5 Beard maintenance tips every man should know. by Dave Smith

No “great beard” is an accident. If you meet a well-groomed guy whose whiskers are well defined and looking healthy, it’s because he’s putting in the time to make it that way. 

Growing a beard is one thing, but how he cares for it determines how great it looks—even if his beard is patchier or thinner than others.
 
Guys with good looking beards avoid dry or irritated skin that would otherwise bother them so much with the itch that they’d end up shaving it off.

Their partners don’t suffer from stubble rash and instead love running their fingers through the soft hairs every chance they get. Their neck and cheek lines are shaped just right to complement their head size and shape (see our related blog here) 

Achieving this on your own comes down to three main things: minding the edges, trimming as needed, and nourishing both your skin and hair. Here are a few tips from our barber friends from around Europe to help.

Beard Care Also Means Skincare

If you’re a prime candidate for irritation, infection, and razor burn on and around your neckline then you need to take your time shaving around the beard.
 
Any proper shave takes time, especially when it comes to pre and post-shave care. Even if you’re just maintaining facial hair and shaving around certain patterns, be sure your skin is clean.

You need to make sure the pores are open beforehand with warm water and properly sealed after with cold water to avoid irritation. Using a well-balanced beard oil afterwards will replenish the natural oil the skin produces called sebum oil and will help keep both your skin and beard healthy, nourished and soft to the touch.

Photo credit https://www.instagram.com/crejamesepy/ 

It’s all about “U” when it comes to the beard neckline

It's tough to know exactly what you're supposed to do, and it's easy to get it wrong. You often find random hairs that creep up into the cheeks, other guys grow a neckbeard. This gets pushed up when wearing a shirt and tie making the whole beard look untidy no matter how sharp you dress.

But there is one really easy way to work out where to start. Take your index and middle finger, and place them together above the Adam’s apple to determine the baseline for the bottom of the beard. It’s helpful to set a line from this point straight across the neck with your trimmer or razor first, then trim the hairs below.
 
Next, from this point above the Adam’s apple, shave a “U” shape from the back of both ears, behind the jawline. This is your neckline, and will create a well presented and distinguished shape. 

Once you’ve done it once it will be a lot easier to maintain in future. To help you out, try our beard shaping tool to keep those lines symmetrically straight and curved beautifully just the way you want it without the risk of freehand mishaps.

Fade Your Own Beard Neckline

Assuming it’s not an extremely big and bushy beard, in which case a faded neckline is pointless so skip this tip.

To blend your bare neckline into your beard, in the same way a barber fades the sides of your haircut, all you need to do is follow a few simple steps with your trimmer. Put a 1 guard on your clipper and close it all the way.

Trim roughly one full inch into the beard up the neck. This will create a soft contrast, then you can take the guard off and trim halfway up into the 1-guard line for a steadier contrast. The result is a graduation from bare neck to full beard over the course of one inch.

Relax Your Face While Trimming the Moustache

It may only be a small strip of hair, but the moustache deserves more attention than most give it, namely when it comes to trimming.

One key to a successful trim, is to maintain a normal facial expression when trimming. Rather than straining and stretching your face, by being relaxed and natural will ensure your moustache is even with all expressions. Scissors are imperative instead of electric clippers, because they allow you a more natural result.

Check out these barber designed, 5 ½ inch length trimming scissors which are perfect for the job due their size and balanced weight. They’re an essential tool for your bathroom cabinet in keeping rogue hairs in check between trips to your barber.

Got wood?

A comb is a must too but avoid metal and plastic as they have harsh micro edges that tear those tightly knitted hairs causing a frayed and damaged beard.

Start by back combing first getting right underneath before combing your beard down to its natural shape.

The reason your beard is so itchy around the 2/3 weeks growth stage is because when you shave, you are essentially creating little spears on the tips of each hair. They finally get long enough and poke at your skin. Your neck is very suspect to this because of the angle where the neck meets the head.

If you get stuck then speak to your barber first. They have a wealth of experience to help guide you with your style of beard.

Keep up these maintenance tips and you’ll be the envy of your mates.