A quick beard trim is a mysterious thing - trimming off a week’s worth of facial hair can make it look like you’ve got a new beard altogether. Whether you get jiggy with your frizziness most days or only trim before hot dates and job interviews, it should be a joyous part of your routine.
Because no-one likes walking away from a beard trim dissatisfied.
If trimming a beard should be a methodical, quick ’n’ easy process then so should the guide to doing it - which is why we’ve written The No-Nonsense, Hogwash-Free Guide on
Preparation is Key: Start by washing and combing your beard to soften and detangle it, making trimming much easier.
Trimming Length: Use a beard trimmer with a guard for shorter beards; go freehand with scissors for longer beards to maintain symmetry and style.
Focus on Details: Use scissors for precise styling, like trimming stray hairs and defining the mustache above the upper lip.
Shape the Lines: Sharpen your neckline and cheek lines for a clean look; cheek lines are straightforward, but necklines need careful positioning.
Finish with Beard Oil: Apply beard oil after trimming to keep your beard soft, smelling fresh, and looking healthy throughout the day.
How to trim your beard - Let’s go!
Step One - The Preparation
As a wise man once said - only fools rush in. When you walk into your barbers, they don’t start going at your hair like a maniac the moment you take a seat, do they? Beard hair is even more sacred than head hair, so preparation is key.
We’d recommend a hearty wash of your beard, featuring beard shampoo and conditioner. This’ll soften it up, so that you can easily run a brush through it once it’s dried. Take my advice: a wooden beard comb doesn’t just feel better - it’s so much healthier for your beard hair!
Once that luscious beard is feeling fresh and combed out you’ll find it much easier to trim. As your hair grows at different speeds and times on your face, combing it out will show you which bits need tidying up.
Now, spark up that beard trimmer and let’s get this show on the road.
Step Two - Getting the Right Length
The humble beard trimmer is generally used to even the length of shorter beards. By fixing a trimmer guard to the end, you can carefully select what length you want and achieve fully consistent length all across your face!
Now, if you’re going for a more full beard then once you get past an inch or so in length, a trimmer guard just isn’t going to cut it (pun fully intended). At this stage, you want to ditch the trimmer guard completely and go freehand, which requires a bit more skill and practice. Whatever beard style you’re going for, here are some crucial beard-trimming pointers:
Play it safe - it’s quicker to trim a bit more off if you haven’t cut it short enough than to grow a bit more because you’ve cut too much. And it won’t ruin your hot date.
Aim for full symmetry, whatever beard style you’re going for. Wonky beards are not in fashion and probably won’t be for a very long time!
If you’re growing a beard out, it’s better to let it grow to longer than you want it before trimming - instead of trimming it whilst short, in the hope that it’ll grow into the style you want.
There’s much more to beard trimming - it’s the most important step when growing a beard which compliments your face shape. We’ve created an ultimate guide on how to use a beard trimmer which goes into way more detail!
Step Three - Tip Top Topiary
For those of you who don’t know what topiary is - it’s the process of clipping little bushes into stylish shapes. Get your scissors out - you’re about to become an expert!
A good beard trim focuses on symmetry and even length before styling. However, achieving perfectly straight lines, trimming your mustache above your upper lip and nailing the details of your beard (such as stray hairs in awkward places) requires scissoring.
Don’t be tempted to rush the styling of your beard or mustache with a beard trimmer - you might find it getting shorter and shorter as you get more frustrated.
Step Four - Line it up
Finally, you’ll want to sharpen the neckline and cheek lines of your beard, in order to complete the manscape gardening procedure. Cheek lines are relatively simple - it’s a case of creating a line between your cheeks and your eyeballs where your beard should finish, and trimming everything above that line.
Necklines are more complicated! One strategy is to place two fingers above your Adam’s apple to find out where your neckline should be, however, that’s just a rule of thumb. No one wants their neckline to be too high; you should aim to let hair continue down below the line of your bottom jaw. Again - our guide to using a beard trimmer deals with necklines in more detail!
And Finally…
Your grooming routine doesn’t stop when the trimming is done - oh no! Now that your majestic beard is looking funky fresh, there’s only one thing left to do.
Grab a bottle of beard oil (like the oils we recommend here.)
Rub a few drops into your palms.
And work it into the skin and hair of your beard. Just like in this handy guide about how to apply beard oil!
Trust us - beard oil will keep your beard smelling divine, feeling soft and looking great throughout the day. It’s a vital part of beard care, and the final step to every self-respecting fella’s trimming routine.
DON'T GROW IT ALONE
Get access to the latest and greatest offers, giveaways and news. Sign up to our mailing list and become part of the Mission Beard community today!
