Sideburns are the link between a man’s scalp hair and beard. And while they’re often overlooked, when you have sparse, thinning, or unruly sideburns, it can make day-to-day grooming pretty tricky.
So how can you style your sideburns to make the most of your hair? And what should you do if your sideburns are thin or patchy? Let’s take a look at the best ways to shave and style your sideburns.
Attractiveness is always in the eye of the beholder, but it’s fair to say sideburns are pretty important if you’re conscious about your hair. Thin or wispy sideburns can minimise the impact of your face and scalp hair, while unkempt or shaggy sideburns can look untidy. Well-kept sideburns, however, can give your look an attractive individual twist:
In addition, how you choose to style your beard can have a big impact on the attractiveness of your sideburns. Some facial hair choices — like this horseshoe moustache — can detract from your sideburns, while others enhance them.
Yes, you can wear sideburns without a beard. Many famous people (including David Schwimmer and Joaquin Phoenix) wear neat but long sideburns without a beard:
Longer sideburns can look stylish in an Elvis-esque way (though modern pompadours tend to keep the sideburns short and faded):
Longer sideburns without a beard are known as mutton chops. Though some men can carry them off well (think Hugh Jackman as Wolverine), mutton chops tend to look quite outdated and unfashionable:
Rather than grow out their mutton chops, most men prefer to keep their sideburns trimmed and tidy, helping segue from their scalp hair to their beard or stubble.
Ready to find out the best modern ways to wear your sideburns? Here are 20 of the best sideburn styles.
Short neat sideburns are a classic style for men who tend to keep their face clean shaven. A sharp line cut in with a razor or electric shaver keeps this style looking tidy.
Men with naturally full beards look great with dense, non-faded sideburns. This look is really easy to maintain, as you can shave your sideburns to the same length as your beard with a standard electric trimmer.
Long blunt sideburns give you the masculinity of mutton chops without the outdated finish. This works especially well if you have long or mid-length scalp hair. Wear with stubble for an extra rugged finish.
Narrow sideburns look great with chin strap beards and goatees. While this look takes more maintenance than other sideburn styles, it’s a seamless way to blend your scalp hair into your facial hair. You’ll need to regularly shape and thin your sideburns for a pristine finish.
Many modern hairstyles use fades to create contrast between the top and sides of your hair. Continuing the fade down through the sideburns — then fading back into a beard — is a stylish way to disguise thinning sideburns. A higher fade could also help disguise temple hair loss.
A skin fade is an ultramodern look that gives you the option to completely remove your sideburns. A bold way to create space between your scalp hair and beard, it also helps you blend in a receding hairline while making the most of your remaining hair.
It’s not always necessary to shave down your sideburns. Longer hair lends itself to longer sideburns, especially if you have naturally tousled or textured hair. Keeping your sideburns longer can create a natural blend into your beard, particularly if it’s a similar length.
If you’re unhappy with the density of your sideburns (or if the hair on one side is thinning more than the other), it may be possible to hide them with your hair. Grow your hair out until it’s long enough to wear down over your ears.
Longer hairstyles may help if you have thin hair, particularly if you’re developing a bald spot on the crown.
For a super-stylised look, taper your sideburns into a full, well-shaped beard. This is a more refined version of the fade, as your hair and beard need a lot of maintenance as well as your sideburns. Make the look a little less hipster and more business-casual with a polished pompadour.
Hourglass sideburns have stylish contours that give your facial hair a tidy finish. They typically narrow as they run alongside the ears, then widen to meet the scalp hair and beard. You can also choose to fade in and out depending on the length of your hair.
Undercuts are very popular, but they need a lot of maintenance to keep them neat. Shaving down your sideburns keeps an undercut looking slick and stylish, especially with a razor-sharp edge.
The bald with beard look is experiencing a resurgence as more men embrace their hair loss. If you opt for this style, make sure to taper your sideburns into your beard; this creates a soft blend that makes your beard look neater and more refined.
If hair loss isn’t an issue, you can keep your sideburns thick and full. This creates continuity between your beard and scalp hair without the need for high-maintenance trimming or edging.
This is a shorter version of the style above, and works well if your hair and beard are the same colour. If you’re not affected by male pattern baldness or a patchy beard but you prefer to wear your facial and scalp hair short, strip back your sideburns for a polished finish.
Lengthy or untrimmed sideburns will quickly make you look unkempt if your hair and beard are generally kept short.
For a more stylised look, consider shaping your sideburns when you trim them. Cutting in sharp edges can help you remove any unruly or straggly hairs, giving you a clean-cut finish.
Longer sideburns can still look neat and distinguished provided you trim them down semi-regularly. This is especially important if you don’t have a beard, as your facial hair won’t detract from neglected sideburns.
Some men choose to treat their hair and beard completely separately, shaving or trimming their beard on a different schedule to their hair. This tends to leave you with unblended sideburns as your hair grows out.
Unblended sideburns give you a natural, less refined appearance, making them perfect for those who want an unfussy morning routine and a tousled finish.
Even if you wear your hair mid-length or long, you might need to keep on top of your sideburns. This is especially important if you tend to wear your hair up in a top knot or bun. Go for a super short undercut, or wear your sides a little longer for a less severe look.
Carve your sideburns into a stylish point for ultimate hair refinement. This looks great if you tend to keep your beard short or clean-shaven. Beards may not work as well with pointed sideburns, as they limit your blending options. If you want to grow a beard, consider hourglass or narrow sideburns instead.
This 50s-inspired look makes the most of your sideburns without the need for facial hair maintenance. It’s a great way to get some retro appeal (and detract from slight hairline recession).
If your sideburns aren’t as thick or full as you’d like them to be, it’s hard to know what to do. Should you treat them the same as your scalp hair? Or can you correct sparse sideburns the same way you fix a patchy beard?
Ultimately it depends where the problem lies. Beard and scalp hair tends to have a slightly different texture (and even a different colour in some men). If your scalp hair is patchy or thinning, drugs like Finasteride may help. But Finasteride can hinder beard growth, so it’s important to correctly locate the problem.
Minoxidil is a good treatment for both scalp and beard hair loss. This is probably your first port of call for tackling patchy or thinning sideburns. But if Minoxidil for beard growth doesn’t help, it’s best to seek advice from a trichologist at a reputable hair loss clinic. They can recommend many other effective treatments, including beard transplants and platelet-rich plasma therapy for hair.
Yes — in many cases, a beard transplant is the ideal solution for those with patchy, thin sideburns (especially if your lack of sideburns is making you feel self-conscious).
Beard transplants offer permanent facial hair regrowth so you can feel confident in your look and style your hair however you want. According to the beard transplant timeline, a transplant can fill out your facial hair in as little as three months.
It does depend on the cause of your beard hair loss. Men with alopecia barbae won’t benefit from a facial hair transplant, as they’re not usually suitable for those with autoimmune-related hair loss. But if your sideburns are naturally sparse or affected by hormone changes, a beard transplant is a hugely successful way to restore your sideburns.
The Wimpole Clinic is home to many of the best UK hair transplant surgeons specialising in beard and facial hair transplants. With more than 20,000 hair transplant procedures over 50 years, you’ll be working with one of the most experienced teams in the world.
Book a consultation today to discuss your beard and facial hair goals with our hair loss specialists, and find out how we can help you achieve them.
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