Have you ever wanted to wear a goatee or how about a Van Dyke beard? Do you think you’ll look good with a 3-day stubble or a horseshoe beard? No matter what beard style you have in mind you need to learn how to cut, style and shape your beard. You might say, why not let a stylist do it? The fact that you are wearing a particular beard style, you must also learn to maintain your look and to shape your beard as it grows. How to shape beard styles.
Shaping a beard needs a good eye for detail, patience and the right tools for the job. You need to be acquainted with the different beard styles that will work best for your particular face shape. A good eye for detail will understand the importance of following every little angle and every single curve. You need patience because it really takes time to completely learn to shape and style your own beard. Finally, you must have the right tools and the materials to maintain your beard.
What you need to follow this tutorial
Trimming tools – you need these staple cutting and styling tools to shape your beard. A basic kit contains a comb or brushes to remove tangles and nits, clippers with a variety of attachments to trim hair and a small pair of sharp scissors to correct imperfections.
Razors – choose from a disposable razor, cartridge razor, safety razor, electric razor and cut throat razors or straight razor. Each one of these has special pros and cons that you must never overlook.
Lukewarm water –You need lukewarm water to open pores so you can clean your face deep down to the pores. You must use lukewarm water to rinse products that you apply on your face.
Facial wash with activated charcoal – there are a lot of brands of facial washes, and the best for men is a facial wash with activated charcoal. Activated charcoal will remove dirt, excess oils and grime. It can lift away dirt, excess oils from the skin. It will leave skin oil-free and blemish-free.
Shaving cream – forget about using bath soaps or face soaps to uses as shaving soap. Use only shaving creams and gels because these are special – formulated to prevent stubbles from drying out and also eases shaving. Technically speaking, the more cream you use, the less likely you will suffer from a cut when you shave.
Clean towels, face towels – always dry your face with a clean, soft towel every time you wash your face or shave your beard.
Mirror – you need a large mirror to check your beard when you shave and trim your beard. You need a wall mirror and a handy handheld mirror to inspect the shape and the balance of your style closely. Always work in a well-lighted room.
Special products you need to grow and style your beard
Coconut oil – you will only be able to shape your beard accordingly when it’s full, thick and luxurious. Coconut oil contains nutrients that can improve overall skin and hair health and can help grow longer and thicker beards. There are many kinds of coconut oil, and the best one is virgin coconut oil or VCO which is the purest and the most potent coconut oil on the market.
Almond oil – almond oil has vitamin E; magnesium and omega-3 fatty acids that will make you grow hair, rejuvenate hair and treat damaged hair. This natural oil is best when you want to grow your beard thicker and longer. This is available in local natural shops and drug stores.
Jojoba oil – one of the most popular skins and hair care treatment is jojoba oil. This natural oil moisturizes and rejuvenates hair and promotes hair growth from the hair roots. There is a variety of hair care products with jojoba oil. You can also use raw jojoba oil to maintain your beard.
Beard wax and gels – beard wax and gels are made to maintain condition and style your beard and mustache. You will find a wide variety of beard waxes, and these are readily available in stores as well as from online shops.
Step by step instructions
Preparing to shape your beard
1. When is the best time to shape your beard?
Shaping your beard requires shaving, trimming and styling your beard. So this means your beard should be soft, pliable, clean and manageable before you shape it. You won’t be able to achieve the style you want if you don’t clean and your face and beard. There are a few things to remember when shaping your beard.
Your beard should be dry so you can easily gauge how much you need to cut according to the beard style that you chose.
Your beard should be dry so you can easily envision what it will look like after you style it
Your beard should be clean. It would be very difficult to work your clippers or razors in dirty or oily hair.
Your beard should be manageable. One test: the comb must be able to move through hair smoothly stroke after stroke.
Your beard must be free from any styling products such as waxes, gels, and oils
You must have a clear idea about the beard style that you want
You must have the right tools and styling materials at hand
When your beard is dry after washing or shampooing, then it is ready for shaping. You can start shaping, styling and trimming when you got a clear idea of the style you want and after you have all the right tools and materials ready.
2. Choosing the best style according to the shape of your face
Possibly one of the most important things that you need to consider is the actual shape or style that you want to achieve. Whether you want to look like your favorite movie actor or you just want to follow the latest trend, you must understand that not all beard styles will work for you.
To find your beard style, you must pay close attention to the shape of your face. Men have four face shapes: square, round, oval and rectangular. Each of these faces shapes have distinct facial features and special beard styles that match. Take note that the right style adds contrast and dimension to your face and will also highlight your best features.
So before you trim, style and shape away, find out the best styles that go with your particular face shape.
The different face shapes
For square-shaped faces – use sharp scissors to trim your beard. Let precise lines highlight your cheekbones. Your style should be short on the sides and fuller on the chin. This style takes advantage of a square jawline. The best styles for square-shaped faces are the Circle Beard, the Royale Beard, the Goatee and the Petite Goatee.
For round-shaped faces –the goal here is to slim your face. Therefore, you need to maintain an angled shave along your cheekbone hire your round face. Hair should be full on your chin. Beard styles that are perfect for round faces are the Van Dyke Beard, Short Boxed Beard, Balbo Beard and the Anchor Beard.
For oval- shaped faces – men with oval faces can wear any beard style. Call this face shape perfect! Some of the most popular styles for oval-shaped men are the Chevron, the 3-Day Stubble Beard, the Horseshoe Mustache and the Original Stache.
For rectangle-shaped faces – keep your beard shorter at the bottom and longer on the sides because this will show off your strong facial features. Rectangle styles to choose from are the Mutton Chops Beard, the Gunslinger Beard, and Mustache, the Chin Strap Style Beard.
3. Finding the best razor to shape beard
Study the pros and cons of each type of razor. Pick the best one that will work for your special shaving and styling needs as well as your personal preference.
Disposable razors – these are the easiest to find and is the top choice among travelers and campers because you just discard these after one to three uses. A disposable razor has a handle that is permanently attached to a shaving head containing one to two blades. A strip of shaving soap is at the top of the blades. The blades of disposable razors stay sharp only for two shaves.
Disposable razors are very light, so you tend to put more pressure on the grip. The shaving head and subpar blades often lead to uneven shaves and ingrown hair.
Side beard style
Electric razors – this type of razor can be battery operated, rechargeable type or corded razors and are very popular among travelers. You don’t even need to use shaving cream and water to use an electric razor.
Men usually complain of skin irritation after a shave and not all electric razors are lightweight as well. Corded razors are also too bulky especially when you want to travel.
Cartridge razors – this type of razor has a plastic or metal handle with a flexible head to let you follow the shape of your face. The cartridge is where you will find the blades and are completely replaceable.
Each cartridge may contain from 2 to 6 blades.
Each cartridge is effective for at least 3 to 4 shaves. However, hair follicles can get stuck in between the blades, and it takes multiple passes to shave across stubbles. This increases the likelihood of developing irritation and ingrown hair.
Safety razors – talk about retro, this type of razor might be the kind your father may have used! It has a metal handle and head that can be completely opened to place the double-edged blade in. In this design only a slight edge of a single blade. This contacts the skin, and the head locking mechanism prevents the blades from cutting into the skin.
Safety razors rarely cause ingrown hair and irritation. This is because you only apply very little pressure to shave. A single blade can last for a week. But you need constant practice to use this razor, and it may not work for everyone.
Straight razors – better known as cut-throat razors, this type of razor looks like a large blade that folds into its handle. The blade is made of hardened steel and is permanent. You will never be able to remove the blade from the handle.
The handle of the blade can be made of wood, horn, metal, bone or plastic.
This type of razor provides the closest of shaves, and the blades can last forever making it the most cost-efficient razor. However, you must be very careful since this can cause serious injury
4. Shaving cream can soften beard for shaving
The safest and the most efficient way to shape your beard is to use shaving cream. You need shaving cream 1to avoid cuts and nicks and to shave your beard easily. Use a generous amount of shaving cream on your beard as well as your neck. You can use shaving brushes to apply cream evenly. There are some brands of shaving creams in the market. The following are the most popular:
Taylor of Old Bond Street Sandalwood Shaving Cream
Taylor of Old Bond Street is lovingly called the “gold standard of shaving creams.” This is because of its ability to let the razor glide over the skin. It has a lotion-like consistency, but still, it will give you a good lather. The lather is so luxurious it can become a cushion for a comfortable shave. It will leave skin moisturized and smooth all day.
Jack Black Beard Lube Conditioning Shave Cream
Of all the shaving creams in the market, the Jack Black Beard Lube is the most versatile. It can be a pre-shave oil, shaving cream, and a beard conditioner. It won’t dry out like other products and will prepare your beard for a shave by initially softening the skin and hair. This way, you can shave without the usual irritation. Jack Black Beard Lube shave cream is recommended for men with sensitive skin.
Cremo Astonishingly Superior Shaving Cream for Men
Cremo Astonishingly Superior shaving cream is a shaving cream that will not lather. It has a traditional formula that does not contain air pockets. Because of this, you won’t quickly get nicks, cuts, and irritation as you shave. It has a very smooth consistency and will make beard luxurious to touch. It is a good product to try for people who have wiry and tough beards.
Shaping your beard
1. Washing your face and beard
Wash your face before you shape it. Treat your beard like the hair on your scalp; a daily wash will keep it clean, oil-free and grime-free. Usually, shampoo and conditioner that you regularly use on your hair will work with your beard. However, if your beard is extra dry, you must use products meant for dry hair as well.
Don’t forget the following:
Save time and effort, wash your face and beard as you take a bath or shower. Wet your beard and mustache with lukewarm water.
Use only the very little amount of shampoo (smaller than a pea-size amount) on your beard.
Use both hands to massage the shampoo on your beard gently. Your fingertips should massage the shampoo from the sides of the head to the chin.
Use small circular strokes all over your beard and as you move towards the neck, make your strokes larger but gentler.
Use shampoo on your mustache with your pointer fingers. Massage it like you would all over your beard.
Rinse the shampoo on your beard with lukewarm water.
Use hair conditioner. Remove excess water from your beard. Place it in your beard, massage it like you would the shampoo but let the product stay for one to two minutes. Afterwards rinse the conditioner thoroughly.
Pat your beard and mustache dry using a clean, soft towel.
Let your beard air dry to get ready for shaping.
2. Trimming your beard with combination clippers and trimming scissors.
Once your beard has dried and you have decided on a particular style, it’s time to trim away. Trimming will also prepare your beard for shaping. You will remove as much hair as you need to be able to shape the style you want. The following step by step instruction is a very straightforward and easy tutorial. A combination clippers and trimming scissors is the ideal way to trim and here are the steps
Comb your beard to remove nits and knots. Combing will also place your hair in one direction. Include the hair on the mustache and neck.
If you are using an electric shaver or clippers, use the shortest setting because this will cut less hair until you are satisfied with the thickness of your beard. Trim slowly, so you have full control of your cut.
Shave hair found along the neck and cheeks to create a faded look. Use smaller clipper settings or about two sizes lower than what you use to cut and trim your beard.
Correct any imperfections and remove missed strands of hair with a pair of trimming scissors.
To trim your mustache, comb beard hair to the side to reach it.
Trim all the hair that hangs below the upper lip.
Once you are done use trimming scissors to detail your mustache. Cut strays and shape your mustache and beard. You are now ready to shape your beard and mustache.
3. Trimming using only trimming scissors
If you don’t have clippers, a sharp pair of scissors can be used to trim your beard and mustache.
With trimming scissors in one hand and a fine tooth comb on the other, you may start trimming your beard. Like using clippers, trim only small sections of hair to control your cut.
Comb your beard down and measure how much you need to cut.
Move the comb into your beard, cut only the hair that passes through the comb. Do this from top to bottom.
Use your comb and scissors to trim the neck area. Use a disposable shaver if hair is too sparse along the area.
Trim your mustache by parting your beard hair to the sides to reach it. Cut it depending on the style you are trying to achieve.
4. Shaping your beard
Shaping and trimming go hand in hand. Right after trimming, you have removed most of the hair that you don’t need. You are left with a beard that you need to shape and refine. Shaping includes three of the distinct regions of every beard style: sideburns, chin, and neck.
How to shape the sideburns
First things first, figure out where the hair on the head ends and when beard begins. Create a nice taper around the ears so this can grow long. Once your sideburns are long enough to blend with your beard, use a clipper and start taking a bit of hair at a time. You must do this gradually until you have achieved a taper that blends hair and beard well. Again, this is not achieved in one day; this has to be gradually done over time.
How to shape the neck
You need to achieve a natural look that will fade your beard along the neck area without looking like a caveman and not overgroomed. A good neckline should be an extension down the curve of the ear. Stylists recommend about 1 to 1.5 inches above Adam’s apple would be enough to look natural. Use a combination trimmer and clippers here. If your beard is too thick, then use a trimmer to do the job fast.
Shaping the lips
Do not let your mustache to go over the upper lip. Use rounded scissors to trim hair away from the upper lip. Use the narrow head attachment to shape the area around your soul patch.
5. Popular beard styles
The Chinstrap
Look like Abraham Lincoln with the Chinstrap style. This style trims off the mustache and leaving the rest of the beard to grow. The trick to achieving this over time is to merely shave your upper lip regularly using a disposable razor to get the closest shave. If you don’t want to remove your mustache, keep it significantly shorter completely.
The Goatee
Remove sideburns and just leave a rough patch around your mouth. An imaginary line from the sides of the nose down the corner of the lips will help you identify where to cut and what to keep.
The Muttonchop
This is the complete opposite of the goatee. You will shave any hair on the chin and lips and leave the sideburns long. Remove neck hair as well.
The 5-o’clock Shadow
This is a style that cuts everything off, almost. This is an all-over very short beard and mustache creating a rugged yet masculine look. This is a great style to use in men with darker hair rather than light hair.
The Soul Patch
This is a tiny, short beard under the lower lip. Remove sideburns, neck, and mustache and leave a downward –facing triangle shape of hair from the lower lip to a spot just above the chin. You can wear a long soul patch or a very short one.
The Pencil Stache
This is a clean cut look with just a narrow mustache. Use clippers or a pair of trimmers to trim the mustache shorter. A creepy style but still very neat
Post shaping techniques
1. Using beard wax and mustache wax
Mustache wax keeps mustache hair out of your mouth. With lip hair in place, you can talk, eat and kiss without straying hairs. Mustache waxes also create a glossy look, and a firm hold especially when you want to wear different beard styles. On the other hand beard wax conditions hair by keeping wild curls at bay and controlling random growths of hair. The following are the most sought after beard waxes and mustache waxes in the market today. These could be the waxes you have been looking for all this time.
Honest Amish Original Beard Wax
Honest Amish is one of the first beard waxes and has been around to care for beards for more than 45 years. It is all-natural and organic wax. It is made by hand and contains organic oils, fruit oils, nut oil, beeswax, and butter. Honest Amish is very popular because it has a good hold on the beard and prevents an unruly look.
Professor Fuzzworthy’s Beard Care Gloss and Conditioner
The Professor Fuzzworthy’s beard wax and conditioner is exclusive organic leatherwood beeswax that is found only in Tasmania. This wax is contained natural oils like castor oil, jojoba, and olive oil and is the best beard wax to use for all hair types. Beard hair will be easier to manage when you use this wax. And of course, it also relieves itchiness which is common in novice beard owners who are growing their beards long for the first time.
CanYouHandleBar Moustache Wax
The CanYouHandleBar is designed to hold your mustache for an entire day! This wax is so effective that it can be used even in the hottest climates in the world. This mustache wax has vitamin E and shea butter to keep mustache hair very healthy and luxurious. It is locally sourced and handmade from a small company in Michigan, USA.
Putting on a mustache or beard wax is very straightforward. Simply use a generous amount of wax and put this all over your beard starting from the top to the chin and moving down to the neck area. For thick and long beards apply more wax. Use a comb to comb the wax and your hair down. Combing also removes excess wax as well.
2. Treat yourself to a weekly beard spa
Try a weekly spa treatment for your beard using a beard mask. This treatment will bring back the luster, smoothness, and thickness of facial hair. Every day, your beard accumulates more dirt, grime, and pollution. More so if your beard is longer and thicker. Giving your beard some weekly TLC will surely boost hair growth and will make you glow even on any beard style. There are many products on the market that you can use, but we prefer to use only natural oils.
Using pure and potent oils will do wonders for your beard especially if your beard is longer. For this treatment, you can use one oil or a combination of oils. A good beard oil recipe uses a cup of coconut oil, a tablespoon of almond oil and a tablespoon of jojoba oil, three of the finest and the most luxurious oils sure to make your weekly beard spa worthwhile. Mix these oils and place these in a small dish to slowly warm up in a water bath. Apply the oil on your beard and mustache just like you would a moisturizer.
Massage the oil on your beard using your fingertips. Again, use small circular strokes from your sideburns and slowly towards the chin.
From the sideburns to the chin, to the neck, use long strokes starting from the bottom part of the neck towards the chin.
Apply oil also on your mustache. Massage the oil with your pointer finger.
Let the oil remain on your beard and mustache for 15 minutes.
When the treatment is over, wash your beard and mustache with shampoo and rinse very well. Use a beard mask treatment for your facial hair at least once a week.
Ways to take care of your beard
As you grow and wear your new beard style, you need to maintain this and keep the look longer. If you plan to wear a certain style longer, you must regularly trim your beard and mustache depending on the style you want. Mustaches and beards can grow fast and therefore you must consider at least a weekly shave and trim. You must also add the following to your daily beard maintenance regimen to ensure healthy hair growth.
Types of men's facial hair
1. Maintain a clean face every day
To be able to style, shape and maintain a healthy beard, you must keep it clean. A healthy, blemish-free face is essential to having a healthy, soft beard as well. Keep a strict face cleansing regimen which includes using facial washes or facial foams with activated carbon. Men’s skin is oilier than women’s, and when oil is combined with dirt and dead skin, you have a perfect haven for acne, pimples, and blackheads. Activated carbon will easily suck out dirt from deep down and will keep excess oil and grime away from the skin. Keep the following things in mind when using facial washes with activated carbon:
You don’t need a lot; only a pea-sized amount would do.
Use lukewarm water to open pores.
Move your fingers in small circular strokes. This motion is just like a massage which improves circulation in the area.
Use your fingernails by lightly scratching your skin. This also exfoliates it and remove dirt, dead skin and grime. As always, use circular strokes to do this.
Aside from your fingers you may also use loofahs or face brushes to wash your face. These can help remove dirt more efficiently.
After scrubbing your face thoroughly, rinse with lukewarm water.
Pat your face dry with a clean and soft towel.
2. Moisturize your skin and hair
To be able to grow healthy and smooth beard hair, you need to remove dry and flaky skin. You must rejuvenate skin so that hair can quickly grow. Moisturizing skin and hair will surely reduce dryness and flakiness.
With so many great products out there, it could be too confusing to look for the right one for your needs. The best will always be using natural products to moisturize your face. Natural moisturizers like coconut oil, jojoba oil or almond will moisturize and will not irritate skin. These oils are natural, with no irritating scents, artificial colors, and preservatives. Natural oils are easily absorbed by the body as well without any sticky after feel
The best time to apply moisturizers is immediately after washing your face. Pat your face dry and while damp, apply moisturizing oils. This will lock in moisture and keep your face looking and feeling soft longer.
Use only a very small amount of oil. The very dry areas of your face like your forehead, cheeks, chin, and neck needs extra TLC so apply moisturizing oils on these areas as well. If you are already growing your beard, use the oil to moisturize your beard by running your hands through your a comb to set your beard after applying moisturizing oils.
Another way to improve moisture on your beard naturally is by combing it. By regularly combing your hair, it will stimulate the natural secretion of oils which moisturize hair and skin. A good comb is a wooden comb with teeth that are not too close together and are not too far apart as well. Slide the comb through your beard. Comb from top to bottom and from side to side. Comb your beard several times a day to loosen nicks and tangles and to remove dirt as well.
3. Eat healthy for a healthy, flowing beard
Your diet must contain foods rich in protein because you need protein to improve cell and tissue growth and development. In short, protein-rich foods can help you grow your beard faster. High-quality protein sources that you should be eating are meats, fish, milk, eggs, nuts, seafood, and poultry.
Aside from increasing protein-rich foods in your diet, you must increase fiber intake which will help you improve your digestive system. Improving your digestion and developing regular bowel movements will let remove waste and toxins better. Fiber-rich foods are fruits and vegetables.
Eat foods with high amounts of hair-friendly vitamins and minerals like vitamin A, B, C and E. If your diet is insufficient; you can otherwise take supplements, a multivitamin pill, to help give you the right amounts of nutrients your hair needs every day.
4. Exercise daily for healthy skin and hair
Daily exercise can improve blood circulation and boost hair growth. Aside from these, you will also feel light, happy and motivated when you exercise and do physical activities because of the natural release of endorphins. But do not overexert yourself, exercise at your own pace.
There are a lot of simple, low-impact routines that you can perform like stretches, jogging, walking or biking. You can also use alternative routines like dancing, playing sports and other active outdoor activities like hiking, playing and performing chores.
5. Take naps and adequate sleep for healthy hair
There is no doubt that everyone needs rest. Your body needs time to recuperate so you must take adequate amounts of sleep and rest to grow a healthy flowing beard. When we lack sleep or are very tired, our feels the impact of this strain. Therefore aside from caring for your beard and maintaining it, you must at get at least 6 to 8 hours of sleep daily.
6. Avoid stress for a healthy hair and skin
Another factor that can affect hair growth is stress. When you feel stressed, you could experience many symptoms such as hair fall, poor hair growth, and lack-luster hair. There are many ways to avoid stress and of course overcome stress.
You can go out, socialize, play sports, engage in fitness and outdoor activities, indulge in hobbies or take a break from your usual activities. If you feel overwhelming stress, see a doctor to get professional help.
Conclusion
The best way to shape your beard depends on the style you want to wear. There are quite some different beard styles to wear, and this depends on the shape of your face. Having a particular style in mind can help you cut, shape and maintain your beard better. You will be able to wear that style longer and neater as well.
Did you like this article as much as we loved writing it? If so, share this with your friends and family especially to anyone who needs help shaping his beard. If you have suggestions and tips to share, use the comment section below.
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