HappyLifestyleJournal
During the last couple of years it seems that every guy has been rocking a beard – thank you hipsters (and I’m not being sarcastic). Now, you would think that growing a beard is easy peasy, just let it grow and there you have it. I myself have tried growing a beard on several occasions, but I was never really satisfied with the result; every time it started losing shape pretty early and I end up trimming it here, there, everywhere every day, but never really get it right. Of course, as many of you, I end up shaving the whole thing unsatisfied with the results.
But knowledge is power, so we called in the office expert, and according to him, there is much more to growing a beard than just “leaving it be”.
Here’s what he had to say:
- It’s alright if it itches in the beginning, it’s just a phase and it will pass. This happens because as your beard grows longer, the hair starts irritating your pores. The itching usually stops after a week or two.
- The top and bottom lines are the most important parts of a beard. You need to start trimming these parts from the very start in order to achieve the look you are aiming for. If you leave it unsupervised in the first phase, it will be all that more difficult later on because it’s harder to deal with mistakes once your beard is longer.
- Usually you would want the bottom line of your beard to end roughly finger-width away from your Adam’s apple. The same width applies for your jawline.
- Highlighting your cheekbones with your top beard line is very popular. If you want to achieve that effect, you need to trim the top edge of your beard right bellow the contour of your cheekbones. However, if you have a round face, our office expert suggests you leave that line a little above the cheekbone or your face might end up looking like a basketball. On the other hand, if you have a narrow face do the opposite and lower the line as much as you feel is necessary.
- When stubs grow into a full beard your skin has less oxygen, while dead skin cells (which usually just naturally fall off your face) can stay trapped and become little micro-balls. Sounds gross, we know, but there’s a point – apply rehydrating lotion onto the skin regularly in order for your skin to stay soft and bacteria-free. It takes a micro-second of your effort to never have to deal with micro-balls of bacteria ever again.
Another thing you should do is wash your beard with a mild shampoo and apply beard conditioner, or alternatively you can use the same products you use on your hair, but never use regular soap as it may irritate your skin.
- When your facial hair reaches its manliness (1.5-2 cm / 0.5-1 inch) it’s time to start shaping that glorious beard of yours. Of course, you’ll need some equipment, and the main question is whether you will go for an electric beard trimmer or for an old-school pair of scissors. Truth be told, many people combine the two and that’s probably the best way to go about it. Scissors are excellent for trimming the mustache area, while a beard trimmer is best for dealing with hairs that stick out. The great thing about trimmers is that you can put the guard on and don’t have to worry about taking off too much. Needless to say it’s faster than using scissors, too.
- When you finally have a full beard you can “play” with its shape. However, the best thing you can do is go to a good barber’s shop and have him shape it. He will give you a great basic shape after which it will be easier for you to experiment. Try out different shapes and ask for feedback. See what style suits your face-shape the best.
- In the end, if you would ever wish to shave that glorious mark of manliness off your face this is what you want to do:
- Trim it as much as you can with a pair of scissors.
- Next, use the electric trimmer and again, trim as much as you can (you can take more off with a trimmer than with pair of scissors).
- Shave it off carefully and expect your skin to be super sensitive, so use all the cosmetic products at your disposal or your skin will get irritated.
