A man with the Van Dyke beard goatee style.

How to Do a Van Dyke Beard Goatee

This style gets its name from seventeenth-century Flemish painter Sir Anthony Van Dyke. When done right, the Van Dyke is downright artsy.

How to Do the Van Dyke Beard Goatee Step-by-Step

  • 1

    Stop shaving for about 1 week. At this point, your whiskers will be shorter than necessary to achieve this style but you can begin shaping it, while keeping the rest of your face clean-shaven.

  • 2

    Shave your cheeks clean, leaving your chin whiskers and mustache intact.

  • 3

    As your chin beard or goatee grows longer, use your Wahl trimmer to carefully trim it into a pointed shape. Try not to trim too deeply into the beard or snip off the tip you’ve worked so hard to grow.

  • 4

    Add some personality to your new look by twisting the ends of the mustache into points, applying a lightweight wax to maintain the shape.

What to use

Lithium Ion+™ Stainless Steel Grooming Kit

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Lithium Ion™ MultiGroom

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Lithium Ion™ Total Beard

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PowerPro™ Corded Clipper / Trimmer

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Beard & Stubble Rechargeable Trimmer

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Need help deciding what you need?

Wahl offers trimmers and grooming kits that let you achieve the look you want and keep it looking great.

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More Goatee Style Tips

Identify Your Best Goatee Shape & Style

A man shaping his beard and mustache with a Wahl trimmer.

Experiment with shapes that look best with your facial features and also work with the time you want to spend maintaining your style.

Use Guide Combs to Adjust Thickness

A man shaping his goatee with a Wahl trimmer.

Thickness can be managed with a snap-on length guide comb or an adjustable-length guide comb.

Trim in Any Direction for Longer Styles Around the Mouth

A man trimming his mustache with a Wahl trimmer.

Longer styles around the mouth should always be trimmed in the direction of hair growth.

Trim in Any Direction for Shorter Styles Around the Mouth

A man trimming and cleaning up his neck hair with a Wahl trimmer.

Shorter styles around the mouth can be trimmed with or against hair growth.

Using the Detail Blade Attachment

A man detailing the facial hair tight areas with a Wahl trimmer.

Make sure to use the detail blade, available with many Wahl trimmers, to get into tight spaces and create tighter lines.

Cleaning Up Your Facial Hair

A man cleaning up stray hairs around his mouth and lips with a Wahl trimmer.

Always clean up loose or long hair around the lips.

Goatees Need Regular Maintenance

A man maintaining his goatee style with a Wahl trimmer.

Some goatee-esque styles require attention every couple of days while others only need re-shaping a few times a month.

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