How To Trim A Beard The Right Way

One of the most common questions I get asked from our awesome readers is 'How To Trim A Beard ? , 'How often should I ?' 'Can do it at home?, or should I visit a barber?' 'Do I even need to sculpt it at all if I'm growing?' are all common questions I find in my email inbox and social media direct messages most weeks.

So, today I wanted to answer many of these burning questions, and give you a handy 'fool proof' guide on how to safely carve your work of art, be in in the comfort of your own home, or what you should ask for when sitting in the barbers chair.

Firstly, let me explain as to why it is indeed very important to cut your mane, even if only occasionally for those who are growing a full, thick overflow of manliness. In order to help keep those split ends and damaged knotted rough hairs at bay you'll need to routinely clean up, be it at home or in the safe and capable hands of a trusty barber.

Taking a light buzz may be required more frequently for some compared to others, depending on how fast your furry face decides to grow. On average a light  every other month or so should keep things in good shape moving forward, helping your face fuzz to stay clean, fresh, and growing long and healthy.

So now you have a better understanding as to why trimming is an important part of maintaining your face fuzz let's talk about how to safely tidy your 'fur and stash' at home.

Firstly, you must ask yourself what style you are wanting to maintain. If, like me you are growing out a fuller, thicker 'lumberjack' style choosing to use scissors is possibly your better (and in all honesty, safer) option. There is however numerous trusted devices on the market that can also help keep your whiskers in good shape, not having a huge deal of personal experience using a device I won't recommend a specific handheld device, although Google offers honest reliable reviews on such products.

Dicers work great at helping maintain shorter styled facial fuzz, but not so much when it comes to bigger, fuller manes. So I suggest to use these with caution my friends. Always start with the largest grade possible and work your way down until your desired length needs have been met. This way you'll eliminate the chances of breaking the unfixable, as unfortunately you can't superglue those hairs back on once they've been axed away. Again, with little experience at hand when it comes to buzzer, I would also suggest you clean your moustache with either a pair or sharpened barbershop style scissors or a much smaller, easier to manage , as it is better to be safe than sorry in my honest opinion.

There are a few golden rules you MUST follow when cleansing.

NEVER cleanse . when it is wet. The reason for this being when your hair is wet it may appear longer, therefore if you go hell to leather chopping chunks out of your face fuzz it might look great to start with. But as your hair begins to dry you might begin to notice any mistakes you might have made, as well as it's overall length which now might appear much shorter than before.

NEVER attempt to modify your facial hair after consuming alcohol! Although this might seem like a real obvious pointer, it's one of the more common reasons you see a once bearded man crying at his naked face in the mirror, after waking to find he has done something rather drastic to his after sipping on one too many Jack Daniels and cokes the night previous with his drunken friends at the bar.

ALWAYS approach tidying with a clear mind and a level head. If you are heading to the mirror with scissors in hand following an argument or disagreement with a friend or loved one, the chances are you are going to heighten the risk of making a mistake or misguided judgment. And let's be honest, we don't want our beards to have to pay for our disagreements now do we. So, rather than make such mistakes, put down the scissors and other potential 'murdering' devices until another day, trust me, if your face could talk it would certainly thank you for it. 

NEVER spruce your too soon. Another really easy mistake that is made happens when the newfound man-card-holder (See what I did there?) feels somewhat scruffy and out of control as his furry face begins to take shape in the first few weeks of growing. And rather than ride it out they choose to reach for the trimmers and make the huge mistake of edging their young faces. Which usually results in a patchy beard, thin mess rather than a thick, rich mane you had originally hoped for.

Let's talk you through my personal favourite choice, molding with scissors. The main reason I prefer to vote in the scissors when it comes to shaping is simply because it's much more difficult to screw up with scissors than it is with a groomer. As magnificent and efficient as a trusted tool can be, one foul swoop over that furry face of yours could spell R.I.P for that once marvel of a  you now used to have.

When using scissors you don't want to grab huge clumps of hair and chop, instead brush through, preferably after it has been washed and and dried thoroughly, then lightly away and staying hairs you find in a good, visible mirror, lightly following the desired shape you are looking for. after a few snips, brush through it again, continuing to follow the same rules as before.

Don't get to 'snip-happy' here, itis not a race so take your time. Remember, it takes only a second to clean and significantly longer time to grow. So, it's real important to not be too hasty here. Once you have trimmed away and loose, troublesome hairs you should notice your fur begin to take the shape you are aiming for. Once complete it is time to focus on that mustache of yours.

Depending on what look you are hoping to achieve here will contribute to how you deal with a bushy mustache. With a full hair most tend to give their mustache the freedom to grow, thick and full, whilst training in to sit correctly upon the top lip. If however you'd prefer a neat and tidy 'stash it is rather easy to achieve with a good comb and a pair of sharp barbershop style scissors.

First up, making sure your 'stash is clean, dry and product free, brush the mustache hair down over your bottom lip. If your 'stash is of a certain length you might have a 'tail-like' point at each end, which can be easily maintained by lightly trimming at until your desired length has been met. I usually do this before taking any of the thickness away from my moustache.

Once you've done that, you can follow you top lip line and gently remove an evenly straight line, which will keep you from eating your mustache every time you take a bite of your lunch. As previously stated your 'stashes length and style will depend on your style. A longer 'lumberjack' like fury manes often suits a fuller, trained moustache, whereas a shorter, trimmed might be better suited to a neatened, thinner moustache. As the saying goes it's 'different strokes for different folks.'  You can find correct product for the job by using The Beard Struggle products.

If you are not overly confident in your carving abilities at home, then you might be better visiting a man with a very a sharp eye to detail and an even sharper pair of barbershop scissors, your trusty barber. After all, these guys make a good living from chopping man whiskers for hours a day, and know exactly what they are doing.

Be clear on what you are looking for here when you're sat in the barbers chair. Don't feel pressured or led to have a style that the barber feels would suit you best. Do your homework and be straight to the point on your requests. If you are unsure on who you should entrust to chop away at your furry face, remember, Google is your friend, search for barbers in your area, read their online reviews and decide who makes the cut (pun totally intended!) After all it has taken you a whole lot of time, hard work and dedication to sprout out those strands of yours, so you want to make sure you facial hair is in safe hands.

So there you have it, a basic guide on how to correctly tidy and maintain your marvelous face fur. If you feel we might have missed out on something, or would like to share your words of advice then why not leave us a little something in the comments section you'll find provide below this post? Have a related question or blog topic you'd like to see featured in a future blog post? let us know!