Goatee beard: with or without a moustache, and holding the shape
What the word goatee really covers
The short answer: a goatee lives on the chin and the cheeks stay clean, so the one real decision is whether a moustache comes along. The name points to the billy goat and its tuft of chin hair, and dictionaries define a goatee as a small pointed beard on the chin. After that the names blur. When the moustache joins the chin hair and closes a ring around the mouth, the correct term is a circle beard, though most people go on saying goatee. When there is a moustache but the corners of the mouth stay bare, you have a Van Dyke. Remove the moustache and you have the classic version; if that is the one you want, say "no moustache" in the chair. In the chair these names often mean different things to client and barber, so point with a finger or a photo to show exactly where the hair should stop. The version with no moustache looks cleaner and more graphic, though it exposes the upper lip and needs a regular tidy shave. The version with a moustache looks softer, covers more of the face and sits easily on older men who already have some grey. Both are a practical choice when your cheeks grow in patches, since the shape never uses the areas where hair is missing. Nor does it take long to grow: the chin gives the right look quickly. If the shape disappoints, shave it off and try another.
Chin width decides the look
The key decision here is width, because width changes the face more than anything else. A narrow goatee that stays inside the corners of the mouth lengthens the face and sits well on a round or broad chin. A wider one, ending at the corners of the mouth or slightly beyond, adds breadth to the lower face and balances a narrow or long one. Length pulls the same way: a pointed bottom lengthens, and a rounded one settles things down. Ask your barber to mark the edges first and only then remove the excess, so you can see the shape in the mirror while there is still time to change it. The lower edge matters too. When the hair under the chin trails down the neck, the goatee starts to look neglected, so it usually ends on a line slightly below the bone. This is where shaving earns its place, since clean skin around the shape defines the outline better than any trimmer. At 044 Barbershop in Kyiv these lines come under the beard trim, which includes a dry or hot-towel shave, so the edges stay even on the sensitive skin under the chin. Mention as well whether you plan to wear the shape for long. A short narrow goatee comes off easily, while a wider one needs several weeks to fill in evenly, so agree a stage in between beforehand. Keep a photo of the width you like on your phone for next time.
Keeping it sharp between visits
One habit ruins the shape at home: every trim narrows the lines slightly, until a few weeks later the goatee is smaller than it was. Before you shave, picture the edge or mark points near the corners of the mouth, stick to them, and when in doubt leave the hair. Shave the cheeks and neck every two or three days, because stubble around the shape soon wipes out the outline. Comb the goatee downwards with a small comb and shorten it with a trimmer on one guard, and only then deal with single hairs. If you keep a moustache, stop hairs reaching the upper lip by taking them off with small scissors. A few drops of oil soften wiry chin hair and calm the itch of the first weeks, though a thick product weighs down a short shape. Grey works in your favour here: a crisp grey goatee on clean cheeks looks well kept and needs no dye. See your barber every one to two weeks, even when it all looks level at home, because another pair of eyes spots the tilt your mirror hides. Stray hairs on the edge can wait until morning, since daylight shows the line better than a bathroom lamp. Show them in the chair where your chin ends for you, and one visit will settle which width suits you, whether the moustache stays and how much hair to leave.