How to Shave a Goatee (Circle Beard)

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The goatee, or circle beard, is a great middle ground for men looking for facial hair without growing a full beard. The goatee is perfect if you have a round face shape, or a narrower chin.

For those wondering what a goatee is supposed to look like, it is a moustache and chin strap that make a goatee create an illusion of a broader jawline, with the style first becoming particularly popular in the late 1940s.

Ready to channel your inner David Gandy or Paul Hollywood? With these steps you’ll learn exactly how to shave for a goatee that has sharply defined edges, all whilst avoiding unwanted irritation!

How to Shave a Goatee Beard

There’s more than one way to wear a goatee, however. First, you need to consider the style you’re going for. To find out how to trim a goatee and maintain it with the right tools like the Gillette All Purpose Styler & Beard Trimmer, read on.

smiling man with goatee beard style

Step 1: How to Grow a Goatee

Neat and short, long and messy, or one that emphasises a handlebar moustache: there’s certainly more than one way to wear a goatee. Choosing the style for you in part comes down to knowing your face shape, but mostly, it’s simply a case of personal preference – pick whichever style feels right for you.

Before learning how to trim and shape a goatee, we recommend you have at least a week’s growth of facial hair. This gives you enough length to play with.

Step 2: Use the Perfect Goatee Trimmer

Depending on the type of circle beard you’ve chosen, you need to select the right trimmer to create the look. The Gillette Styler comes with three comb attachments, 6mm, 4mm, and 2mm.

When you style your goatee, you can choose the right attachment to suit your look – whether you need an office ready trimmed goatee or want to try out a longer style!

Step 3: Comb and Trim Your New Goatee

Before you switch the trimmer on, be sure to comb your facial hair. This will help the trimmer to work along the hairs with less clogging. Trim along the full beard line, making sure all hairs are around 3-5mm long.

If you want to grow a longer goatee, this comes in right at the end. For now, trim to an even length across your face.

For those that want to know how to trim a pointed goatee, you’ll want to grow out a chin beard before sculpting it into your desired shape with the Gillette Styler’s edging attachment.

This attachment is the perfect partner as you learn how to style a pointed goatee; a beard look that can add definition and sharpness to less angular face shapes.

man with shaped goatee combing beard with fingers

Step 4: How to Shape a Goatee

To add extra shape and definition to your goatee, remove the comb and switch to the precision trimmer head, and start from the neck, using gentle, smooth strokes. Then, move on to your cheeks and start to shave a goatee’s outline.

Remember to take it slowly, pausing after every few strokes to see how the shape of the goatee is coming along.

Step 5: Define Your Goatee

Now you have the rough outline, you can begin to shape it properly. At this stage you need to trim round the lips to define the shape. Create a triangle under your lower lip and trim the upper lip carefully for clean-cut lines.

If you’re asking yourself if you should shave your goatee, bear in mind that letting it grow without any styling will quickly become straggly and unkempt.

barber shaving neck to shape goatee style

Step 6: Take Care of Your Skin

Goatees are best worn with defined, neat edges. To achieve this kind of trimmed goatee, you need to get a clean, close shave on the areas around your goatee.

After you’ve finished trimming, rinse your face with warm water to soften the hairs and skin. Pat your skin dry and apply a shaving cream to guarantee a smoother razor glide and to reduce the risk of razor burn and other shaving irritation.

If you regularly feel dry skin or discomfort after shaving, it’s worth exploring our Skin range of moisturising products that are tailored to your needs.

Step 7: How to Get a Clean Shave

Wondering why you can’t get the clean shave that you want? Here’s a few tips to try before you shave your goatee:

• Swap your Gillette Styler trimmer head to the razor blade attachment, and check your blade isn’t clogged or dull – any ProGlide, SkinGuard and Fusion5 razor blade refill fits with the shaver.
• Fresh, sharp blades are best for avoiding shaving cuts, and you can keep on top of your supply by signing up to Gillette’s shave club to get a regular subscription delivered direct to your door.
• Use smooth, gentle strokes as you shave the area around your beard. Rinse your blade between strokes, and reapply shaving gel as required. The back of our Fusion5 razor blades have an in-built precision blade which can be used to neaten the edges around your goatee.

Step 8: Moisturise Skin After Shaving

When you’re happy with your beard, rinse your face and neck with cool water, then pat your skin dry. Apply a moisturising aftershave product to help keep your skin soothed, refreshed and hydrated.

man with stubble beard moisturising face

Step 9: Groom Your Goatee

To keep your beard nourished and in the best possible condition, make sure you’re grooming your facial hair on a regular basis, using a dedicated beard shampoo such as our King C Gillette Beard and Face Wash with conditioning Argan oil and cooling menthol will help keep your beard conditioned.

Now you know how to shape a goatee you can play around with it, allowing the goatee to grow longer for instance.

How far a goatee should go under the chin is up to you but we’d recommend defining this beard style’s edges to make it look striking and well-groomed rather than unkempt.

Step 10: Maintaining Your Goatee

To keep your goatee looking sharp, you’ll need to trim and maintain your beard on a regular basis, so sign up for a Gillette shaving subscription to keep your stock of new razor blades high.

Should You Shave Your Head And Grow A Goatee?

As a look sported by men ranging from Dwayne the Rock Johnson to Bruce Willis and Tom Hardy, a shaved head paired with a shaped goatee style can add a rugged edge to any man’s appearance.

So, if you want to embrace this masculine feel with your style, styling a goatee with a shaved head could be a winning option. You should also know that shaving your head with Gillette’s grooming tools is simple thanks to your included attachments!

Learn more about how to shave your head with dedicated clippers and a sharp pair of scissors to try this style for yourself.

How To Trim Your Goatee Evenly?

Great beard styles like a moustache and goatee are all about symmetry and to make sure that you trim evenly, the Gillette All Purpose Styler will be your new best friend.

To guarantee that you can shave with steady power, the Braun engineered technology inside this product is great at delivering a close and comfortable grooming experience.

The precision trimmer attachment is ideal for clearing away stray hairs on your neck and when you’re ready to trim your goatee, simply choose from the 3 comb lengths to get an even 2mm, 4mm or 6mm finish across your new beard style.

What is a Goatee Without a Moustache?

For this beard style, some guys prefer to grow a goatee without a moustache, with just a small amount of carefully styled facial hair framing their chin instead.

To create this facial hair style, follow the same steps that you would for shaving a goatee – just make sure you follow the tips for achieving a clean shave across your upper lip too.

Discover our selection of goatee styles such as the Royale, Chin Strip and Petite Goatee on our blog