We can all agree that men look great with a beard. Some might even say that the beard is the equivalent of the makeup women use. This might seem like an overstatement, but seriously now, how many men do you know that look a lot better after they have grown a stubble or a beard? Even if you only know one, it’s clear that sometimes the beard actually works.
Now, you might think that growing a beard is simple. After all, it’s just about letting the hair grow without shaving it, right? Well, this cannot be further from the truth. A beard grows by itself, but you have to put in the effort if you want to look great wearing one.
Some men like growing a beard because it makes them look older. Others grow one to look hotter. Some grow one because they get skin irritation after each shave, so it’s better to avoid shaving altogether. In some cultures, a thick beard is actually a sign of power and prosperity.
But how can you grow a beard? Is there any way to do it faster? Which is the best way to grow a beard if you want it to look spectacular? Well, if you want the answers to these questions, you have to read the following article.
Table of Contents
The Hereditary Factor
Some men are capable of growing a beard without trying too hard. You see them clean-shaven at work, and next thing you know, they’re sporting a stubble like they’ve been deployed in the desert for the last 11 months.
That’s because the growth rate of the beard is greatly influenced by genetic factors and the testosterone levels your body produces.
Despite the fact that growing a beard has a genetic and a hormonal component, there are still ways you can facilitate its growth. Even if you tried growing a beard before without success, you can still try following this guide to help your inner beard become an outer one.
Be Healthy!
Now that’s a valuable advice. Sure, being healthy might be important for your livelihood, but it’s also important for your beard.
One easy thing you can do to encourage the growth of your beard is to start eating protein-rich foods. Meat, eggs, fish, and beans will help you grow a beard faster than a carbohydrate-based diet. You can also try taking biotin supplements. They increase your hair growth.
You can also improve your health and raise the level of your testosterone production by working out. Exercising regularly improves your circulation. The increased blood flow not only reaches the muscles, it will also reach your skin. This will help with facial hair growth, as the hairs on your face will receive more nutrients thanks to the increased blood flow.
Not only a generally healthy diet will help. Cleaning and scrubbing your face regularly will also help. Use an exfoliating lotion to scrub your face clean at least once a week. The dead skin cells on your face sometimes block the growth of the new hair, so removing them will stimulate growth.
Besides a weekly scrub, you can also clean your face daily using a mild soap and warm water. The warm water will open the pores on your face, allowing the soap to reach deeper into the skin.
Have you heard the expression “Everything is better after a good night’s sleep?” Well, when it comes to growing a beard, a good night’s sleep is very important. Resting properly will lower the stress your body is exposed to. Stress is a factor that leads to hair loss in a lot of men. Reducing the stress is very important if you want to grow a beard.
Be Dedicated!
Many men try growing a beard at one point or another in their lives. Some of them make the mistake of trying to grow a beard when they’re too young and they weren’t able to, but the majority tries and gives up after just a short period of time.
If you want to grow a beard, you have to be dedicated. Growing a beard is not a quick process, and it often is an uncomfortable one. At one point, you’re bound to feel so itchy you have to scratch all the times. Be patient, it will pass.
If your face itches, try cleaning it with an exfoliating lotion. This might dull down the itchiness as the dead cells will no longer block your pores.
Keep in mind that you might have to wait for at least 3 – 4 weeks before your beard is long enough to fit into a pattern. You will feel itchy at times, but you have to push through it.
Be Stylish!
If you believe your beard will grow just like you see in the movies, well, you’re in for a surprise. Only a few men are able to grow a full beard without patches or bald spots. Those are the lucky ones. If you’re not among them, use the patches to your advantage.
Everybody has to style their beard, no matter how long or short they grow it. If you have a patchy beard, style it so the bald spots seem part of the pattern. Not only will this improve the way you look, but it will actually lower the amount of maintenance you need to do to keep your beard in order.
The Ultimate Beard Trimming Guide
Ask any man sporting a beard which is the most difficult part of the process of growing one. Chances are, his answers will be “waiting for it to grow”. It’s commonly considered that growing a beard is not difficult, but only people who haven’t tried can say think this.
In fact, growing a beard, no matter how long you like to wear it, is a test of patience and resilience. Growing a beard might seem easy at first, but after a while, your faces becomes itchy. This can be a great inconvenience, especially if you live and work in a warm environment. However, there are some steps you can take to help you achieve the final goal, that of growing a nice beard.
- Get Enough Rest –
This might seem unrelated, but getting enough sleep will help your growing beard. When it’s tired, the human body does not have enough energy to grow the hairs in your beard. This means your beard will grow slowly, which many men can find frustrating. Getting enough rest will allow your body to grow the hairs as fast as it can. - Clean Your Face Regularly –
A good practice is to clean your face regularly. You should buy a good exfoliating lotion and use it to clean your face at least once per day before you go to sleep. The exfoliating lotion will remove the dead skin from your face, so your pores won’t be blocked by them. This will allow the hair to grow faster. - Be Patient –
When you’re trying to grow a beard, you have to be patient. Some men might have to wait 4 weeks before the hair grows long enough for them to trim into a stylish beard. During this time, your face might be itchy, so you may be tempted to remove it only to escape the itch. You mustn’t do this. You should clean your face and push through the itch to achieve your goals. - Use Product –
You should not be afraid or embarrassed to use a product to maintain your beard while it’s growing. Applying beard oil can relieve your itch, and it will keep your face moisturized. However, you should avoid using an alcohol-based product because they might dry your skin further and make it even itchier. - Comb Your Beard – You should comb your beard at least once every day. This will make it softer and it will also be a good habit you should employ in the future after you trim your beard.
What to Know Before Trimming A Beard
Now that you managed to grow your beard, it’s time to trim it. Not trimming your beard on time is one of the most frequent mistakes men can make. Not trimming your beard on time can make change your looks from sexy to homeless in only a handful of days. Here’s how you should trim your beard.
- Clean Your Beard –
The first thing you should do is to clean your beard. In order to do that, you should wash it with beard shampoo and then condition it. Using conditioner on your beard might not seem very important, but it will actually soften the beard enough for you to trim it properly. - Dry Your Beard –
Now that the beard is clean and conditioned, you can wait for it to dry, or you can dry it with a towel and a hair blower. - Comb Or Brush The Beard –
While your beard is drying, you should comb or brush it thoroughly against the grain. This will make the hair stand out so it will be easier to trim. This will remove the inconsistencies in the hair’s length, making trimming more effective. If you want to know which are the best beard combs of 2019, click here - Use The Beard Trimmers –
Now that the hairs in your beard are cleaned, conditioned, dried, and brushed, you can start trimming them. You can either use a beard trimmer for the whole process, or you can use one in a combination with a scissor. When using a beard trimmer be sure you start with the longest measure so you won’t accidentally trim too much of your beard. - Use Razors To Fade – You can use razors to fade the hair under your jawline. However, you can also use the trimmer for this task.
How To Trim A Short Beard
The short beard is one of the most popular styles nowadays. It’s accepted in many workplaces, and maintaining it is not very difficult. However, an unkept beard can look bad, however long it is. Here’s how you should trim it to look good at all times.
When you trim, start from the jawline and follow it closely.
Make sure you don’t leave bald patches. Instead, make a pattern so that the patches are included
Trim the beard regularly, and make sure you don’t leave any wild long hairs.
How To Trim A Long Beard
The long beard can actually be used as an accessory. Some people say that the long beard is the replacement for the makeup women wear. Here’s how you trim a long beard to make sure it looks good.
Always trim in short increments. Use the longest hair setting available on your trimmer. You should use a shorter one only if this one proves to be too long
A long beard usually grows in a certain pattern you can’t really dictate. Instead of fighting it, it might be better to follow it.
You can also use scissors to trim your long beard. Be careful not to cut too much of it.
How To Trim A Beard Neckline
Trimming your neckline is usually easier than trimming the rest of your beard. Some men are able to do this using only a beard trimmer, others use a razor, while some use a combination of the both to achieve the best results. Here’s how you do it.
- Using A Trimmer –
Depending on the beard style you decided to adopt, you will have to trim your neckline using a shorter hair length than for the rest of the beard. You can use a longer hair length for the section just under your jawline until you reach just above your Adam’s apple. For the section under Adam’s apple, you should use a shorter hair length for a faded look. For other beard styles, you might choose to trim closely to your skin the whole section under the jawline. Select the shortest hair length and start trimming right from under the jaw and continue until you reach under your Adam’s apple. - Using A Razor –
If you decide to use a razor to trim your neckline beard, you will limit your options. You will, however, be able to shave the section below your jawline, giving it a clean-shaven look. - The Combined Effect –
If you choose to use both the trimmer and the razor, you can emphasize the aspect of your beard by creating a fade effect. Use the trimmer’s second shortest hair setting to trim the hair under the jaw, then select the shortest one for the section above Adam’s apple. The section under your Adam’s apple can be shaven with a razor for a faded effect.
How To Trim A Beard With Scissors
Even though it’s usually more uncomfortable than trimming your beard with a trimmer, you can still do it with a pair of scissors. Here’s how you should do it.
Use only very sharp scissors. You want to cut the hair, not rip it.
Try to trim the beard in a single session, so the hair can have the same length.
Be very careful when you trim around the jawline. This area dictates the outline of your beard, so messing it up will ruin your look.
Most Popular Beard Trimming Styles
Now that you know how to trim your beard, let’s take a look at the most popular beard trimming styles of 2019.
- Mountain Man –
Also known as a full beard, this is one of the most popular beard styles. In fact, this is the kind of beard people usually imagine when they think about beard styles. However, this style is not for everyone. While on some people it might look good, for some it might not. - Short Beard –
Another popular style, the short beard is also easier to maintain. This style was made famous by celebrities like Robert Downey Jr or David Beckham, so it’s very popular among young men - Goatee –
A public favorite, the goatee can look good on both skinny and meaty men. This is the type of beard that looks awesome in both tuxedos and T-shirts, so you should definitely try it.
5 Must-Read Tips for Trimming Your Beard
Whenever you want to trim your beard, the first thing you should do is choose a style that you think will make you look good. After you choose a beard style you like, take your trimmer and start shaving. Here’s how you do it.
- Start With The Long Hair –
Every beard has some longer and some shorter sections. You should always start with the longer hair. If you’re not sure which hair length setting you should use, just pick the biggest available and start with that one. If the comb proves to be inefficient, choose the next smaller one and so on until you find the right setting for your long hair sections. - Shave Against The Grain –
You should always shave against the grain. This means you should point the blades up, against the natural growth direction of the hair. Slightly press the flat of the blade against the face for better results.
Don’t Forget To Shave Your Neck As Well - Switch The Hair Length Setting –
Now that all your beard on both the neck and the face is of the same size, it’s time to start putting in the details. You should switch to a shorter setting or a smaller comb. You should shave the hair above your Adam’s apple and under the jawline to emphasize the look of the beard. Using the shorter setting or comb, shave against the grain again. You can also use an even smaller setting if you want a faded look. - Remove Any Strays –
Look in the mirror using different angles to make sure there aren’t any stray hairs in your beard. If there are any, make sure you use the right hair length setting or comb to remove all of them. - Use The Detail Trimmer To Emphasize The Outline –
If your beard trimmer comes with a smaller head, use it to outline your beard. This smaller head is better at reaching in difficult areas, like the ones around your mouth or next to your ears. Use this detail trimmer to make sure the lines of your beard are symmetrical on both sides.
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