Beard grooming tips: how to grow, style and maintain your beard
A beard is not just a facial hair style, it’s an event. From the Milibeard to Jeremy Paxman-gate, the mere hint of a famous person growing a beard can set the internet alight and leave a slew of hashtags and comment pieces in its wake.
But it's not only celebs and politicians on the receiving end of beard-related hysteria. The decision to grow a beard can plunge even the meekest man chin-first into the spotlight as family, friends and colleagues offer thoughts and feelings on their new facial hair.
This attention might not be such a bad thing, if only it arrived at a more opportune moment. It’s one thing having people gawp at your chinstrap when it’s fully formed, but another to have them judge the shapeliness of your facial hair when you’re still in the process of trying to grow it out.
Here, we've clustered together some helpful opinions on how to best overcome common beard struggles. Spoiler alert: it’s worth it in the end.
Step 1: Let it grow
“Out of ten men I’d probably say seven of them break”, says Dan Gregory, Founder and Creative Director of Man Made London, discussing the initial growth period. “It’s hard, it looks so scruffy.”
Do: Choose a good time to grow it
“I always suggest, if you’re going to go for a new beard, grow it over the Christmas break or your holidays”, Dan explains. “Don’t try and do it when you’ve got an important meeting in three weeks time."
Do: Set a clear end goal to work towards
“Find an image online or on Instagram or a Tumblr or some feed you’ve seen, and take a picture. It’s like going to the gym, if you haven’t got a goal in mind then you’re just going for the sake of going.”
Do: Break up the process with a trip to your barber
“Coming through from freshly shaved, the stubble tends to be very sharp and itchy”, explains Denis Robinson, Artistic Director at Ruffians.
“After two to three weeks, depending on how fast the stubble grows, I would recommend visiting a barber to have it smoothed over with the clippers. Then you can discuss where you’re going with the beard in terms of what shape it’s going to be.”
Do: Keep it clean
“Make sure the skin is clean, otherwise you can end up with beardruff [beard dandruff]”, warns Dylan MacGreggor, a barber at Gents of London. “Your skin will go dry and start to go flaky or scaly. I’m an Aussi so I use a face wash brand called Neutrimetics, but Dove is a really good brand for face wash too."
Dan Gregory concurs. “It’s worth scrubbing the beard once or twice a week. What’s really good is a brand called Cornerstone. We use it quite regularly. It’s not too harsh, it’s not too strong on the beard.”
Don't: Use beard wash
“There isn’t too much difference between a shampoo and a beard wash”, says Dan. “I wouldn’t put anything on my scalp that I wouldn’t be happy putting on my face."
I woke up like this #flawless #bedbeard #maxmellow
A post shared by M A X (@maxschnauz) on Jan 27, 2017 at 4:14pm PST
Step 2: Tame the beast
The best way to maintain a beard can shift from person to person depending on their hair. However, there are some tips that can be applied broadly to most men...
Do: Get to know your trimmer's grading system
This can help prevent confusion when updating your barber on how you've been maintaining your beard. “Some clients come in and say 'I use an 8', and we say, 'oh that looks like a 2 to us' in the clipper grade," Dan explains.
“The Babyliss iStubble is awesome. It’s almost like a digital size guide, you just press up to go higher, but it tells you in millimeters as well which is useful because it allows you to tell somebody ‘on my Babyliss iStubble I’m a 4.8 millimeters’, for example.
"You don’t have to attach guards to it or anything like that. It has a guard on it that’s already attached, you can pull the guard back and it clips back, and it allows you to shape it all the way down to zero if you want a short stubble or a line.
“If you don’t like to use a razor but you still want the sharp lines, you’ve got the Panasonic ES-LT6N.
"Foil shavers generally don’t cause any skin rash or irritation. I always try and stay away from the oscillating blade [rotary electric shavers], because if you’re cutting it in an oscillating turn it can cut the hair at an angle and that can cause irritation.
"They’ll take it down to clean shave, so if you’ve got the need for speed but still want precision, you can use your iStubble to trim it down, and then get your foil shaver to put your line in and on your cheeks as well. It’s a good option if you want to stay away from wet shaving.
“You’ve also got razors like Wilkinson Sword that have a flick trimmer where you can pull the head back and it exposes the blades, or a Quattro where you’ve got one blade at the back.
"A few of the Gillette ones have a one blade on the back as well. They’re good for getting the line in, and then just flip it round and shave comfortably with more blades.”
All three experts recommended that you can also get decent trimmers from Andis and Wahl.
Do: Ditch unwanted curls by combing, blow drying or applying moustache wax
“If you have tight curls, I’d suggest getting an afro comb”, Denis suggests. “After you’ve showered, towel dried and applied beard oil, just comb it through and then pat it into shape and let it dry on its own”. Working a little bit of moustache wax through the beard can also help achieve the desired shape.
Do: Keep stray hairs in order
“If you’ve got a few long hairs that are sticking out longer than the bulk of the beard then fluff your beard out by brushing against it and then snip them off using a small pair of scissors”, Denis advises.
Do: Use a beard oil or beard balm made from natural ingredients
“Most are made from a carrier oil and another oil, typically seed or grain, so flaxseed or canola or rapeseed, something like that", Dylan suggests. "The Bearded Bastard do a nice Woodsman beard oil, with a nice woody scent to it. It’s also going to help with styling. It’s not going to give you a lot of hold but it’s just going to keep it in place.”
“Avoid things that contain silicone”, Denis says. “There are a number of beard oils on the market that tend to contain silicone that make the hair look shiny but they’re not actually giving it any nourishment so go for something like the Ruffians beard oil which has got argon in there, which helps soften the hair.” Dan recommends Apothecary 87.
As the beard gets longer, Dylan recommends using shampoo and conditioner. "You can use haircare products in beards", Denis confirms. "American Crew, Eva... Ruffians have a pomade."
Don't: Cut away at the beard to try and rid it of unwanted curls and waves
“You always want to try and work with the curls and brush them out", explains Dylan. "If it doesn’t go straight, you’re just going to have to leave it and work with it because once you start taking chunks out, it’s going to go patchy. And no one wants a patchy beard.”
Step 3: Style it right
According to Dylan “if you trim it properly, that’s half the battle with styling.” All the same, there are a few further points to consider when honing the beard’s shape.
Do: Use 'the smiley face' technique
Shaving in a straight line below the chin will actually create a curve when you put your chin back down to it’s natural resting position. To avoid this, "do the smiley face", says Dan Gregory, arching his head back to demonstrate.
“Start higher and follow the line of the jaw, follow that curve”. He runs his thumb along the underside of his jawbone, in the curved shape of a smile. "Push underneath the jaw where your finger caves in and run that along the line of the jaw, and then follow the line in the cream”. That forms a guide to follow with the razor.
The 10 best shavers and trimmers
Do: Keep it combed
“The key thing is to comb your beard. We just use our regular combs, or boar-bristle brushes. The combs you can get for beards are just smaller, more portable. Kent do a great range of combs. If you’ve got a big hipster beard, combing it is the biggest go to thing."
Don't: Try to hide grey hair
“Personally I think grey’s dapper”, says Dylan. “The best thing to do is just embrace it. A big grey beard? I honestly think it looks really awesome.”
Dan concurs. “It adds a bit of distinctiveness to the person, it makes them look distinguished as well. You look at the likes of George Clooney, he’s got a beard sometimes, and it’s grey, but it looks groomed. I would keep it to the 3-6 millimetre mark.”
Top accessories for growing, maintaining and styling your beard
Nutrimetics Clear Deep Cleansing Face Scrub
Aussie barber Dylan uses Nutrimetics face wash. This face scrub clears pores with its cream formula containing ultra-fine bamboo particles
Dove Men+Care Hydrate Face Wash
Dove's hydrate face wash is specifically designed to keep skin moisturised, helpful during those initial weeks when skin can dry out easily.
Cornerstone Face Scrub
This face scrub unblocks pores and helps release ingrown hairs. It contains cedarwood and exfoliating grains from volcanic sand, helping to soften a shave.
Babyliss iStubble
This electric trimmer is perfect for those looking for a precision trim for short beards and stubble, with an easily adjustable graded settings to cut down to different lengths.
Panasonic ES-LT6N
This foil shaver has a lock function for achieving straight lines as well as a flexible setting for adjusting to the contours of the face.
Wilkinson Sword Hydro Groomer Razor
A styling tool with multiple functions, the Hydro 5 Groomer Razor is able to trim and edge as well as shave and hydrate.
Wilkinson Sword Quattro Titanium Precision Razor
This razor's built-in trimmer and edging blade can help you define details and lines with ease.
Gillette Fusion® Manual Razor
The Gillette Fusion also has a handy precision trimmer, perfect for tackling that tricky area just beneath the nose.
Andis VersaTrim™ 14-piece kit
Andis is a professional-grade brand whose clippers are used by many barbers, and their home range is reputable too. The extremely fine T-blade on this trimmer achieves a close cut and shave for touch-ups and precision trimming.
Wahl Groomsman® T-Pro Complete Grooming Kit
Versatility is the strong suit of this trimmer from barbers' favourite Wahl. Trim, shave and detail using the same gadget and use the guide combs to achieve a seamless fade.
Woodsman Moustache Wax
Strictly, this all-natural wax is for tashes only, but as Dylan MacGreggor points out, small amounts can also help style a beard, particularly curly ones: "I have used that in my beard because it’s quite curly".
Ruffians' Argan Beard Oil
This nourishing beard oil with lemon, apricot and argan helps moisturise the beard. "Argan helps soften the hair", Denis Robinson says. "Facial hair tends to contain less moisture than the hair on the head, so you want something that’s going to soften and make it more supple so you can groom it."
Apothecary 87 Muskoka Beard Balm
This beard balm moisturises and lightly holds shape. Courtesy of the guys at Apothecary 87 whose Man Club is a (beard) stroke of genius.
American Crew Daily Moisturising Shampoo
Shampoo your beard as well as your scalp with this refreshing shampoo.
Eva Cosmetics' Man Look Styling Cream
Avoid the dreaded beardruff with this menthol enriched styling cream.
Ruffians Classic Pomade
This classic pomade containing ginger, coconut oil and vetiver root extract is designed for head hair but also works well in beards, leaving an extra strong hold and washing out easily due to its unique water-based formula.
Kent Afro Comb
To style a curly beard, shower, towel dry, apply beard oil and then run an afro comb through the hair before patting it back into shape and allowing it to dry.
Kent Boar Bristle Brush
An alternative to the standard comb, this boar-bristle brush can help cure bed beard.
Kent Extra Small Moustache and Beard Comb
About to step into an important meeting but just noticed you've got a couple of stubborn tufts refusing to fall into line? Whip out this portable fine toothed comb from Kent. There's no major difference to a standard comb but it's a handy size and looks the part. Plus, at £3, it's hardly going to break the bank.
