One thing that has always set the actor Hugh Jackman apart from the masses has been his iconic facial hair style dubbed as the wolverine beard.
Jackman has sported multiple variations of this style as “Logan” in Marvel’s X-Men movies, and in this post we are going to look at how to copy, grow, and maintain the wolverine beard from the comforts of your own home.
The wolverine beard is an unique version of the classic mutton chops beard style with extended sideburns, narrowly shaved chin gap, and a stubble mustache. In the X-Men movies Hugh Jackman often has his beard evenly trimmed at 1″ length.
How to Grow and Trim The Wolverine Beard
Step 1: Grow Your Beard Out to 1-2″ Length
It goes without saying that you need to be able to grow a decent full beard to rock the wolverine style. If you can’t, you may want to take a look at our articles on growing a thicker beard and growing your beard faster.
As for the length, Jackman typically has his facial hair at 1-2″ length depending on which of the X-men movies you’re watching, so I recommend you start by growing out your beard to around that length before doing anything else.
Since the average beard growth rate is half an inch per month, it takes 2-4 months on average to grow a wolverine beard.
Step 2: Trim The Mustache to a Stubble
Next up is the mustache, again you will see some variations in length depending on which movie you’re watching, but 1/4″ length setting on a beard trimmer or stubble trimmer should be a good middle ground to aim for.
I recommend using a dedicated stubble trimmer for any kind of stubble trimming tasks as they tend to have a contouring head and make precise trimming work quite effortless (especially on uneven surfaces like the upper lip).
But if you can’t get a dedicated stubble trimmer, any kind of beard trimmer should also suffice.
Step 3: Shave The Chin and Soul Patch
The wolverine beard style wouldn’t resemble mutton chops without the classic shaved chin, but unlike regular mutton chops, the wolverine beard has a narrower shaved gap of 1-2″ on the chin.
It’s surprisingly difficult to perfectly align this section to the center of the chin, which is why I recommend you get a special beard shaping tool (see our review of the best ones here) to find the right spot to shave from.
Quick tip: You can find the spot by setting up the long straight side of the shaping template next to the side of your nose on each side so that it reaches the chin.
After you’ve found the right spot, you only need to use a good razor or a shavette to get rid of the hairs.
Alternatively you can also use stubble or beard trimmer to keep this part on a light stubble, it’s up to you.
Step 4: Line Up The Neckline and The Cheeks
Last but not le
ast you should be lining up the neckline and the cheek line. If you have a steady hand, you may freestyle the edges, but if not, you can use the beard shaping tool to help you here.
Just remember that you shouldn’t trim the jawline to be right next to the actual jawbone, leave about 1-2″ of hair under it for best results.
When finding the right spot to trim the neckline from, use the classic method of placing your index and middle finger on top of the highest edge of your Adam’s apple and trim from there.
What Face Shape Fits The Wolverine Beard
The oblong face shape is the best fit for a wolverine beard, after all, Hugh Jackman himself sports an oblong face.
Oval shape and square shaped faces are also good fits for this beard style as they tend to have prominent chins with strong jawlines.
If you have a round or heart shaped face with weak chin or jawline then the wolverine beard and any kind of mutton chop style beard is a bad idea as those would only showcase the problem areas.
Guys with a double chin should also avoid the wolverine beard style as it has that shaved section in the chin which would only highlight the fat underneath.
Conclusion
The wolverine beard is an unique take on the classic mutton chops.
It’s a medium maintenance beard style that takes anywhere from two to four months to grow and makes you stand out from the masses instantly.
But only men with certain face shapes such as the oblong face can pull it off well. It’s unfortunately not a great choice for men with weaker jawlines or chins, or for men with visible double chins.
What do you think? Did we miss anything about the wolverine beard style? Let us know in the comments below.
