The Lumberjack Beard: Look Like a Man, Have Trees Fear You

Here it is! Our post on the legendary lumberjack beard. We’re excited about this, because in the world of beards, there are a few styles that stand out above the rest: there’s the Viking Beard, the Wavy Zeus Beard, and the iconic Lumberjack Beard.

Everything else falls short.

So here we’ll take a look at some of our favorite lumberjack beard styles and tell you how you can get them, and how you can maintain them once you’ve grown them out.

Before we jump in, there’s one thing we should mention: we’ve included both lumberjack and “lumberjack-ish” photos below. We don’t think men want to actually look like lumberjacks; rather, we imagine that they want to see thick, dense beards, and different ways to style them. 

In other words, they want these essence of a lumberjack beard: manly, strong, attractive.

Anyhoo. Let’s get to it:

Lumberjack Beard Looks

We’ll start with the first look, which we all know and love:

The “Classic” Lumberjack Look

If you close your eyes and think “lumberjack beard,” chances are you see something like this: a tough-looking fella, with a thick mustache, thick sideburns, and a long chin-beard, with a beanie. You may notice that there are no trees in this photograph, and that’s because this assassin cut them all down.

If you want to keep things simple, this is the look to go for: it’s simple, it’s powerful, and it’s about as masculine as it gets. You need to have some genetics on your side for this one—not everybody can grow a beard like this—and it’s really tough to fake it if you can’t. Beard oil can help a little bit—it can sometimes stimulate growth—but you’ll need to have the right genes to make this one happen.

The Straight-Bearded Lumberjack

Usually when we think of lumberjack beards, we think of bushy, curly whiskers, but that doesn’t necessarily need to be the case—some lumberjacks don’t have curls in their beards, or they choose to straighten their beards with a beard straightener. That’s what this guy did, in what’s a twist on the traditional lumberjack look. It’s just as masculine, and it’s a nice hybrid of “lumberjack + Viking.”

This can take a while to grow out, but it’s a little more attainable for most guys (even if you have a wavy beard), but at some point you will need a beard straightener and use it every couple of days, because your beard will eventually un-straighten itself.

The Cowboy Lumberjack

What’s manlier than one archetype of manliness? Two archetypes of manliness! The only way this could be manlier is he were also on a Harley, or punching a bear, or something like that.

The “lumberjack + cowboy” look is pretty hard-core, and it’s actually pretty easy to get: all you need is a full or semi-full beard, and a cowboy hat, and… that’s it! Usually you need a STRONG beard for the lumberjack look, but because the hat takes up so much visual space, you can usually get away with it here.

The Real Lumberjack!

With all our talk about “lumberjack looks,” we should probably focus on an actual lumberjack—somebody like this guy!

This, probably, is the closest thing to real lumberjack back: just a big old bushy beard on a guy who’s happy to be out in the woods. The “lumberjack style” that guys usually seem to want is what we call the “Stylish Lumberjack” (and we’ll talk about that in a second), which is usually a very clean, romanticized version of the lumberjack beard. A real lumberjack beard is exactly like this—super-bushy, probably filled with sawdust and woodchips, and down past the guy’s collarbones. He’s even got the “whiskers crawling up the cheek” thing going on, which is 100% lumberjack.

Anyway—this is all to say, if you’re really want to go for a lumberjack look, this is it. It’s a little messy but very manly.

That said, we realize most guys don’t want the “dirty, messy” lumberjack look, and instead want…

The Stylish Lumberjack / The Handsome Lumberjack

Can you put on a red flannel and carry an axe? Do you also have chiseled cheekbones, perfect hair, and a well-kept beard? If so, you can achieve the Handsome Lumberjack look. It’s not something everyone can pull off—and it helps that this guy is luxuriating in the golden sunlight of dusk—but if you make it happen, it’s a great look.

By the way, the chances of this guy being a real lumberjack are about zero. You know this guy is a male model, and once he puts that axe down, he’s going back to his condo in Boston or wherever.

Anyway—it really is a great look, and when people mention the word “Lumbersexual,” this is what they’re talking about.

The Lumberjack Mustache

It’s a bit weird that we all assume that all lumberjacks have beards! They have options, you know, and for some guys, it’s more about the logging than the facial hair.

For those guys, you may want to go for the Lumberjack Mustache. It’s just as manly, and a lot easier to clean. The only problem is that no one is going to say it’s a “Lumberjack Mustache” unless they see you working in the woods, so keep that in mind.

This is a good segue to…

The Five O’Clock Shadow Lumberjack

We have to assume that some lumberjacks like the fully-shaved look, and that those guys don’t get to shave every day, and eventually end up with stubble and/or five-o’clock-shadows. And honestly, that can be a GREAT look. If you’re going for the lumberjack beard style, sometimes all you need is a well-fitting flannel and a wool beanie and you’re more than half-way there. This guy absolutely pulls off the lumberjack look, even though he doesn’t have a beard at all.

This is just a reminder that “the lumberjack beard” can be more about the whole vibe, rather than just the facial hair.

Speaking of vibe, check this guy out:

The Psychojack

This dude is going to use his crazy to scare the trees into falling over. We feel bad for the photographer who took this photo, and we hope he’s still alive.

This is a great beard, though, even if he does look like a lunatic, and while it looks a little bit on the long side, many guys could have this in six to nine months. This is sort of a “Lumberjack + Beach Bum” beard, and we have to be honest, it’s a great look (and it can be a great beard style if you’re bald or balding). Usually lumberjack beards are brown or black, but this guy’s got a mostly light brown beard with some blonde highlights, and he’s really pulling it off.

One thing we should mention about this beard: even though it looks a little “devil-may-care,” it actually needs a bit of trimming, and beard trimmers are great for that sort of thing. We usually suggest Wahl beard trimmers, because we’ve used them for years and have had great experiences with them.

The Tree Hugger Lumberjack

This guy is probably not a good lumberjack. Great beard, though.

The Medium-Length Lumberjack Beard

A lot of guys get hung up about the length of a lumberjack beard, and think that in order to qualify under the “lumberjack” category, it needs to be big and bushy and broad. That’s not the case, though, and this guy has a fantastic medium-length lumberjack beard.

We’ll note again that the one overlooked aspect of a lumberjack beard is the wool beanie/knit cap. It really goes a long way in cementing the look. You don’t *need* it, but it definitely helps.

This is great, because if you get tired of it, you can trim into a Van Dyke beard, which is a great look.

The Rounded Lumberjack Beard

When going for a lumberjack beard style, most guys go for “long”—they focus on growing their beards out, in hopes that the length of the beard will create the look. You don’t need to do that, though, and in fact, a lot of great lumberjack beards are “rounded.” If you take a look at this guy, you can see that the facial hair at his jaw and below his ears comes out a good distance, and instead of trimming his beard so that it tapers down to a point (as you would do with a ducktail beard), he keeps it rounded. That can be a great look if you have a pointy chin and want to create the appearance of a broad jaw.

This guy also looks like a “no-nonsense” fella. He doesn’t have the psycho vibes of the beach bum above, but he definitely looks like he built that log cabin just because he hates trees.

The “If Young Santa Clause Were a Lumberjack”

This guy has one of the manliest beards we’ve ever seen, and every part of it—the mustache, the under-the-chin beard, the sideburns, all of it—is just about perfect. It’s funny, too, because when you look for stock photos of beards—which have done for hours and hours and hours—you see this guy a LOT. He’s the King of Bearded Stock Photos.

Anyway, if you’re familiar with the old “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” cartoon, this beard is so perfect that it resembles the cartoon beard that Santa had (this one).

This is definitely a beard befitting a lumberjack, but it’s also got “seafaring fisherman” vibes to it, as well.

The Lumberjack Goatee

This isn’t technically a lumberjack beard—for starters, he doesn’t have sideburns, and sideburns are an important part of the lumberjack look—and he’s also not in the traditional red flannel, which 1) protects you from wood chips and splinters and flying sawdust, and 2) let’s people know you shop at a lumberjack store. He’s in a suit, which is rare for a lumberjack, so we’re assuming he’s from Corporate. Perhaps he’s an “Executive Lumberjack.”

Nonetheless, we decided to keep this look, because it’s a great example of what you can *do* with a lumberjack beard—here, you can hack your sideburns off, and make it into a pretty gnarly “goatee + Viking look,” which is pretty rad.

The Green Beard Lumberjack

We’re not sure where this guy is going with this. This just seems silly. We would advise against whatever he’s doing here.

The Lumberjack Scholar

This kind of lumberjack beard takes some commitment—it’s definitely a yeard, and maybe even a tweard—and it’s not for everybody, but it’s 1) very striking, 2) very unique, and 3) probably very soft, which a lot of romantic partners love. Plus you can always stroke this beard and seem wise, and fight a lot of the “lumberjacks aren’t big thinkers” prejudice that exists out there.

This type of look takes a lot of time to grow, but also a lot of beard oil or beard balm—beards like this get SUPER dry unless you hydrate them.

Those books used to be trees, and that probably makes this guy very happy. 

Some Alternative Takes on the Lumberjack Beard Styles

These guys aren’t lumberjacks, but their beards are pretty lumberjack-y, and we thought you might be interested in them if you’re going for the lumberjack look:

The Pointy Beard

Most lumberjack beards are rounded or come to a blunted edge, whereas this one narrows down to almost sharp edge. It’s a great look, and while it does take a little maintenance—beards don’t usually behave like that, so you may need some balm or wax to get it to stay put—it’s one that a lot of guys can pull off.

And, by the way, if you’re worried that this guy isn’t a lumberjack, he is—he’s off duty, and he’s looking out that window at some trees he wants to demolish later.

The Lumberjack + Handlebar Mustache

Despite this guy’s fancy clothes, his beard is 100% lumberjack: it’s full, it’s long, and it’s got some great density at the sideburns. The twist here is that he’s got a handlebar mustache thing going on, and it’s a great look. It’s one of those bearded looks that’s masculine but also a little playful. That can be tough to pull off, but it’s great when it happens.

The Ladyjack!

You might be saying, “This lady doesn’t have a beard!” and you’re right, but we just wanted to include a few pretty ladies in the post. She’s doing great and she’s got our full support.

Here are a few other ladies we wanted to include in the post—not because they’re lumberjacks, really, but because they’re pretty and their photos came with the photo package we bought from the stock photo site we went to. Here’s a brunette by a river:

Here’s a woman in a wedding dress with a sword in a sewer someplace, and this is why we love stock photos: why is she there? What’s going on? Is she marrying a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle? What’s happening here?

Here’s a happy woman with a great smile:

Here’s another happy woman smiling, probably because she loves lumberjack beards so much:

And here’s a woman in a crown of flowers. She looks like the woman from that horror movie, Midsommar. You ever see that? It’s really good.

Alright, we’ve officially lost the thread here, so let’s wrap this up.

That’s All We Have to Say About Lumberjack Beards

Hopefully there’s something here that helps you? We did our best. A lumberjack beard is fairly straight-forward, so we tried to mix things up a bit. If you have any questions or comments, jump on over to our “Contact” page and drop us a line, and in the meantime, fell that timber, lads!