Beyond the full beard is a masterpiece just waiting to be grown. A braided beard is the stuff of legends. It is the domain of ancient vikings, dwarf kings and forgotten Gods. It can also be your new style. We are going to teach you how to braid your beard and show you what it takes to be within the ranks of the greats.

If you’ve been taking care of your beard and have been patient enough to grow a beard to a long enough length to make braids, you’ll be able to wear a variety of new braided beard styles. Keeping a long beard braided and neat is a tough but rewarding task.

How to Braid a Beard

While there is a variety of braided styles, the technique for creating a beard braid is relatively simple. You’ll be able to make any of the upcoming styles once you learn how to create a simple braid. We’re going to use the French braid as our initial example.

• Your beard needs to be a minimum of 4 inches long before you can start weaving your braid together.
• Be able to grab three separate strands of hair in order to start the braid.
• There’s no need to wash your beard before braiding, but a little oiling will make it a lot easier.

Here are the steps to creating a beard braid:

1. Take an area of the beard that you wish to braid. It can be just a small section of the beard. Most men will want to braid the hairs flowing from their chin or opt to create many braids throughout.
2. Divide three equally sized sections of hair. Rummage with your fingers until you’ve manually measured out this area.
3. Lift either your left or right hand strand section over the middle beard strand.
4. Take the opposite sided section and also pull this strand over the middle one as well.
5. Repeat the previous steps 3 and 4 over again until you’ve braided your beard up to your preferable length.

That is the art of how to braid your beard in a nutshell. The twisting and folding over between these three strands of hair is the braiding rhythm.

Different Beard Braid Styles

Once you have the techniques of braiding down, you can go ahead and create a number of different styles. You don’t have to braid until your hair runs out. You can create half braids, small braids or combined braided patterns. Once you can create a perfect French braid, you can start to get super creative.

Here’s a couple extra tips you’ll need along the way.

• Invest in a good box of elastic bands that aren’t too tight, but can still secure the braid style in place.
• Use beard wax to secure the style.
• Keep your braid in at night for to train for the style, or remove it before bed to avoid and beard bedhead.

The Viking beard braid is a timeless style that can be showcased in a variety of varying lengths. If you’re rocking a long, thick, or curly full beard then the possibilities are endless.  

Adding beads or rings are an eventual personal style choice you can eventually try out as well. For now, check out six of the best braided beard styles.

Wizard Twirl

One of the easier looks to pull off. The Wizard Twirl or the “whiz” is a simple braided style that requires minimal braiding. Simply grab the hair from the chin and surrounding areas and pull gently into a pointed and windy whirl. It can be secured with some light elastic bands, hair pins or even just a generous amount of wax and balm.

This is a great style for guys with long beards that might be on the more thin or straight side. Adherents of the Wizard Twirl can get creative with it and grow it as long as their hearts are content. Usually hair grown from the sides of your cheeks and side jawline are all brought together into one point. If you don’t grow too much in that area, you can just let the chin hairs grow long.

Classic Viking

The Classic Viking is one of the premier braided beard styles. A little more styled than the whiz, this braid requires one big braid all the way down the chin. No other beard hair should be hanging down from your face, besides the braid.

Start by making a regular single braid with everything you’ve got growing down from the chin. Keep braiding down until the end once you start hitting the thin areas. You’ll want to cap off the bottom with a nice little strand of beard hair. It should look like an arrow at the end of your braid. Fasten this with a hair tie or if you’re feeling real bold, some decorative beads or skull jewelry reminiscent of an ancient viking in battle! The Classic Viking can be styled for a short full beard or an epically long one.  

Beard Bun

The top knot and man-bun have been in style for quite some time now. That’s great and all, but how often do you see a roaring Beard Bun? This style is easy to do and doubles as a functional look as well. Sometimes our beards get in the way of a messy meal. Other times we have to contend with the wind or other rough weather.

To pull off this style all you need is an elastic band or hair tie. Grab a tuft of hair underneath your chin and tie a simple knot. Leave a little bit off room so you don’t cut off too much circulation. Go as big or small as you’d like with this style.

Goatee Braid

Nothing says classy like a single braid in a the forestry foreground of your face. The Goatee Braid is one single braid that stems from right below your lips down the center of your chin and below.

This style is all about growing your beard in a neat and long fashion. The sides of your beard should be trimmed to match and be vertically symmetrical. The centerpiece is the braid, which shouldn’t grow much larger than the the other sides. Feel free to experiment with the width of the Goatee Braid.  

Three Prong

Part Viking, part pirate and part chandelier? The Three Prong braid style is a unique style and showcases the masterful expertise of a man who ain’t afraid to braid. Let these braids dangle freely from your face and let the stares rush in.

You’ll want to start by getting a good and equal separation on your beard. The longer the better works for this style. Start by sectioning off the middle part of your beard and create the biggest and longest braid first. Follow the up by braiding the left and right in parallel to the middle.

Forked Braid

The upgrade to the Forked beard. Your Forked Braid is a new take on an already rare beard style. It swings wildly from below showcasing your bearded virility. This is a versatile style that can be worn either short or long.

To start, take your hands and separate the bottom of your beard into two distinct sections facing the opposite direction. Start by braiding one side before going back to the other. Make sure that the space in between is equal and shaped in a V-like division. Beads or elastic band will secure the bottom of the Forked beard braid style.