How to Shave Ducktail Beard: Styles, Maintenance, & More

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Learn how to grow and take care of your ducktail beard at home

Co-authored by Mark LoBiondo and Marcus Pruitt, BS

Last Updated: February 25, 2026 Fact Checked

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What is a ducktail beard?

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Cutting a Ducktail Beard

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Styles

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Maintenance

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Is it attractive?

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Video

Finding a full beard that suits you may seem difficult, but with styles like the ducktail beard, it’s never been easier! The ducktail beard is a full beard with a sharp, tapered end, and it suits lots of different face shapes. It also comes in various styles to suit your preferences. In this article, we’ll dig into all of it, explaining what a ducktail beard is, the different styles you can choose from, how to shave one, and more, all with help from wikiHow’s professional barber and cosmetology experts.

Ducktail Beard Styles Explained

An illustration of the various different ducktail beard styles.

A ducktail beard is a full beard that tapers into a pointed end, resembling a duck’s tail. It has short-medium length hair on the upper lip, sides, and chin, and longer hair in the center. There are different variations, too, like the short ducktail, long ducktail, ducktail goatee, and pointed (Viking) ducktail.

Section 1 of 5:

What is a ducktail beard?

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A ducktail beard is a full beard that tapers into a fine point. The ducktail beard’s pointed end resembles that of a duck’s tail, hence the name. It typically features short-medium length hair on the sides, chin, and upper lip, with longer, more pointed hair in the center. This all comes together to form the triangular ducktail shape at the end that brings the style to life.^{[1]
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- Who looks good with a ducktail beard? The ducktail beard works great for all face shapes. For round face shapes, it helps add length. For sharper face shapes, it helps soften and complement your angles.
- There are multiple styles of the ducktail beard that vary in length and shape, like the short ducktail beard, long ducktail beard, and ducktail goatee.
Meet the wikiHow Experts

Mark LoBiondo is a licensed cosmetologist with over 9 years of experience. He specializes in providing barber services reminiscent of classic neighborhood barbershop experiences.

Juan Sabino is a professional barber with over 20 years of experience grooming hair and over 8 years of professional barber experience.

Timmy Yanchun is a professional barber and co-founder of Svelte Barbershop + Essentials in California. He’s been cutting hair since age 13.

Section 2 of 5:

How to Cut a Ducktail Beard

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Grow your beard for 4-6 weeks before trimming it. Before you can neatly trim your ducktail beard into a fine point, you need enough hair for the tail. Licensed cosmetologist Mark LoBiondo suggests you “don’t get [your beard] trimmed or shaped until it grows longer than you want it.”^{[2]
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Mark LoBiondo
Licensed Cosmetologist

Expert Interview}
- Depending on how long it takes your hair to grow, this timeline may look different for you, but generally, it’s recommended to wait 4-6 weeks before taking trimmers to your beard.
- Before you take trimmers to it, make sure you brush your beard in the direction of growth.^{[3]
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Use a #½ or #1 guard on your clippers and trim from the top of your ear down to your earlobe. This will keep the hair on the sides of your head connected to the ducktail beard without letting it get too full, building the sharp foundation you’ll use as a guide.
Use a #1 guard on your clippers and trim all of the hair from your Adam’s apple downwards to define the neckline. Make sure it’s a straight line that runs beneath your chin and neck. Keep the line at your Adam’s apple, too. Any higher and it can look unusual.^{[4]
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Use a #2½ or #3 guard to cut away any stray hairs along your cheek line and towards your mustache. As you get closer to the jawline, cut in an upward motion, flicking away from the beard to clean and define the hair and edges.^{[5]
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Use a #3½ or #4 guard to trim from the bottom of your earlobe and along your jawline to just above your chin. Repeat this on both sides of your chin to further build up the ducktail beard. Avoid trimming the bottom of your beard.
Depending on what type of mustache you’d like to go for, you can cut the mustache however short or long you like. Typically, people who rock the ducktail beard like to go with the handlebar mustache or a Chevron mustache, but that depends on your preference. Just grab a straight razor or a pair of sharp trimmers and trim the style along your upper lip.^{[6]
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Layer your beard below your mouth and sharpen the tail. After you’ve got everything trimmed, use a #4 guard to layer the beard below your mouth and down towards the sides of the chin and jawline. Cut in an upward motion, flicking away from the hair as you move, and avoid trimming anything beneath your chin. Then, use a beard trimmer to cut the ducktail into a point of your desired length, making sure everything stays connected.^{[7]
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- The typical length of a tail on the ducktail beard is 2-4 inches (5-10 cm), but that varies based on the style you choose.
After you’ve cut the tail, layered the beard, and gotten everything into place, all you have to do is clean up the edges and style it. Take a pair of beard trimmers and use them to define the edges on your cheeks, jawline, and neckline. Then, trim away any loose or scraggly hairs around your beard and style with beard oil or beard balm.^{[8]
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Section 3 of 5:

Ducktail Beard Styles

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The short ducktail is what most people opt for when they go with a ducktail beard. It’s like a goatee, but the hair on your cheeks and mustache remains. It’s a perfect middle ground if you want a beard that stands out without requiring too much maintenance, as you’ll only need to follow standard washing, brushing, and trimming advice.^{[9]
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Long Ducktail The long ducktail is the look you go with when you want to fully commit to the style. It requires much more maintenance than the standard ducktail, specifically in the form of more frequent washes and brushes, as well as a longer time to grow, but in return, you get a sharp, outdoorsy style that’s sure to turn heads.^{[10]
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- Depending on how quickly your hair grows, this style can take anywhere from six months to a year to achieve.
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Full (Viking) Ducktail The full ducktail walks the line between a full beard and a long ducktail. While it still comes to a point below the chin, the hair on the sides, cheeks, and neck is left to grow longer than the standard ducktail, giving it prominence and volume. It’s a great choice if you’re looking for a pronounced beard that still has a bit of a tail.^{[11]
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- Some people prefer to braid their full ducktail as a callback to when the Vikings wore the style.
The pointed ducktail is the boldest variety of ducktail, as it’s trimmed to a fine point at the end of the chin. It’s a popular, artistic choice, and although it may take longer than the average ducktail to grow and groom, it’s worth the wait if you want a style that stands out and shows off your taste.^{[12]
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The rounded ducktail is like the pointed ducktail’s softer cousin. It still has the long, bold look of the pointed ducktail, but it opts for a rounded point at the end. This rounded point helps soften the look and make it a bit more casual while still drawing attention for its length and definition.
A ducktail goatee is the perfect cross between a standard ducktail beard and a goatee. The standard point of the ducktail remains, but the sides and cheeks are trimmed so that the only hair you’ve got is on the chin and upper lip. While it will require regular trims and maintenance to stay sharp, the ducktail goatee is great if you’re going for a casual look.

Section 4 of 5:

How to Maintain Your Beard

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Wash and moisturize your face daily and your beard every other day. Professional barber Juan Sabino says, “You have to moisturize, you have to make sure that your skin is clean, and you have to make sure that your beard hair is conditioned,” as a healthy beard comes from healthy skin follicles.^{[13]
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Juan Sabino
Professional Barber

Expert Interview}
- While the general recommendation is to wash your beard every other day, you may have to wash it every day or every few days, depending on your hair type and lifestyle.
- Wash your face daily, once in the morning and once before going to bed.
- Professional barber Timmy Yanchun says to use beard oil to condition your beard. Use it whenever your beard feels dry, applying from the root to the tip.^{[14]
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LoBiondo says to “brush your hair with a detangler brush or boar bristle brush” to keep it healthy as it grows.^{[15]
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Mark LoBiondo
Licensed Cosmetologist

Expert Interview} This will help prevent your ducktail beard from getting matted and tangled within itself.
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Trim your beard whenever it grows past the defined edges. Typically, it’s advised to trim your beard every 2-4 weeks, but that varies depending on how long it takes your hair to grow and your hair type. So look in the mirror whenever you wake up and check out your ducktail to see how you like the length and shape. If you notice one too many scraggly hairs or a tail that’s about to touch your chest, grab the clipper and give it a trim.^{[16]
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- The style and length also influence how often you should trim. For example, if you have a short ducktail beard, you may need to trim it every week or more.

Section 5 of 5:

Is a ducktail beard attractive?

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As long as you keep your ducktail beard washed and trimmed, chances are it will look great! The ducktail beard works for essentially all face shapes and has a classic shape and silhouette that turns heads. All you have to do is wear it with confidence!