French fork
the long beard split into two points
A French fork is a long full beard divided at the bottom into two distinct prongs, so the beard ends in two points rather than one edge. The split usually starts below the chin and runs to the ends.
It is the most sculptural shape in this directory and the one that most obviously announces that someone has decided to have a beard.
At a glance
- Also known as
- Nothing else in common use
- What it is
- Long beard split into two points.
- Length
- Long, three inches and up
- Growing time
- 4 to 6 months or more
- Trim how often
- Every 1 to 2 days
- Best face shapes
- Oval
- Moustache
- Yes
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The variations
The same shape, worn differently. What changes is length, density and how much you take off at the edges.
Will it suit your face?
Where a style puts weight, and where it takes it away, is what decides whether it suits you. The table below is the short version.
| Oval | Ideal | Takes almost any length and shape without fighting the proportions. |
|---|---|---|
| Round | Avoid | Adds width where there is already width. A chin-led style suits better. |
| Square | Works | Round the corners off or it doubles up on a jaw that is already strong. |
| Long | Ideal | Width at the cheeks shortens the face. Keep the chin short, not pointed. |
| Heart | Works | Weight low balances a wide forehead, so long as the cheeks stay tidy. |
| Diamond | Ideal | Fills the narrow jaw and squares off the lower face. |
How to cut one, in four steps
- Grow it out4 to 6 months or more. Cutting into a beard that has not filled in leaves holes you then have to grow out again.
- Set the lengthStart on a longer guard than you think you need and work down. You cannot put it back.
- Set the necklineTwo fingers above the Adam's apple, curving up to behind the jaw. Higher than that and you lose the jawline.
- Tidy the cheeksFollow your natural cheek line rather than inventing a straight one. Take off anything above it.
Full detail, tools and the common mistakes are in the guide below.
What it is
A full beard of four inches or more, grown wide enough at the bottom to carry a division, then separated into two tails.
The fork can be subtle, a shallow notch in the bottom edge, or dramatic, two clearly separate points running several inches. Both count.
Everything above the split is a normal full beard: natural cheek lines, full moustache, no fade.
What it requires
Four to six months at least, and realistically longer. The fork only reads once the beard is long enough for two points to be distinguishable, which is somewhere past four inches.
Density. This is the real gate. A fork made from thin growth looks like a beard that has parted by accident rather than by design. You need enough hair that each prong has substance on its own.
Wax or balm. The split does not hold itself. Left alone the two halves drift back together within hours.
Symmetry, which is the difficult part. Two points either match or they are obviously wrong, and faces are not symmetrical to begin with.
It suits an oval face, which can carry the vertical emphasis. On a long face it adds length you do not want.
Growing it
Grow a full beard first and do not think about the fork until month four. There is no way to encourage a split early; you need the length.
Comb it downward daily from about week six, which trains the hair and gives you an even base to divide later.
Keep the neckline. Everything else grows.
Making the fork
Find your natural centre. Comb the beard straight down and look for where it wants to part. Working with that is far easier than imposing a centre line.
Start the split below the chin, not at it. A fork that begins too high looks like a gap rather than a shape.
Separate with your fingers while damp, then work a small amount of wax or a firm balm into each side, drawing each prong downward and slightly outward.
Trim the two points to match, dry and combed. Cut less than you think on the first pass, then compare at arm's length rather than close up.
Do not thin the middle. The prongs need to look like divisions of a full beard, not two thin tails.
Keeping it
Reset it daily. Damp, comb, separate, wax. Sleep undoes it entirely.
Wash two or three times a week and oil daily, as with any beard this length.
Trim the points every three to five weeks to keep them even. This is the only cutting the style needs and it is the one most likely to go wrong, so take very little each time.
Where it goes wrong
Attempting it too early. Under four inches there is nothing to split.
Uneven points. The defining failure. Trim to the shorter side rather than chasing the longer one.
Starting the split too high. It reads as a gap in the beard.
Trying it on thin growth. The fork needs mass on both sides.
Questions we get asked
What is a French fork beard?
A long full beard split at the bottom into two distinct points, held apart with wax or balm.
How long does it take to grow?
Four to six months at minimum. The fork only reads properly past about four inches.
Does it need product?
Yes. The split does not hold on its own and the two halves drift back together within hours without wax or a firm balm.
Can I grow one with a thin beard?
Not convincingly. Each prong needs substance, and a thin fork reads as accidental.
How do I keep the two sides even?
Trim dry and combed, take very little, and judge at arm's length rather than in close-up. Match the shorter side rather than cutting the longer one down repeatedly.
What face shape suits it?
An oval face. It adds vertical emphasis, so a long face is better served by something wider.
Other full beards
Same shape, different length or moustache.
If this one is too much work
Same idea, less of your morning.
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