How to Groom Your Beard – The Ultimate Man Guide

Any man with a well-trimmed beard will tell you that no “good beard” comes accidentally. As for me, I started without a clue on how to go about grooming my beard to achieve the look that I desired. This is something that led to me trying out different beard grooming techniques. If you are interested in learning how to groom a beard, read on to gain insight from my personal experiences.

Before You Start

Beard grooming is a task that is not easy to complete. You need access to current and reliable information that can help you to properly groom your facial hair. Below are beard grooming tips to consider before getting started.

Be Patient

The first thing you need to do is to exercise some patience. An epic beard is often the result of practicing self-restraint. This calls for you to resist the urge to style or trim the beard. It should remain untouched for between four to six weeks. This is enough time for the facial hair to grow in an even manner (some hairs have a faster growth rate than others).
As it grows, you will get an opportunity to choose a style that perfectly fits its thickness and length. Having said this, you have to realize that every man’s hair will grow at a speed unique to it. Exercising, eating a well-balanced diet, and practicing a healthy lifestyle can assist in speeding up the growth rate.

Know-How (and When) to Trim

A well-groomed beard will require regular pruning, even though you may have plans to let the beard continue to grow out. Acquire a quality trimmer before determining the pruning technique to use to enable you to get started on achieving your master plan.

Match Your Beard to Your Face Shape

A beard is easily comparable to animals out in the wild. It needs to at all times remain in-tune with its immediate surroundings. Allow it to grow undisturbed for at least one month (four weeks) before you can start looking at possible styling techniques.
Any style chosen or settled upon ought to complement the shape of your face. It ensures that both you and the beard get to come out of the styling sessions looking splendid.

Beard Tools

There’s a lot that goes into caring for a beard, beyond cleaning it and ensure that it’s properly moisturized. At times, the beard may start to grow in different directions, in strange ways, and there are instances when it will fail to cooperate. When this happens, you need to look into grooming tools that can help you to trim, train, and guide it to grow the way you want. The easiest way of accruing your toolset is by opting in for the best beard grooming kit.

Beard & Mustache Combs

Chances are that you have come across beard and mustache combs online and dismissed them as non-essential grooming tools. The truth is that if you have to learn how to groom your beard, you will need to invest in tools that will make the grooming process simpler and worthwhile. A comb is among the tools you will need.
When you use a comb, you make it easier for products such as balms and oils to easily penetrate the facial hair. A beard grooming comb will assist you to straighten and separate individual hair strands while at the same time ensuring that the product is evenly applied. The comb can also assist in styling and taming fuller beards.

Beard Brush

Beard brushing is a rewarding and highly soothing grooming act whose benefits get magnified with the appearance of boar bristles. A good beard brush will assist you to evenly spread the sebum from the base of your facial hair shaft and skin to every strand of your beard. It’s recommended that you use this brush each night before you go to bed.
By doing this, you will get to ensure that your skin and your beard get to remain nourished and healthy, as you will not have to deal with suffocated hair follicles or unwanted breakages. It’s also a great idea to consider brushing the beard before you can start the styling process, more so if you happen to have a big bushy mustache.
Alternatively, you can also do so after you have applied some beard oil. Grab your comb after you have brushed the beard to assist you to finesse and complete your desired look.

Scissors

Every guy looking to grow a healthy beard needs to prepare a beard-grooming arsenal. The purpose of this pair of scissors is not to make big adjustments when doing personal grooming or for removing the beard, but you need them to assist you to shape and trim your beard. Remember that shaping and trimming is key to maintaining the required length. Grooming a beard is one thing but knowing how to maintain a beard is another.
Any person who has gone through this process can attest that the first cut is always the hardest to make. After this first cut, the going becomes easy as all you need to do is to stick to the initial plan and to keep going. It’s normal to worry that home trimming using scissors may fail to go as anticipated.
You should, however, note that you still have an opportunity to reshape your beard using your trimmers. A visit to the local barbershop could also do some wonders for your facial hair.

Electric Trimmer

We live in interesting times, and just as easy as it is for you to add an avocado to your bowl of burritos, so can you also get to control your beard trimming regimen. A good electric trimmer makes it possible for you to make adjustments to the suction intensity and may come with as many as eight different switchable guide combs.
This is in addition to having a six-toggle adjustable head as well as an ear and nose trimming head meant to make sure that those unwanted strays get to remain in order. While it’s normal to assume that beard trimming ought to remain a simple affair, having access to an electric trimmer exposes you to all kinds of trimming, shaping, and styling possibilities.

Razors

This raises the question “should i shave my beard ?” and to that I say: razors come in handy when you are trying to shave or style your beard. For you to achieve the best results when using a razor, you will need to begin by first wetting the facial hair. Prep the facial hair by taking a warm shower to open up your skin pores and to prevent a razor burn as well as skin irritation.
Ensure that you lather your face using a puck of shaving soap or a can of shaving cream before using the razor. A block of shaving soap is not only cost-efficient, but it also assists in keeping the skin hydrated because it contains lots of glycerin.

Beard Products

Growing and maintaining a beard involves ensuring that you care for it properly. Condition the beard using a utility balm and beard oil to keep in top shape throughout the day. Some of the recommended beard products include:

Beard Wash/Shampoo

A beard wash and a shampoo both hold the same level of importance as far as beard products are concerned. It’s mainly used to get rid of all the grime and excess oil that may have accumulated since the last wash.
It doesn’t make any sense to apply nourishing oil to a sweaty and greasy scruff or beard balm to a mane that is already grimy. Using a beard wash will make sure that your facial hair remains clean at all times, making it easier for it to absorb the other maintenance products.
The beard wash can also assist in conditioning and cleansing the hair that is beneath your beard, which is at times left unattended.

Softener

Caring for your beard calls for you to invest in a sulfate, silicone, and paraben-free beard softener. This softener is not very different from your normal hair conditioner in terms of usage. You will need to allow it enough time to sit in your beard when taking your morning shower.
Take care to rinse off the softener before it starts drying on your beard. Regular use will enable it to bring important hydration back to the facial hair and your skin. There’s a possibility that it could have become compromised depending on your activity levels, as well as how often you get to wash it.

Styling Balm

The styling balm not only helps you to control the facial hair, but it also simplifies the styling process. Consider buying a styling balm that can provide you with marshmallow consistency that will in the long-run provide you with the kind of volume that you want to have. The best styling products can deliver on this without you having to use other styling products.
Apply the styling balm when the beard is wet or slightly damp, before applying heat as required. With styling balms, you don’t have to worry about applying a copious amount as a little amount will get enable you to get a medium hold on the facial hair. If you end up with a firmer texture, consider applying a few beard oil drops.

Wax

If you want a stronger hold than the one provided by the styling balm, get yourself some mustache wax. You only need to apply a small amount to achieve an unshakeable hold. For this reason, a small tube of mustache wax is capable of lasting you a long time.
You can rely on it to provide you with a flexible hold that will ensure that hair won’t get into your mouth when eating. Application is as simple as scraping a small amount using your fingernails and applying it to the mustache after rubbing it between your fingers.

Oil

A nutrient-rich oil makes it easier for you to soften the facial whiskers and to stop it from itching. The oil is not only meant for use on the whiskers, as you use it to hydrate the skin beneath your beard during the cold winter season.
The skin underneath your beard is vulnerable to dryness during the cold weather. Additionally, getting a moisturizer below the beard is a hard fete to achieve. Lightweight beard oil will get to penetrate the skin easily.

How to Care for Your Beard

Keep It Clean and Soft

For obvious reasons, a dirty beard isn’t ideal. It can prove bothersome and time-consuming to trim a poorly cared for beard. Therefore, try to ensure that it remains clean at all times. Start by using a beard shampoo to clean it, as the skin on your face isn’t the same as the one on your scalp.
It pays to use a product that was purposely manufactured for this role. Condition the beard after you have washed it. Conditioning assists in softening your beard.

Supplements

Nutrition is crucial with regards to the rate at which the facial hair grows and how the beard ends-up looking. Hair experts often state that having healthy skin will normally translate to healthy-looking facial hair.
Given that it’s not always possible to get the vitamins you need from your diet; you can make sure that you get them from consuming supplements. Typically, you need to take a diet that is rich in vitamin A and Omega-3 fatty acids.
Where this is not possible, consider supplementing with supplements to guarantee that your body has everything it needs. Additionally, refrain yourself from consuming too much alcohol as this will lead to dehydration which is not good for your skin.

Wash It Regularly

Keeping your beard clean helps to keep it soft and to prevent itchiness. This is crucial especially when you are just starting to grow a beard. If you fail to wash and condition it regularly, chances are high that it will become dry and wiry. This can cause a lot of itchiness which is known to cause men to give up growing a beard and choosing to shave it instead.
Use a clean towel to dry it after washing. Don’t use old towels as they are likely to be breeding grounds for bacteria.

Beard Care Means Skin Care

Proper beard care means ensuring that your skin is clean as well. Failure to do so will lead to the emergence of beardruff (beard dandruff). The skin will become dry and begin to go scaly or flaky. It’s recommended that you try and scrub your beard at least two times each week.

How to Style Your Beard

Brush It Out

When you are done washing your beard, use a clean towel to dry it. Once dry, take the beard brush mentioned earlier and begin running it against the bearded grain.
The aim here is to ensure that the facial hairs get to stand up and point outwards. Brushing it out will also make the beard easier to trim, and in the process also highlight any growth inconsistencies that may have previously gone unnoticed.

Define Your Neckline (Shape of U)

Trimming the neckline is perhaps the trickiest aspect of styling a beard. Luckily there are some great tools available that will help you shave your beard.

Ignoring this particular demarcation will easily cause you to compromise your beard or make you trim it incorrectly. Luckily some great tools are available that will help you shave your beard.
You can stop this from happening by trimming all the facial hair beneath your Adam’s apple. Depending on your preferences, you could need to either go lower or higher for you to achieve the optimal cut.
This is, however, still an ideal reference for where your beard should dip to its lowest. From here, proceed to extend it upwards in the shape of a soft curve pointing towards your ears. This action should lead to the creation of a narrow “U” shape.

Know When to Use Beard Oil and When to Use Beard Balm

1. Beard Oil

This is a conditioner used to reduce beard itch and hydrate the skin. It’s also the product to use when you want to prevent your skin from becoming flaky. Flaky skin is likely to cause problems for you when it begins to clog the skin pores which may, in turn, prevent your beard from growing any further.

2. Beard Balm

This is a styling aid and a hybrid conditioner. You can choose to think of it as a medium hold pomade for the beard. It comprises of natural oils and beeswax. The balm can train and tame mustache hair to grow in a given manner and it also assists in hydrating the skin.

Finish with Oil

Your beard, just like your head hair will need some moisture for it to remain healthy. I recommend that you finish the grooming process by applying some beard oil that will assist in moisturizing it, as well as ensuring that the hair remains in tip-top shape.
Use a beard comb to distribute the beard oil, post trim the facial hair and style it into place.

In Conclusion…

Congratulations on making it this far! I sincerely hope that you have managed to learn some useful grooming techniques that will help you to grow and maintain a healthy beard. With the right techniques, products, and tools, I believe that your beard will in no time become a source of envy, confidence, and pride to you.

Good Grooming!