Good-looking beards. You either have one or you don’t. Want to be on the winning side of that coin toss? We’ve put together a list of some easy-to-follow tips for growing out a magnificent beard, and styling tips to keep it that way.
How to Grow Your Beard
Here are 4 things you can do to make the growth process easier on yourself:
Drop the Razor
The single best thing you can do on your journey to a manly beard is to simply put the razor away. It’s tough, because you feel like an extra trim here and there will help your beard look fuller (or something), but don’t do it. True beardsmen know that a bear is never measured in length, but months.
Use Scruff Softener
In the early days of growth, like days 1-3, you should apply a scruff softener like The Soft Goat so your stubble isn’t sharp and dangerous. Whatever your significant other’s opinion is of you growing a beard, she probably will appreciate not being sandpapered for the first week or so.
Use a lot of Moisturizer
As your beard grows to respectable lengths, it’s important to keep it soft. And even though no one will ever see it again, it’s important to keep the skin under your beard healthy and moisturized as well. Avoid moisturizers with alcohol as they can dry out your skin and make your beard feel like steel wool.
Wait to Trim
Once you get past the itchy phase, which usually lasts for 2-3 weeks, your beard will start to look messy. There will be hairs pointing everywhere, and the first thing you’ll want to do is trim it up. If you’re going for the natural beard look, FIGHT THE URGE.
This is where most men lose it. They see the stray hairs and get too ambitious when trying to tidy things up. They mess up, and then are forced to shave off the whole thing. We recommend waiting at least a month before trimming.
Styling Tips
Most guys with new beards tend to trim their neckline too high. Here’s an easy way to know where you should be trimming: wherever your beard is parallel to the ground, don’t trim. Only trim the beard that is parallel with what’s in front of you.
For a Euro-style beard, your beard should be somewhere between 1 day and 2 weeks old. It’s that nice, soft stubble and using a clippers on the lowest possible setting when needed. Don’t trim the neck or cheeks as you’re aiming for that natural look.
For a more corporate beard, you’re going to want between 1 and 2 months of length. Instead of a clippers, use a pair of scissors to trim if you can. Use a comb to pull out your hairs and snip them away. This prevents any more serious damage that you might do with your clippers since it’s so hard to know which guard to use.
The beauty with beards is that you can style it in many different ways. I recommend that you “grow what you got”, which means based on your beards genetics, try to grow a style that fits your best parts of the beard. Remember that sometimes, less is more. Instead of playing with it too much, just let that bad boy grow.
2018 is the year for a change. Find all you need about the daily beard routine and care in 2018 for a thicker, shining and healthy beard.