Beards are complicated. That may seem like a silly statement to the uninitiated; after all, it’s just hair, right? But a beard requires a lot more work to grow, cultivate, and shape than the hair on your head, especially because it’s usually a more personal journey for the man growing it.
Everything from initial conception to late stage maintenance needs to be handled carefully, because a poorly shaped beard can leave your face looking…wrong. Uneven, maybe too thick or too thin. Whatever the detail, a poorly grown (or chosen) beard is one of the most notable features a man can have, perhaps even more so than when it’s done well.
If it’s botched thoroughly enough, a lot of the time your best bet is to grab your trusty straight razor and hack it all off, then start again…a process that could take months at least.
But follow these easy steps and you should come out just fine!
Step 1: Look Carefully
Take some time and look in the mirror. Really take in the details of your face and what you look like. What’s your best feature? What’s your worst?
A beard can (and should) be used to accentuate your best features and hide any flaws. If you have a thin face that you’re not proud of, a bard can be used to give it the illusion of being fuller. By contrast, if you have a rounder face, a beard can be used for contouring to give it the illusion of a more chiseled appearance.
The contrast is also true. If you really like your thinner features, the right beard choice can really accentuate it and make it pop, or a rounder face can be enhanced by a beard to give you a much friendlier, distinctive look.
It all comes down to preference, but before you make a change you must first know yourself.
Step 2: Define the Neckline
“Neckbeard” is an insult for a few reasons, but the most relevant for us today is that it speaks to a certain sloppiness in your appearance that is best avoided.
The neckline is one of the most important features of your beard, and needs to be carefully chosen. You shouldn’t cut the neckline too high, as it will just look odd, as if your beard is springing fully formed from your chin.
But nor should it be too low, as otherwise, it looks unkempt.
As a general rule, the neckline should be no longer than two fingers above your Adam’s apple and draw a pleasing U shape down from the ears when properly shaped.
Step 3: What to Keep, What to Trim?
Depending on your chosen beard style, you’re going to have to start being very choosy about where and how you trim your beard. Do you want a mustache? Sideburns? Both? Neither?
All of these things need to be taken into account and there are few hard and fast rules with most; they just need to match the style of the rest of your beard. Make sure to keep every part of your face you don’t explicitly want to be part of your beard fully clean-shaven to highlight contrast.
The only real rule of thumb? Keep your mustache above your lip, and your beard below it. Nobody wants their beard to be referred to as a “soup strainer”.
Step 4: Use Your Electric Trimmer
For bushier beards especially, a beard trimmer is a lifesaver. It can be adjusted to a specific length, so you can much more consistently cut down to whatever your most comfortable length is.
A common rule of thumb is to start with a size 3, usually standardized to a 9mm attachment.
This, combined with some beard scissors to trim off any stray hairs, will help keep the bits of your beard you want to rest at a specific length to that proper length so your beard doesn’t appear out of control.
Step 5: Use Those Products
It’s a stereotype that men don’t use “beauty products” like makeup or conditioner for their hair, but it’s one you should buck, especially when it comes to your beard.
Beard oil and beard combs, among other products, go a long way toward keeping your beard smooth, silky, and tamed.
Not only do they simply make your beard hair nicer to look at and touch, they also make it easier to shape. Beard hair shouldn’t be stiff and bristly, but moldable, with about the moldability of a warm copper wire when well-maintained, though much smoother to run your fingers through.
Keeping your hair flexible like this allows it to be shaped into all kinds of designs, and give you a lot more freedom to choose what you’re going to look like.