The Van Dyke Beard: How to Grow and Style It

Name a beard after a 17th-century Flemish painter and you know it carries some history. The Van Dyke (a floating mustache and a pointed chin tuft, cheeks left bare) has stayed in rotation for four centuries because it does one thing brilliantly: it adds drama and a sharp point to the chin without a full beard’s bulk.

It resurfaces regularly on athletes and actors. Here are 9 ways to wear it, classic to modern, plus one extra variation.

What Is a Van Dyke Beard?

The Van Dyke beard has been enhancing men’s faces since it was made famous by Flemish painter Anthony Van Dyck in the early 17th century.

A Van Dyke pairs a separate mustache and chin beard. A pointed chin tuft is the classic shape, while modern versions can be shorter or rounded. The visible gap beside the mouth is the key detail.

Van Dyke Beard for Different Face Shapes

One of the niftiest things about the Van Dyke, in all its various forms, is that it complements so many different face shapes so well. That said, the style does more favors for certain faces than others.

Oval Faces

Van Dyke beards are an ideal choice for men with oval faces, owing to the versatile nature of their well-balanced contours. If you have an oval face shape, chances are you can pull off just about any of the major variations.

Square Faces

Square faces are another excellent canvas for Van Dyke beards, as their natural symmetry keeps any one section of the facial hair from being overemphasized. Softer, fuller styles are especially useful for offsetting a particularly angular jaw.

Round Faces

Round faces benefit from the illusion of length produced by taller, narrower Van Dykes. Unrestrained growth can have the opposite effect, though, so keep that detail trimmer charged.

Oblong Faces

In contrast with round faces, men with more vertical features should avoid configurations that create excess chin length, such as a long, dangling chin puff.

If you’ve got an oblong face, your best bet is a wide, bushy Yosemite Sam-esque handlebar mustache, or an extended goatee that spans your entire jawline to add horizontal width.

Heart-Shaped Faces

Heart-shaped faces are often characterized by an under-pronounced chin, meaning a mammoth mustache will eat up too much valuable facial real estate. Keep your mustache in check and prioritize the volume and taper of your goatee to build up that lower jaw area instead.

Diamond Faces

Men with diamond-shaped faces, marked by prominent bone structure and sharp angles, can absolutely rock a Van Dyke beard. The trick is to stay away from wide mustaches and use longer, thicker growth to soften those more severely etched lines.

Triangular Faces

Men with triangular faces need to be mindful of not adding to their natural length. An expansive mustache can do wonders when it comes to balancing out a long, pointy chin.

Keep your chin hair trimmed short, as the natural angles of your jaw should be enough to achieve that signature Van Dyke pointed chin apex on their own.

How to Grow a Van Dyke Beard

If you’re thinking about trying out a Van Dyke beard, your first step is to put the razor down. If you’re already walking around with a full beard, feel free to skip ahead to the next section.

Let your mustache and chin hair reach enough length for the shape you want before trimming. The time needed varies with your growth and chosen length; there is no fixed two-month minimum.

Plus, the more hair you have to work with, the wider your margin of error once you start shearing.

How to Trim a Van Dyke Beard

Once you’re sufficiently furry, your next step is to shape that unruly growth into something that says “charming rogue” rather than “too lazy to groom.”

The whole art of the Van Dyke lies in how it’s sculpted.

A traditional Van Dyke calls for all hair on the cheeks to be removed. Unless you’re going for some peculiar D’Artagnan/Jeremiah Johnson hybrid, start by giving yourself a clean shave above the jawline on both sides of your face.

From there, which sections you choose to emphasize or downplay, and how much hair you remove to do it, is entirely your call.

You could get rid of all growth on the cheeks and upper jaw and crop everything else close for a sharp, corporate look. Or you could give your mustache and goatee a head start but let the rest fill in around them, keeping the chin and upper lip regions as the focal point.

Handlebars or no handlebars; soul patch or no soul patch; neat or overgrown. It’s entirely up to you.

Keep a clear gap between your mustache and chin beard. Taper the chin hair for a classic point, or keep it shorter and rounded for a softer modern version.

A Van Dyke beard style is defined by a disconnected beard and mustache. The style is typically quite narrow, with most of the facial hair concentrated at the chin point.

Cheek hair and sideburns are usually avoided in a classic Van Dyke look, but modern beard wearers have changed the rules a bit. Below are some of the subtle Van Dyke beard style variations.

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Short Van Dyke with a Soul Patch

Keep the short chin beard separate from the mustache, with a narrow soul patch below the lower lip. The chin edge is gently rounded, and the cheeks carry only light stubble.

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The Johnny Depp Patchy Van Dyke

This style has become synonymous with Johnny Depp because he has rocked this look for years. He keeps the chin hair short and patchy for a real bohemian feel, with a thin mustache that stays deliberately loose and unstructured.

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Johnny Depp’s Short Van Dyke with a Natural Mustache

Johnny Depp’s version pairs a short, rounded chin beard with a natural mustache and a small soul patch. The mustache stays separate, and the lightly stubbled cheeks keep the finish relaxed.

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Van Dyke with Cheek Stubble

A classic Van Dyke keeps the cheeks clean, but we can make an exception for David Beckham. The heavy cheek stubble gives the anchor beard a rough, lived-in edge that keeps the whole look from feeling too polished.

Read: Beard Types: Did You Know All These?

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The Van Dyke with Waxed Handlebar Mustache

A waxed handlebar mustache shaped into long, thin outward-pointing tips pairs brilliantly with a Van Dyke chin puff. Together, these two elements create a seriously quirky, showstopping combination that is not for the faint of heart.

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Salt-and-Pepper Van Dyke with a Long Chin Tuft

A long, narrow salt-and-pepper chin tuft sits below a broad, separate mustache. Keep the cheeks shaved and the sides of the chin tuft tidy to preserve the open space around the mouth.

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Petite Chin Puff with Sparse Mustache

If you are not ready to commit to a full Van Dyke, this is a great gateway look. A few wispy hairs at the chin and a light mustache keep everything understated, making it a solid choice for anyone who prefers a softer, more subtle presence.

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Dark Brown Petite Spade-Shaped Van Dyke

The chin hair is trimmed into a narrow tuft that tapers at both ends, forming a clean spade shape. The edges of the goatee stay thin, and the upper edge blends naturally into the soul patch zone.

The cheeks and jawline are shaved bare. Sharp, minimal, and polished.

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White Chin Strip Van Dyke with a Short Mustache

The beard is shaped into a thin, vertical chin strip running straight down the center of the chin. Combine it with a short, separate mustache to keep the shape simple and distinct.

One More Van Dyke Variation with Long Sideburns

Goatee vs. Van Dyke

The Van Dyke beard has a lot in common with the equally varied goatee. So much so that the style is sometimes called the “Van Dyke goatee,” which makes perfect sense once you realize the goatee is literally half of a classic Van Dyke.

The cardinal difference between a Van Dyke and a goatee is the mustache. Contrary to popular belief, the term “goatee” refers only to the hair on and around the chin.

In other words, the mustache isn’t an integral component of the goatee, whereas it’s 50% of a Van Dyke. On top of that, the mustache and chin beard are generally disconnected from one another, creating two separate and distinct zones of growth.

A lush goatee isn’t even a strict necessity. Though some purists might quibble about the terminology, you could get away with growing what might be called a “Van Dyke mustache” with only a soul patch or abbreviated chin beard as a counterpoint, à la Doc Holliday or Eugen Sandow.

Van Dyke Questions, Answered

What is a Van Dyke beard?

A disconnected mustache floating above a pointed chin beard, with the cheeks left bare. It is the more dramatic cousin of the goatee, named for the 17th-century painter Anthony Van Dyck.

What face shape suits a Van Dyke?

Oval and square faces wear almost every variation well. Round faces benefit from taller, narrower versions, while oblong faces should avoid extra chin length and lean on a wider mustache instead.

How long should I grow before shaping one?

Wait until the mustache and chin hair are long enough for your chosen shape. The time needed varies; a longer style needs more growth than a close-trimmed version.

The Beard Style Verdict

Keep the mustache separate from the chin beard, then choose a pointed or rounded finish and the length you prefer. Handlebar or natural mustache, soul patch or not, the finer details are yours.