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The Hugh Jackman Beard, aka “The Wolverine”. Three things are iconic “must-haves” if you’re going to play a legendary comic book character like Wolverine. To create a perfect Jackman replication, you’ve got to have the hair, the razor-sharp claws, and that wonderful Wolverine beard.
The first two can be pulled off with a little Hollywood magic. But not everyone can grow the epic facial hair that Hugh Jackman replicated in X-Men back in the early 2000s.
Whether you’re getting ready to cosplay as Logan at a convention or if you want to sport something unique, we’ll show you how you can rock the best Hugh Jackman beard. Jackman is a successful actor who shrouds himself in his roles.
His facial hair changes with almost every film. But with over twenty years of experience playing the mutant from down under, he has found a look that he can wear like a glove.
Read Next: Famous Actors With Beards and The Hollywoodian Beard
What Is the Hugh Jackman Beard?
Hugh Jackman has a very distinct style when sculpting his facial hair for the films where he plays Wolverine. It redefines the features of his face and not only makes him look rugged and tough but also sets a style that isn’t matched.
This is the missing link between mutton chops and a full beard. It has become one of the popular styles for men that want their beards to be attention grabbers and conversation starters. Breaking it down to the bare bones, it is a set of mutton chops that are joined under the chin.
There is a gap on the chin itself and the mustache is cut back to stubble. It sounds simple. When done right, you’ll be a recognizable face. The Wolverine may be recognizable now as a style worn in several popular movies.
But it’s just a variation on something popular in the past. The mutton chops were big in the 19th century. The biggest difference would be the mustache. Jackman doesn’t have one when he’s playing Logan. The old classic style would have had a great big one.
John Lennon famously wore a similar style. His sideburns did not come to his chin but they got close a few times. And a lot of guys through history sported something similar. Have you ever seen a picture of Chester Arthur, 21st president of the US?
The great thing about the style is that it can just be a starting point for how you want to make it your own. Even Hugh Jackman didn’t have one look that he kept locked in. Watch the first X-Men film and you’ll see that he’s all cleaned up and trim.
Watch Logan and you’ll see what it looks like when it is a little more grown out and unkempt.
You have a template to make yourself look even more rugged. But keeping it trimmed up and clean might make the difference between looking like Wolverine and looking like Kurt Russell in Quentin Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight.
There are several advantages to the Hugh Jackman Beard:
- It has lots of versatility
- Anyone can sculpt it easily
- Maintenance is easy and worry free
- It’s an attention grabber
- It just looks cool
Growing Your Own Hugh Jackman Beard
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Let It Grow
If you’ve ever seen the X-Men movies or read any of the comics, you know Wolverine is not a clean-cut and dapper gentleman. He’s a cigar-smoking roughneck, and he’s good in a fight.
So, if you want to make your beard look the way it did in those movies, you’ll want your beard to be just a tad on the unruly side. You want a rugged look. You’ll have to grow a full beard to start will. It will be the canvas that will become your masterpiece.
You don’t have to grow it to “mountain-man” length, but Hugh Jackman had a beard about an inch long when he made the first movie. Beards grow about a half-inch every four weeks, so it will take a couple of months to get it right.
If you’re going for the beard he sported in Logan, you’ll want to wait about four months since you’ll need two inches of growth.
If you’ve tried to grow a full beard in the past and it just didn’t grow right, then it may not be time for you to try this. There are things that you can do to help yourself get a thicker beard. Try some of those steps and then go for the Wolverine look a little later.
What Will You Need
Don’t even think about a razor! Put away the blades. Put away the scissors. You won’t need to use anything on that beautiful mane but an electric razor. Take the guard off of it and get ready to shape it.
Remember, you’re supposed to look rugged. And even the parts of your face that you shave are supposed to be covered in stubble. So you’re not going to touch up with a blade afterward, either.
Sculpting
Now you have a full beard and an electric razor. You’re ready to get down to business. Wash and dry your beard well before you get started. You’re going to want to go straight for the mustache or the chin. We’ll get there, so just take your time.
You don’t want to mess this up and have to start all over. The best place to start is the neck. Mr. Jackman had his beard high on his neck. It was much closer to his chin.
You can place a couple of fingers just under your chin and you’ll see where the trim needs to happen. Cut everything below that line with your electric razor. It should give you a clean look and still leave a little stubble behind.
The mustache goes next. Shave it off. But don’t shave the hair that connects it to your beard. You can trim those connectors back a bit if you want. The good thing about so many X-Men movies is that Hugh Jackman made subtle changes to his look almost every time.
With the chin, there comes a little bit of disagreement. Some people say to start and the soul patch and shave straight through the chin and the neckline. This leaves the chin exposed and the mutton chops disconnected.
Others say that Wolverine had a little bit of hair connecting his chops just below his chin. You can do the latter and then re-evaluate. If you think you need to cut through the rest, go for it.
Maintaining Your Look
Jeanne McRight/Shutterstock
Trimming
The wonderful thing about the Hugh Jackman beard is the flexibility. It’s very forgiving of going a few days without any cleanup. Wolverine has had periods where he was a little more clean-cut than others.
And since the lip and chin are supposed to have heavy stubble, you don’t have to worry about shaving daily. The mutton chops look good if they’re a little messy.
But if you go too long without a trim, they’re will start to lose their shape. Get in the practice of giving the lip and chin a once-over every two or three days. The rest of the beard can stand to go longer unless you want to keep everything looking tight.
When you’re ready to trim, set your trimmers for your desired length and go over the sideburns. Then remove the guard and shape the edges to keep them clean and fresh.
Cleaning
If you want your beard to look as healthy as Hugh Jackman’s, you have to keep it healthy. Wash it every day. Also, wash your face with a cleaning solution to be sure the skin underneath doesn’t get neglected.
Moisturizers and beard oils are probably something that the real Wolverine would scoff at. But Jackman obviously uses these products or he wouldn’t be able to play the same character for over twenty years. Especially a superhero that doesn’t age!
Who the Hugh Jackman Beard Looks Best On
Age
There is another great thing about the Wolverine. It doesn’t matter how old you are. As long as you can grow facial hair, you’ll be fine. If you’re doing it as your everyday look, you’ll find that the older you are the more rugged it will make you look.
And if you’re growing it as part of a costume for Halloween or cosplay, you can make your age part of it. If you’re young then you can be Wolverine from the early years of the X-Men. If you’re older you can pretend to be Old Man Logan. Chomp a cigar and growl at people.
Face Shape
The mutton chops might not work for every face shape. Hugh Jackman has a long face and they work perfectly for him. If you have a round face you probably want to find another look for you. This is going to make you look even rounder. And if you have a pointy chin then the chops will frame it like a neon sign.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Why does Wolverine have mutton chops?
The honest answer of why Wolverine was designed with mutton chops has to do with the comic book art of the 1960s. Marvel Comics wanted him to have a distinctive look that would make him easily recognizable whether they were drawing him in his costume or not.
When dressed in all his superhero gear, he wore a mask with points on it. So when he took that off, he would keep the points in his hair. They wanted to use the mutton chops to frame his face. It made him more menacing and helped to distinguish him from other characters.
Does Hugh Jackman keep the beard?
Not usually. Hugh Jackman is a versatile and talented actor. He embraces the opportunity to play various roles and act in films that take place in many periods. His facial hair changes all the time.
What do I do if I trim it wrong?
It’s possible to mess up when you are shaping your beard for the first time. If it’s a small mistake it might be coverable. The Wolverine leaves a lot of room for forgiveness. If you trim the neck too close to your face or you do something else that you can’t cover, there is no shame in starting over.
Yeah, it’s no fun having to grow the beard again after spending that much time on it. The good thing is that you can just trim it down until the mistake is gone. You may still have some stubble and won’t take as long to grow it.
Is the Wolverine beard attractive?
There aren’t a lot of beard styles that are as low maintenance as this one. The fact that you don’t have to do anything to it every day makes it attractive for guys.
And the fact that there are so many ways to style it will make it very attractive to everyone else. You can wear it bushy and messy. Or you can clean it up and wear it neat and trimmed. There are a million looks with it.
What is Wolverine’s beard style called?
When the style was popular in the 1800s it was usually referred to as sideburns or mutton chops. A form of it was worn a lot in the 1960s. It was called the Lennon, or something along those lines since John Lennon wore them.
Since Hugh Jackman came onto the scene as Wolverine he has become so closely associated with the look that it is usually called “The Wolverine” or the “Hugh Jackman beard”.
So, What Is the Hugh Jackman Beard?
Hugh Jackman’s iconic facial hair in movies he’s appeared in as Wolverine makes him recognizable to anyone. It is a different yet bold look for a man that wants to draw a little attention to himself. At the same time, it is one of the most versatile facial looks that a guy can wear.
Without much effort, it can go from unkept to clean and neat. It is an attractive choice for guys that want a look that can change easily without losing it.