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Monkey Tail Beard: What It Is and How to Keep It Sharp

By The Lilacroix barbers · October 28, 2026 · 1,534 words

A monkey tail beard is a narrow strip of hair that grows from the chin and hangs down in a long tail, usually with the cheeks and jaw kept clean. It is bold, it is not for everybody, and it works best on men whose chin hair grows thick and straight down.

The short answer: you can grow one in about three to four months, it needs a sharp line every week or two, and the cheeks and neckline do most of the work. Below is how it compares with the Italian beard, the Van Dyke, a full black beard, mutton chops and a patchy beard, and what to say to your barber for each.

What is a monkey tail beard?

It is a chin strap taken to the extreme: a tight column of hair under the chin that is left long, often an inch or more, while the cheeks, jawline and upper neck are shaved or faded to skin. Some men pair it with a mustache. Others leave the mustache off for a cleaner shape.

The look lives on contrast. A clean cheek next to a dark, dense tail makes the chin look longer and the jaw look stronger. That is why a good fade on the sides of the face matters as much as the beard itself. If you want the cheeks to melt into the sideburns, read how to fade a beard into the sideburns before your next visit.

Who it suits

It suits men with a rounder or square face who want length at the chin, and men whose cheek hair is thin or patchy but whose chin grows full. It is harder to wear if your chin hair is wiry and curls sideways, because the tail will not hang straight. Tightly coiled and 4C beard hair can still work. It just sits shorter and wider, so you keep it a half inch to an inch and shape it with the clippers instead of waiting for length.

How do you grow and ask for one?

Let everything grow for six to eight weeks, then have your barber carve the shape. Growing it the whole way before shaping tells you where your hair is dense and where it is thin, so the design follows what you actually have.

1. Weeks one to four: grow everything. Do not trim, and do not panic at the itch.
2. Weeks five to eight: book a beard trim and sculpt to set the cheek line, the neckline and the width of the tail.
3. After that: keep the cheeks clean every one to two weeks and let the tail grow another half inch a month.

Ask for it in plain words: a narrow chin strip, cheeks and jaw taken down to skin or a number 0 or 1 guard, a clean neckline just above the Adam's apple, and the tail left at the length you want. If you have never grown a beard before, the first 90 days of growing a beard will help you get through the awkward middle.

How is the Italian beard different?

The Italian beard is the opposite idea: a full, short, well groomed beard with a sharp cheek line, a thick mustache and defined edges. Think of it as the neat office version of a full beard, kept to about a half inch to an inch.

It suits most face shapes, which is why barbers recommend it so often. It also hides a weak chin and adds structure to a soft jaw. On coily hair it is easy to hold because the beard stays dense at short length. Ask for the sides at a number 2 or 3 guard, the cheek line shaped, the neckline cleaned and the mustache trimmed off the lip.

Compared with the monkey tail, it takes less patience, forgives patchy spots better and needs touch ups about every two weeks instead of every week.

Between visits you can tidy the neckline and cheeks yourself, as long as you leave the shape alone. Our guide to trimming a beard without taking too much walks through the order: longest guard first, edges last, and never cut the neckline higher than you can see in the mirror. Most of the bad beards we fix started with a neckline cut too high at home.

What is a Van Dyke beard?

A Van Dyke is a pointed goatee that is not connected to the mustache. You keep a separate mustache, a chin patch with a point, and shave the cheeks and the strip between them.

It works on men with oval and round faces because the point lengthens the chin. It is demanding because the gap between the mustache and the chin beard must stay clean, and the mustache needs to be trimmed evenly. Most men book a shape up every week to ten days.

If you are deciding between this and the monkey tail, the monkey tail is longer and thinner at the chin, while the Van Dyke is wider, shorter and pointed. Many men try the Van Dyke first, then let the chin grow longer when they want to go bolder.

How do you wear a black beard well?

A full black beard is the classic dense, dark beard, and it looks best when it is kept shaped, not left to run wild. Dark hair makes every edge stand out, so a crisp cheek line and neckline are what separate a groomed beard from a messy one.

Keep the length even, brush or comb it toward the way it grows, and keep the skin underneath clean. If gray is coming in unevenly and you would like the beard to read as one color, a beard dye from the chair blends it in; the beard dyeing for gray guide explains what to expect. Pricing for dye is call for pricing, so phone the shop and ask.

For the neckline, aim for a spot about a finger width above your Adam's apple. Going too high makes the beard look short and boxy. Going too low drags your face down.

The beard and the haircut should match in sharpness. A full black beard next to a soft, grown out fade looks unfinished, while a skin fade or a curved fade above it makes the whole head look planned. The drop fade for Black men is a favorite pairing in the shop, because the curve behind the ear blends into the sideburn and carries into the beard.

Are mutton chops still a thing?

Yes, mutton chops are back in a small, controlled way. They are long sideburns that run down to the jaw, joined or not joined to a mustache, with the chin shaved clean.

They suit men with a strong chin and a narrower face, because the width at the cheeks fills the face out. They are harder on a round face, which they can make look wider. Ask your barber for the sideburns at the length you want, usually down to the corner of the jaw, a number 0 or 1 guard on the chin and a defined edge along the cheek.

Because the chin is bare, razor bumps can show up there. If your skin reacts to shaving, read how to prevent razor bumps on Black skin before you commit.

What can you do with a patchy beard?

A patchy beard is normal, and the fix is usually a shorter, shaped beard, not a longer one. Patches are most common on the cheeks and near the corners of the mouth.

Three styles work with patches instead of against them: a chin strap or monkey tail that skips the cheeks, a goatee or Van Dyke that keeps the hair where it grows, and a short stubble beard faded into the skin. Do not expect any cream or tool to guarantee new hair. If patches are new and sudden, or the skin looks scaly, talk to a doctor or dermatologist.

For men who want to cut the patchy look without losing everything, the line up at home between visits keeps the shape tidy in the days between appointments.

Book your beard at Lilacroix Barbers

Lilacroix Barbers is at 232-12 Merrick Blvd in Laurelton, Queens, open seven days: Monday to Thursday 7:30 AM to 7 PM, Friday and Saturday 7 AM to 7 PM, Sunday 7 AM to 5 PM. Walk ins are welcome, and you can call (718) 749-5800 to check the wait. Beard trim and sculpt is call for pricing, so ask when you phone.

Bring a photo, tell your barber how long you want the tail or the beard to be, and say what you want done to the cheeks. Start with our beard trim and sculpt service, or ask about the hot towel shave for the clean cheeks. Directions are on the contact and directions page.

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