Facial Hair Styles

How to Grow a Soul Patch Beard

man with a soul patch

While the soul patch beard might only be a small section of facial hair, it’s actually a fairly bold look, and one that needs a certain kind of personality to pull off.

A soul patch can take centre stage on its own, or it can be teamed with a moustache, beard or designer stubble. It’s a beard style that you can really make your own.

What is a Soul Patch Beard?

A soul patch beard is a small square or triangle of facial hair that sits in the centre of your chin, directly beneath your lower lip.

It’s called a soul patch because the style was a favourite of jazz musicians and beatnik artists in the 1950s and 1960s – you might also hear it referred to as a jazz dot beard. It remains quite an arty look and perfectly suits a quirky personality.

How to Work a Soul Patch Beard Style

A soul patch might only be a small bit of facial hair, but there are so many factors to think about when you’re deciding if it’s right for you.

For a start, think about the colour of your facial hair. If it’s darker, your soul patch should be able to stand out on its own without a beard or moustache framing it. But if it’s fair, you might need to grow a moustache as well to give it a bit more prominence on your face.

man with a soul patch

Think about your face shape, too. If it’s smaller and rounder, teaming a soul patch with a moustache could risk your face looking square. A jazz dot can suit any face shape on its own, but a soul patch paired with a beard or moustache will look better on a longer face shape.

A soul patch needs clear, defined edges so it doesn’t end up looking like you’ve just missed a bit while shaving. The Gillette All Purpose Styler and Beard Trimmer features a precision trimmer to help you achieve those crisp edges – just make sure you only take off a little bit of facial hair at a time so you don’t accidentally shave the whole thing off.

How to Make a Soul Patch Stand Out

Give some thought as to whether you want to let your soul patch make its own mark on your chin, or if you’d rather team it with a beard or some well-groomed stubble.

You can use your All Purpose Styler to experiment with how much hair you want to leave on your face, as you can use it to trim, shave and edge a beard to get your perfect look.

If you decide to let your soul patch do the talking and want to keep the rest of your beard clean-shaven, our SkinGuard Sensitive Razor is the ideal choice for reducing your risk of razor bumps and ingrown hairs – these could leave your skin looking unsightly and take attention away from your carefully grown soul patch.

Work up a lather with our SkinGuard Men’s Sensitive Shaving Gel before you start shaving to create a smooth surface for your razor to glide across, and to provide dry skin with extra hydration.

Make sure your skin’s still looking good after you’ve shaved and let your soul patch stand out even more by following a post-shave routine. Our Gillette Aftershave Moisturiser will soothe and hydrate your skin when you’re done with the razor, keeping your skin looking and feeling great.

Not sure a soul patch is for you? Browse beard styles for all hair colours, personalities and face shapes over on our blog.



Gillette

Gillette

Writer and expert