You don't have to be a hipster to sport a beard these days. Although it wasn't long ago when male facial hair was frowned upon in polite society, men sporting well-kept beards are back in fashion. Scruffy, thin beards are out. Lush, healthy beards are in. And it's easier to achieve a great-looking facial hair style than ever before when you introduce beard growth vitamins to your daily regimen. With full, thick growth you experience, it's fun to experiment with old-time styles that have been updated for modern sensibilities.
Goatee Style
In old western movies, you'll typically see goatees on actors playing the part of an innkeeper, a merchant in the general store or the barkeeper in a frontier town. The neatly clipped beard – usually paired with a slender mustache – gives these characters a refined appearance in the rough and tumble environment of the Western frontier.
The Modern Version: Emulate the cool, suave appeal of a chin-covering goatee, but update it by leaving a thin strip of hair on each side extending up to slender sideburns. Or do the hip "Balbo" style Robert Downey, Jr. favors in which the mustache and carefully manicured beard aren't connected.
Cattle Baron Style
Wealthy and middle-aged or older, the cattle baron character of Wild West fame had a flair for the finer things in life. He'd worked hard to achieve goals and it showed in his face, but his silver-streaked hair and beard ensured a strong, handsome appeal. In movies, it's not unusual to see him in a scene with a barber who is shaving his cheeks and neck with a straightedge razor to give his beard the perfect edge.
The Modern Version: Copy country and western music superstar Kenny Rogers' example of the cattle baron look as your baseline, then update it with a shorter hair cut and groomed eyebrows to make a suave, savvy fashion statement.
Cowboy Style
Despite the fact that real-life cowboys lived a rugged lifestyle, they were the handsome heroes of Wild West cinema. Although many were unrealistically depicted as clean-shaven, at least one main movie character had a full beard that enhanced his strong, manly appeal. Sometimes he could be seen stroking his beard to portray deep thought as he stared into the campfire.
The Modern Version: Like movie heartthrob George Clooney, let the upper perimeter of your full beard grow naturally. Shave your neck up to about an inch from your chin line for a neat, trimmed border. Accompany the beard with a mustache that's kept clipped short for the full movie star effect.
Beards only look good if they're healthy and full, so make sure to take beard growth vitamins to keep your facial hair strong and lush.