It might seem counterintuitive to trim your beard if you’re trying to grow it out, but a little pruning can go a long way. If you want your beard to grow out smoothly, evenly, and magically that is.
Remember, you’re not simply growing bushes around your mouth, you’re nurturing a personal Garden of Eden for you face to thrive in.
In this tutorial, Joey Tasca from Freemans Sporting Club Barbershop demonstrates how to clean up your beard without compromising its burgeoning glory.
Beard-Trimming Tools:
- Comb or brush: your comb is your trusty sidekick. A comb is used to brush your hairs in the same direction. It keeps them uniform but separate. Without it, your beard is forever tangled.
- High-grade clippers: the lawn-mower for your face that does the bulk of the work. This is where it’s worth it to invest some money. The better the clipper, the neater the trim.
- Scissors: the ultimate detailing device. When you go back for inspections and revisions, you attack stray hairs with your handy clippers.
- Beard oil or moisturizer: the icing on the cake. A little oil or moisturizer is like shoeshine and soil for your beard. It keeps it handsome and helps it grow.
How to Trim Your Beard:
- Comb it out: Get all your hairs settled into one direction. Comb everywhere, including the mustache and bottom, areas. You’re trying to group certain portions of your hair together. Think of your mustache, your cheek hairs, your chin hairs, and your neck hairs as separate bushes that need to be aligned amongst themselves. Once the groups are evenly brushed, you can trim particular portions accordingly, and identify stray hairs.
- Use clippers for an even cut: This is where you make certain pieces of your beard are in proportion. If you want to maintain the length showcased here (half an inch), try a number 4 setting. If you aren’t sure, just start with a bigger clip and work your way down. Increase this size as your beard continues to grow out. A little practice will help you get the mechanics and angling down solid.
- Fade the neck and cheeks: Graduate to smaller clipper settings (starting two sizes lower) as you move outward. Try this tutorial for trimming and fading your beard. We like using the fade because it lasts longer than edging out with sharp lines. It’s the more practical way to grow out your beard. You don’t want to have to re-edge your beard every few days. A fade trim can last you a month.
- Trim the mustache properly: Comb all hairs to the side first. Make sure the hairs are properly combed together into their respective portions. Trim to your desired setting. Then comb down over the lip and remove the guard, to trim anything that hangs over onto the lip. Remember, no hair on the lips.
- Use scissors for detailing: Your handiwork is almost complete. Check back to ensure that you didn’t miss a few stragglers. Clean up strays and give yourself a more natural finish. Don’t go overboard with it; that’s a recipe for disaster.
- Finish with a beard oil
or beard moisturizer: Oils and moisturizers will keep your hairs healthy and prevent them from drying and itching. It helps the finished product look nicer, while at the same time helping your beard last longer. It’s the wax to your fresh new paint job. It’s the outer coat of paint. You can’t go without it.
Additional Beard-Trimming Tips:
- Trim your beard when it’s dry: You’ll get a better sense of how it will look. Hair looks longer, straighter, and tighter when it’s wet. When you’re beard is dry you’re sculpting. Everything will stay as is. It’s easier to learn this way as well.
- Invest in a solid pair of clippers: They will last much longer and are far more durable. Think of them like lawn mowers. If you’re going to mow your lawn often, you might want to invest in a John Deere. Clippers are more or less the same. It’s heavy work, so use a brand you can trust.
- Don’t assume all guards are the same length: Like with clothing, every brand’s measurements are slightly different. Always test your clippers out on a higher guard before settling into your preferred length. Though, a four-guard is half an inch.
- When you trim the underside, stretch out the skin: The neck skin can bunch together, so be sure you’re grazing over the actual surface of the skin. If you forget this step, you are likely to trim over or under trim a certain area of your neck. You need to try and get your neck as straight and as flat as you possibly can.
