Beard trimming is a bit like shearing the flowers in your house’s garden. You do that either because they have over grown, formed an irregular pattern and looking less attractive than they should be.
However, it’s a bit more delicate than shearing of flowers in the sense that any simple mistake can ruin that lovely beard, that has taken you so long to grow.
You do not need extensive barbing lessons in order to trim your beards, because it’s just a trim and not a cut, but knowing how to trim a beard properly will help you avoid embarrassing mistakes.
Before you think about touching that beard, however there are major beard trimming tools you must have at your disposal. The basic beard trimming tools are detailed below;
Beard Combs and Brushes
These are used for detangling the beards and keep them uniformly stretched in order to achieve a perfect trim.
Beard oil or Beard cream
You need there to soften the texture of your hair, for easy trimming. They also moisturize your hair and prevent you from infections and skin diseases.
Precision clippers and settings
Electric trimmers are used for the main trimming job. Make sure you purchase a high grade easy to use beard trimming machine, to avoid facial disaster. You can check out The Best Beard Trimmers post to get an idea of what are the top ones on the market.
The settings allow you to trim your beards to the same height throughout and then fade it with lower guard sizes as you reach the neck to make it look as natural as possible.
Scissors
Scissors are mostly used for detailing after trimming with a clipper. They are used for trimming curves that would be hard to do with a clipper.
If you have all of these in your closet, you ae good to go.
Simple Guide on How to Trim a Beard
Below are the basic steps on how to trim a beard. Follow these and you should be good to go until your next barber appointment;
Comb and Brush your beard thoroughly.
Make sure that you comb you beards so that all of your beards including your moustache stand in the same direction.
This makes it easier for a smooth and perfect cut.
Trim the Beard with an electric Trimmer
The next step is to evenly trim the beards with a clipper or better yet, a beard trimmer.
At this point, do not expect the perfect result, but make sure that the height of the beards remain the same all through.
If the beards weren’t combed thoroughly, this step might prove to be more difficult than it sounds.
Also, there are various clipper settings with different heights that are used today. Use the one that takes your fancy.
TIP: For your neck and cheeks, use smaller settings to fade the beard. Don’t just jump to the smallest setting, but keep reducing it one size at a time till you get a nice fade. This way, you will get a perfect blend from cheek to chin to neck as you choose.
.
Detailing
Use the scissors for detailing the trimmed beards to give yourself a rather decent finish.
Apply Beard Oil
Apply beard cream or beard oil to the trimmed beard for disinfection, to avoid skin diseases and to avoid dry and itchy beards.
And VOILA! … you’re done!
Beard Trimming Tips
Now here are some random tips for when you’re trimming your beard at home. Try and keep these in mind as you work on your beard.
- Fade the hair on your neck line for a more natural look and to avoid costly maintenance in the nearest future.
- Shampoo and condition your beard, at least five times a week as well as your hair to achieve optimum results featuring a healthy beard and skin.
- Use a beard trimmer coupled with a long guard in order to get rid of stray hairs. Do this at least thrice in two weeks.
- Trim your neckline with a small guard starting at your Adam’s apple region and finishing it just below your cheek.
- Use beard oil and or cream daily to soften and moisturize your hair and add desired scent according to the product purchased, if desired.
- If necessary, use a razor on your neck between your collar bone and your Adam’s apple, minding the way the hair is growing.
- Do not forget to comb your beard when in the shower to exfoliate the skin beneath your beards and to strengthen your beards for easier trimming.
- It is advisable to only trim your beard when it’s dry, so that you will get a better sense of how it will look even while trimming.
- Purchase quality and cost effective clippers and beard trimming tools, so that they can last much longer and will serve you better.
- 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 want to trim super-close, there is no better alternative to a straight razor. Only a number of razors come with a single blade on the back for sculpting.
- Do not rush while shaving. Take the few extra seconds to add water to your shaving cream for an extra smooth shave and always go with the grain.
- Use a towel dipped in hot water and squeezed, to open the pores of your beard skin area before you begin to trim, and a towel dipped in cold water and squeezed to close these pores after trimming. This keeps the ingrown hairs, redness and nicks in check.
- Never squeeze ingrown hair like they are pimples. The dirt in your nails or fingers can lead to an infection. Squeezing can also lead to swelling and redness of the skin.
- When you have an ingrown hair, put a hot towel on your face, disinfect the spot using disinfectants e.g. methylated spirit, alcohol, and using a tweezer, proceed. Grab the hair as close to the base as possible and carefully but firmly pull it out. If you forcefully pull it from the top, you’ll split the hair in half and this might also cause swelling and injury to your skin.
That’s it folks. Before I end this post, however let me leave a good tutorial video on how to trim a beard, provided by our friends at TheGentlemansCove.
