The 7 Secrets To Growing a Perfect Beard, According To Expert Barbers
A beard is always an option for most men. Whether you actually grow a beard depends on how long you're willing to endure the uncomfortable and awkward transition from clean shaved to imperfectly scruffy. While some men have an easier time growing a beard than others, if you really want a beard, you just need to be committed.
When you want to grow a beard, you will need support in the form of beard-friendly products and a plan for how you would like your beard to look if you are going to do it yourself. Starting a new exercise program is similar: you have to know what you want as the end goal, and you work backwards from there to determine how to get to it. To achieve this goal, you need to be committed, patient, and dedicated to the process. You don't get a six pack overnight, nor will you wake up with a flowing Jason Momoa beard overnight.
A healthy, beautiful beard can be achieved with the right planning, products, and care. But please do not compare your beard with others; you need to maximize your own beard's potential.
Here are some tips on growing a beard
To manage expectations and formulate a solid plan, it is essential to understand your facial hair. You don't have to have been bearded in the past to know what your facial hair looks like. As a shaver, you already know how far down your neck your whiskers grow and what direction they grow. You may already have an idea if your face hair comes in patchy or full, as well as how quickly it grows, if you have allowed yourself to have some stubble for a few days.
If you have patchy hair or fast-growing hair, you may wish to go for longer beards, while thick, fast-growing hair will require more frequent trimmings.
1. Take Care of Your Skin
In order to maintain healthy hair, it's important to take good care of your skin. When it comes to your beard, hair and skin care are connected.
It is important to maintain a good skincare routine. Growing healthy facial hair requires healthy skin. By maintaining a clean skin, your beard can grow healthier and more quickly!
2. Use Your Face Shape to Sculpt Your Beard
When you're assessing your whiskers, you should also take a good, long look at your face. One thing beards can enhance or alter is the shape of your face. The overall shape should be considered: if it's round, a beard could make it look longer and leaner (if the sides are shorter and the chin remains long); if it's oval, it could make it look wider and more angular (by leaving the sides longer); if it's square, it can soften harsher angles (by trimming rounded angles).
A talented barber will be able to manipulate your beard shape in a way that complements your hairstyle and suits your chin shape the best.
The beard should help shape your face as close to an oval as possible, but it can also create an angular look and make your jawline look more defined. Turn your head slightly to each side to see if you'll need to trim your beard with sharp angles.
In the beginning, you will not necessarily see your beard looking great or suiting your face, which is the hardest part of growing a beard. It can be difficult to get through that initial growth stage, especially if it doesn't look as you imagined. You have to persevere until it is large enough to be shaped and groomed, so stay strong!
3. Shave your face prior to growing a beard
While shaving may seem counterintuitive, it could help you grow a beard. If your hair starts to grow out, barbers recommend giving yourself a close shave to stimulate the hair follicles and decrease the number of ingrown hairs you get. You can also use it to prepare your skin so that facial hair can grow out smoothly and without itchiness.
It is always fun to take a before and after picture if your hair is really short, and a clean shave is always a great way to reset.
As soon as you step out of the shower, massage some pre-shave oil into your skin to help the hairs stand up for easier shaving (it will also lubricate your skin and help prevent razor burn). Using a new blade on whatever kind of razor you prefer, start shaving with the grain (the direction your hair grows) using a thick shaving cream. To avoid nicks and cuts, make sure you take smooth, even strokes. Don't rush through it—make sure you're taking smooth, even strokes. After rinsing off the cream, apply a moisturizing, alcohol-free lotion to calm and hydrate your skin
It isn't necessary to shave your face clean if you are planning to grow a beard. If you are the type of man who can grow a long stubble in a few days and your skin is in good condition, Brownless recommends going for it! While your beard fills out, stay at home and then trim it before you make your big debut. You may not feel confident in your beard growth for as long as a month, but do not let that stop you from showing it off. Don't worry about it, it's all part of the process.
4. Wait at least two months before trimming your beard
Be patient when starting a beard and wait two months before trimming or shaping it. Step away from the razor after your final shave. You have to be patient when starting a beard.
Wait until you feel that it's really messy before you call in the pros. The longer the hair grows, the more options your barber has when shaping it.
It is important to know what you're working with when growing a beard, and the only way to do so is to let it grow. You may be surprised at how length can conceal patchy areas, and a beard could grow in fuller and thicker than you could have imagined.
The itchiness of growing beard can be uncomfortable, especially if you're new to it. Most men who go bearded don't last more than a month. You can soothe the itch with stubble balm to soften short hairs in your beard and make them tolerable, or you can use beard oil to moisturize and smooth your new beard (dry skin will make your new beard worse). When you feel like you could be mistaken for Bigfoot, it's time to visit the barber.
In between appointments, ask your barber how you can tame any flyaway beards in between appointments, as well as what products to use to keep your beard in good shape and healthy. Choosing the right styling products is key to taming your beard, so take your barber's advice when choosing your new hair care routine.
5. Plan out your beard lines
Nevertheless, you should keep your beard lines crisp as it grows out in order to create the final form you intend to have. It’s important to remember that there is a fine line between an intentional, well-maintained beard and a bunch of wild growth that all starts at the neck.
Decide where you want the neck line to fall once you get some length to your facial hair. Some men prefer a high neck line, an inch or so above the Adam’s apple, while others prefer a slightly lower line. When you want to shave below your neck line, visualize a “U” with its lowest part falling at the neck line (turn your head from side to side to make sure you see it from all angles). Use a razor or trimmer to shave below that line. Look straight ahead in the mirror and you should not see any hair on your neck below your chin. The same goes for your cheeks, which should be free of straggling hairs.
You can keep those lines sharp as you like, but leaving your cheeks hair-free will say “I have a beard!” rather than “I haven’t shaved in a week!” Once your beard is long enough to start shaping, you'll know exactly where you want the lines to fall when you're ready to shape it.
6. Trim Your Beard Into Shape
The hard part of growing a beard is over! Once you have about two months of it grown, it’s time to start shaping it. You now have a real beard that needs some attention. To help soften the hairs, wash it with a beard wash (bonus points if you follow it with a beard conditioner). Then brush it out with a coarse-bristle beard brush, using downward motions to smooth the hair and spot flyaways and stragglers immediately. If your mustache hair falls over your lips, use scissors to trim those errant hairs so they don't stick out. When you have shaped your beard, begin with the longest guard and gradually work your way shorter. Then use a beard trimmer with multiple guards to trim your beard to what you want. You can ask your barber to shape it for you if this all sounds complicated. You simply need to maintain the edges at home.
7. Don't forget to trim your hair regularly
Getting your beard trimmed every few weeks—about as often as you get a haircut—is important once you have the desired shape. A few weeks of uninterrupted growth can transform you from scruffy to fluffy in no time. Keep your beard healthy by keeping a regular barber appointment or trimming it at home every few weeks.
You Can Improve The Look of Your Beard With Beard Products
It's time to make your own beard shine now that you have one. You should moisturize your facial hair with a few drops of beard oil right after trimming it. Beard oils work best when you massage them into the skin beneath. It tends to get dry easily under facial hair.
After that, you can smooth and shape your beard into place with a beard cream or balm, depending on how coarse your facial hair is and how much control you wish to achieve. Even if you don't trim your beard every two weeks, you'll want to do this routine often. After you shower, brush your beard every day and use a beard wash after you shampoo your hair. By doing this, you will be able to distribute the natural oils across the wiry hairs as well as exfoliate the skin underneath. Apply the beard oil and balm after you wash it and as needed in between.