you can adjust it according to your face shape and size. Hope you have enjoyed our list of patchy beard styles and got some ideas for your own. We’ll love to know which patchy beard style is your favorite. Just leave a comment below. Happy Bearding!