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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at San Francisco chapter.

Each decade brings something new to the world of men’s facial hair and in honor of No Shave November and Prostate Cancer Awareness Month let’s reminisce about a few of the most popular styles and see just how far the beard has come.

1800’sClean Shave

Clean cuts were all the rage and nobody did it themselves. Barbers were on constant call because shaving your own face increased your risk of contracting tetanus from an old, worn out blade.

1860’sChin Curtain and Side Burns

Abe Lincoln helped popularise the chin curtain and side burns in the late 1800’s. These two looks were seen on everyone from high-ranking military heros to the average Joe.

1900’sHandle Bar Mustache

Just like the 1800’s a clean shave was back in but with a twist. Some men were choosing to sport the ultra-twisty handlebar mustache. The trend didn’t last too long because men were afraid their facial hair was carrying germs and opted to shave everything off once again.

1930’sToothbrush Mustache

Like Abe in his time, Charlie Chaplin inspired a new trend among men, the toothbrush mustache. A short, small mustache that only covered the philtrum started popping up on faces around the world. After World War 2 though, the trend was quickly wiped out of existence.

1950’sGoatee

The goatee, made popular by beatniks and jazz singers of the day it’s one of the more versatile facial hair looks. Whether you wear it thick or thin as long as your mustache is connected to your beard then you are good to go!

1970’sHorseshoe Mustache

Rocked by wrestlers and members of intense biker gangs the horseshoe mustache, also sometimes refered to as a pornostache, was the sign of a 1970’s badass.

2000’sLumberjack Look

A rise in “hipsters” in the mid to late 2000’s brought facial hair back on trend. The one look that came out on top? The Lumberjack look. Men sporting huge, full beards and wearing old-school plaid shirts were everywhere. The look inspired everything to be branded with a beard or mustache. Coffee cups to day planners to backpacks, now you can buy anything with a little bit of facial hair.
 
The Future
 
With men’s facial hair changing each and every decade who knows what next decade will bring us. Whether it’s old timey styles made modern or something completely new, we can’t wait to see what’s up next in the world of beards.