Goatee styles may be few, but each makes a strong fashion statement. Anything that hangs right below your mouth is going to be a main focal point for your image. If you haven’t picked a style for your goatee, that main focal point is probably a mess.

A goatee is facial hair that hangs below the mouth. Named after the tuft of hair on a male goat’s chin, your goatee can be any length, from one inch to ten feet long.  Goatees are usually the same width, or smaller than the mouth area. If a goatee is wider than the mouth area, it turns into a type of beard.

Modern
A modern styled goatee is usually very close shaven can be worn with or without a short mustache. It’s a very clean look that needs constant maintenance to avoid appearing scruffy. If worn with a mustache, it may or may not be connected to the goatee.

Musketeer
The musketeer style consists of a sharp, pointed goatee paired with a sharp, pointed mustache. The mustache and goatee are not connected, so the style requires high maintenance. It’s a very formal look, obviously named after the style of facial hair worn by the historical French Musketeers.

Soul Patch
A soul patch is almost in a category all its own. Like a goatee, a soul patch is located below the mouth. It’s a very thin patch of hair below the middle of the mouth that is usually kept rather trimmed. A soul patch can be anywhere from a tiny patch right below the mouth to a thin patch running from the middle of the mouth to under the chin.

Van Dyck
Named after the 17^th century painter, Sir Anthony van Dyck, this style consists of a very thick goatee connected to a thick mustache. The mustache is turned up at the ends, and occasionally the goatee is twisted to turn up at the ends as well. It requires a medium amount of regular maintenance, but will need to be styled each morning.

Wild West
Reminiscent of the goatee style worn the Old West, this facial hair is heavy and shaggy. A Wild West goatee consists of a heavy handlebar mustache connected to a thick and flat goatee. It requires the least maintenance out of all the goatee styles and provides a rough and tumble appearance.