Beards grow naturally and easily. In the earlier days, men just let their beards grow to whatever length, and nobody gave a care about it. Today, however, things are a little different. An unkempt beard does not accent your manliness. You have to learn how to trim a beard the proper way to look presentable.
Shaving a beard makes you look tidy. Doing so might even boost your points in the dating and employment scene. That notwithstanding, a properly trimmed beard complements your facial features. Interestingly, you don’t always have to visit your barber every time you need your beard trimmed. You can do it yourself, but you have to follow a couple of steps to achieve the desired results.
You must learn to trim a beard and do it regularly if you wish to look your best every day. Here, we will outline the steps to follow and the essential tools for the task.
Table of Contents
1.    Assess the type of hair you have
Before you think about how to cut a beard, you must first have a clear understanding of your type of hair. Different individuals have different types of hairs. Some have curly hair, while, others have coarse hair.
You must also establish if you have thick or thin beard hair.
The key here is to ensure that your beard grows out. Do not trim it when it’s still tiny because you may end up cutting hair follicles that haven’t fully grown, and this might lead to ingrown.
If you’re still wondering why your hair type plays a huge role in how to trim a beard, the primary reason is that it helps you settle on a style that suits you best. Moreover, it allows you to select the tools that will get the job done.
2.    Choose your tools
After you’ve established your hair type, you can now proceed to select your tools. The most common tools used in cutting a beard include clippers, beard shaping tools, beard combs or brushes, scissors, beard oil, and a mirror.
Each of the tools mentioned before has a specific use. When it comes to selecting a razor, you must know that each type of razor serves a different purpose. Furthermore, different razors are suited for different types of hair.
Fortunately, there exist plenty of tools on the market meat for trimming beards. A stubble trimmer is one of the tools that you can get to give yourself a look that most women will love.
If you don’t know the trimmer that works best for you, you can experiment with several or consult with experts. Eventually, you’ll settle for a trimmer that works for you. You must also ensure to clean your tools after every shave.
3.    Determine the right beard for your face shape
Undoubtedly, people have different face shapes. Persons have round, square, triangular, rectangular, and oblong face shapes. As a result, not every beard cut suits everyone. You must first establish your face shape to help you decide on how to trim your beard.
How do you determine the shape of your face? You measure the distance between your forehead, cheekbones, and jawline. Afterward, measure the distance between the chin and your crown. Typically, the longest measurement stipulated your face shape.
If you have a round or square-shaped face, here’s how to trim your beard. Let your beard grow longer under your chin, but trim the sideburns to a shorter length. This trim works for these face shapes because they are wider than other face shapes.
Alternatively, individuals who have rectangular, oblong, and triangular face shapes should trim their sideburns thicker. However, don’t let them grow out too long because they may affect the shape of your head.
You can always seek advice from your barber concerning the style that will suit you best.
4.    Wash your beard
After you’ve established the style that fits your face shape, you can now proceed to wash your beard. For the best results, clean it with beard shampoo, and ensure to condition it so that it can soften. There’s a myriad of beard shampoos and conditioners out there. Consult a few experts to figure out the best product.
Dry your beard using a dry towel, then run a brush or beard comb against the grain of your beard. Thishelps the beards to stand up, making it easier to cut.
5.    Pick your clipper/trimmer and get to cutting
This is the step that delivers the look that suits you or the one that you desire. As a result, you need to take your time and do it gently. Pick your clippers to trim your beard to the desired length. Experts recommend starting with a bigger guard to ensure that you shave your beard evenly, and not too short.
You should also shave with the grain, but if you desire a closer shave, trim your beard against it. However, you must exercise extra caution with close shaves to avoid irritation or occurrence of bumps. Nobody wants that. Or do you?
You must also know how to shape your cheek lines. You can let it grow naturally, or you can use a beard shaping tool to sculpt your cheek line to the look you desire.
Another crucial point when trimming your beard is creating the perfect neckline. Technically, your neckline is the invisible line that stars under each earlobe and then connects under your jaw. There exist two ways to identify your neckline.
- Place two fingers above your Adam’s apple. The top of your fingers indicated the bottom point of your neckline.
- You can tilt your head downward. A crease will form, indicating your neckline. Place your finger on the crease then straighten your head.
When it comes to trimming your sideburns, there are different ways to go about it. All these ways depend on the length of hair. If you have short hair, you should trim your sideburns to appear as if they disappear at the top of your ears. On the other hand, if you have long hair, cut them to grow below and above your ears.Overall, you should shape them to look as if there’s a transition from your hair to your beard.
Some men, however, don’t desire to style their beard; theywish to trim it whole. If you’re in the dark on how to trim a full beard, here’s how to do it. Take your trimmer, and ensure to start with the longest attachment of your trimmer set. Next, comb your beard the start cutting. Stop when your hair evens out.
6.    Work on your mustache
Your mustache is a vital part of your beard. As a result, you need to remember it when trimming your beard. Some men, however, prefer letting it grow. Albeit it’s recommended to cut it so that it may not engulf your upper lip.
Before youcut your mustache, you need to rest your face, then comb or brush the hairs down. The best way to trim it is by using beard scissors. You should also use an electric razor to shape it around the lips.
7.    Soothe any irritation
Sometimes when men shave, they feel some irritation. The skin around the beard area may appear red or bumpy. However, this irritation shouldn’t trouble you. You need to exfoliate your skin often to eliminate the dead skin cells to prevent them from blocking your pores.
You can also soothe the irritation by moisturizing the area you shave with an after-shave. You can find plenty of suitable post-shave mists that contain essential ingredients.
8.    Feed/pamper your beard
Caring for your beard doesn’t end at trimming it. You need to pamper and treat your beard if you wish for it to remain in top condition. How exactly do you go about this? Simple. Ensure to wash your beard with a facial hair cleanser. You should also apply some beard oil to help moisturize your skin. This is the best care you can give your beard.
Things to avoid when trimming your beard
Trimming your beard is a seamless and straightforward process, but making slight mistakes is inevitable. Here are some of the things you should avoid when cutting your beard.
When trimming the neckline, do not go too high. Doing so might ruin the appearance of a full beard.
When it comes to applying beard oil, never do it roughly. Additionally, you shouldn’t apply beard oil in excessive amounts. That would be wastage because it will not get absorbed.
Conclusion
The beard is a facial feature that has for long been used to define a man’s manliness. However, long gone are the days where keeping an unkempt beard was a thing. Trimming your beardis one of the most hygienic things, and it has become part of grooming. However, you must learn how to trim a beard if you want to stand out from the crowd. You can follow the steps indicated above, and ensure to keep off bad beard trimming habits.
