What separates a good beard from a great beard is the shape. What should a beard do for your face and appearance? A beard should accentuate the jawline and make it look more square.
A man’s ability to grow a beard (and how thick that beard is) depends largely on genetics. However, there are some simple steps anyone can take to make sure the beard they grow is the best it can be and look.
Whether you are growing a beard for the first time or want to refresh existing face follicles, here are some of the basic guidelines.
8 STEPS TO GROWING AN AMAZING BEARD
1. Put Down The Razor (Stop Shaving)
Is this step a No-brainer? Yes, but if you’ve ever tried to grow a beard (and failed), you know this step isn’t as easy as it sounds. You should commit to about two months of no shaving. The trouble most guys have with this first hurdle is patience and dealing with the uncomfortable sensations a new beard can bring. By all means, do not get discouraged. Even guys with beards that look patchy when short, can grow a thicker, fuller looking beard when given a chance to get longer.
2. Know Your Lines
As a new beard grows out, letting your facial hair go wild will make any face look rounder. Many guys give up because they think their faces look chubby. Beard shape really boils down to three lines. The Top Line along your cheek from sideburns to mouth, the Base Line on the neck from the corners of the jaw around the Adam’s apple, and the Lip Line. One of the easiest ways to push through the early stage is to make sure your Base Line is clean so you don’t have a lot of hair growing on your neck. Use a trimmer to remove any hair visible below your jawline when staring straight in a mirror. It’s the best way to keep your jaw defined.
3. Control The Itch
Another reason many guys abandon beard growth is because it’s just so dang uncomfortable. Hair on the face is courser and curlier than hair on top of your head. Beard oils are leave-in conditioners that will help smooth the hairs, moisturize the skin underneath and soften everything, which will help mitigate itch even on short hair. Only use a beard oil with smaller molecules that penetrate hair and skin faster and won’t leave a shiny residue. Stay away from synthetic fragrances or any cream-based products that can clog pores.
Once you’ve grown out some stubble, it’s time to switch from face soap to a proper beard wash. A beard wash will clean out dirt and oil and keep skin and hair in a healthy state. It’s especially important that your beard wash clean not only your beard hair, but also your face.
The beard wash is super important, because you want to make sure you clean that out as much as possible. You want to maintain a good, healthy skin underneath. It’s living, and you want to keep it in good shape.
Getting rid of the dirt and the dead skin cells will keep your face from getting itchy, which, as anyone who’s ever grown a beard can tell you, can scuttle your beard ambitions quicker than anything. At the stubble stage, this isn’t as much of a worry yet, but switching to a beard wash will insure that it doesn’t become one once your beard gets longer.
4. Groom For Growth
To stimulate growth and maintain thickness, don’t use a beard comb, which puts too much tension on the hair. Use a flat-bristled brush with natural bristles like a beard brush. It will stimulate the blood flow around the follicles which means healthier, shinier, thicker hair and it will help to distribute the natural oils to keep the beard well conditioned. Brushes also help exfoliate the skin underneath without the use of harsh scrubs which can dry out your skin further. Regularly using a good oil and a brush will help keep the skin moisturized and healthy and won’t strip your skin with harsh ingredients.
Depending on how quickly your hair grows, the stubble-beard stage can last for a while. But once you get past the one-inch mark, you’ve graduated into official beard territory. Just as with the earlier stages, both skin and follicular health are important. Now, you also want to think about softening the hair.
The hair on your face is a thicker, coarser texture, so anything you’re doing to moisturize and condition the hair is going to make it a lot more comfortable.
With a beard conditioner, you want to take a quarter-sized drop and massage it into your beard, wet or dry. Be sure to rinse the conditioner out. The beard oil, once applied, will act as the leave-in conditioner.
With a beard conditioner, you want to take a quarter-sized drop and massage it into your beard, wet or dry. Be sure to rinse the conditioner out. The beard oil, once applied, will act as the leave-in conditioner.
Basically, you want to go with whatever softens the hair most. The conditioner is meant to make the beard as comfortable as possible and to look healthy.
Soft, flake-free, and smelling fresh are all qualities that you should aim for with your beard. And the best way to do that is with a beard oil. While a conditioner is good for softening your beard, oil helps lock in moisture, which, on top of further softening it, also helps keep away the dreaded beard dandruff. That’s right: Just as with your scalp, the skin underneath your beard can fall victim to unsightly flakes.
Beard oil helps maintain a proper balance with your skin so that it is neither too dry, nor producing too much natural oil in order to combat that dryness—both of which can cause dandruff. Plus, a good beard oil will add a bit of sheen, and it will make your beard smell nice. Which, given the fact that it is extremely close to your nose, is no small perk.
5. It's All in The Shape
Once your beard has a little length, but is still relatively short (around the two-month mark), start using a styling product like a balm. A balm is like a light pomade. It’s meant to hold down some of the flyaways and help you control the shape into the direction you want. While beard oils are about keeping the hair healthy, a balm is all about style and shape, which is important to create as the beard grows out. Stiffer products like waxes offer more control, but are better used on the more unruly mustache hairs than the full beard itself.
Just as with the hair on your head, the hair on your face, once it is long enough, will begin to have a life of its own. A sprig to the east, a wisp to the west, and everything else due north is not exactly a good look for facial hair. At least not if you plan on doing anything other than appearing in an FBI most wanted poster.
To combat this follicular chaos, a good beard balm is in order. Similar to the way pomade works in your hair, beard balm increases pliability, so that you can more easily sculpt and shape your beard into place. You’re going to want to control the size and the fluff of your beard. A balm will give hold and control. You can run your fingers down through it and immediately make your beard a lot more tidy.
Of course, you don’t want to go overboard with it. The “wet look” is not ideal for a beard. Stick with a nickel-sized amount and massage it into your beard while it’s damp. This will give you just the right amount of control without making things too sticky or greasy.
6. Seek Professional Help
Once you reach about an inch of growth (which can take around two or three months for most guys), head to a barber to get your first shape up. Do not try to do this at home. The goal of this period is to create the shape of your beard, which should be a little on the square side. It’s best to seek professional advice on what is going to suit your face shape and bone structure, especially the first time. Your barber should create a taper by narrowing the cheek portions and leaving the hair around the mouth and on the chin longer. They’ll also be able to connect the beard with your sideburns so it looks natural. Sound complicated? It is, which is why a trained (and objective) barber should be the one to do it.
7. Only Trim Outside Lines
This isn’t to say that the barber is the only person that should ever touch your beard. A good beard trim should last about three months with a bit of at-home upkeep. This is where a trimmer comes in. A trimmer’s job is to create nice clean lines. They’re not for cutting the beard. Let a professional handle the interior and you can handle the outline. Many trimmers will come with guards to trim at various lengths. They’re best suited for maintaining stubble looks, not actual beards. Trimming flyaways and stray hairs is different. Brush and style your beard into the shape you want and use scissors to delicately trim strays. Take care to not go overboard. It’s crazy how many people take off too much when trying to trim their beards themselves.
8. Reap The Benefits
If all of this seems over the top for something that’s supposed to be as low-maintenance as a beard, don’t let it discourage you. The longer your beard gets, the less maintenance is needed. The first couple of months is when your beard is at its most high-maintenance phase. After a while, it’s all about keeping the shape and daily maintenance.
Now that you’ve moved through the different stages of growing a beard, it’s time to put it all together. Much like your shaving routine, beard maintenance should be a daily ritual. Washing and conditioning it everyday will keep the skin underneath your beard healthy, and applying oil and balm will keep your beard soft and manageable.
Remember that a beard should be a feature of your face, and not a sign that you’ve given up. Invest in the right products, and you'll look like the dashing mountain man you always knew you could be. Vegso makes it easy with their grooming products that includes the beard wash and conditioner, oil, and balm.
GO HERE To Order VEGSO Beard Products!
GO HERE To Order VEGSO Beard Products!
