A man with the Zappa goatee style.

How to Do a Zappa Goatee

As a musician, Frank Zappa liked to push the established boundaries and challenge traditional ways of doing things. When done right, this style can really rock for you.

How to Do the Zappa Goatee Step-by-Step

  • 1

    Shave or closely trim your cheeks, chin, and neck, while leaving the mustache and Soul Patch beneath the lower lip untouched.

  • 2

    With your Wahl trimmer, square off the mustache, allowing it to extend a 1/2-inch to 1 inch beyond the corners of the mouth. Keep the ends of the mustache a bit longer for a downward finish.

  • 3

    Using your trimmer, shape the whiskers beneath your lower lip into a square or rectangle that extends approximately 1 inch towards the chin.

What to use

Lithium Ion+™ Stainless Steel Grooming Kit

Lithium Ion+™ Stainless Steel Grooming Kit

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LITHIUM ION™ MULTIGROOM

Lithium Ion™ MultiGroom

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LITHIUM ION™ TOTAL BEARD

Lithium Ion™ Total Beard

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POWERPRO™ CORDED CLIPPER / TRIMMER

PowerPro™ Corded Clipper / Trimmer

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Beard & Stubble Rechargeable Trimmer

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 around the mouth styles 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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