I spent months trying to grow out my beard until a time came when I felt that it had achieved the length I had always desired. And I will be honest, growing out a glorious beard isn’t an easy fete. But once the growing out process was complete, I had to ask myself, ‘what next now?’
This is where I began to wonder what I could do with it. I then realized that this was the right time for me to try styling it. Styling is the key to making sure your facial hair will stay the way you want it to.
Whether you simply want to smoothen out a few little quirks or to try out a new approach, you need to learn how to style your beard. If you are interested in learning ways you can use to style your beard, then you have come to the right place.
Beard Styling Tools
Before you can start the process of styling the beard, you first have to confirm the beard is clean and well-groomed. I suggest you do so by starting with a completely blank canvas.
Yes, I understand you have spent the last few weeks, probably months attempting to grow out the beard. While this may appear counterproductive, I want to assist you to carve a true masterpiece.
When you start with a clean-shaven face, you get an opportunity to bring out the kind of facial hair you have always desired. It may prove trickier trying to mold a new look based on the beard already in place.
For those who already have a given style in mind, it may make more sense for you to begin afresh; this calls for you to go back to your baby face. Ensure you clean-shave your face, and then give it a few days to grow back.
This will give you something you can start working with!
I can tell you for sure that this won’t be the only big change you will come across in the course of this journey. Carving a new beard style will require you to change the way you care for your beard.
Now is the time to get rid of all your old tools and start assembling new toys. The first step is to gather all the necessary beard care products. Here, you will need to make sure you have acquired some or all of these products:
- Mirror
- Beard oil
- Scissors
- Beard balm
- Electronic trimmer
- Brush, comb, or mustache comb
- Beard styling wax
By now I know you are already well-versed with items such as beard balm and beard oil. However, you will use these items in a whole different manner when you start the styling process.
Locking your style in place will involve applying these items after you have completed the grooming process instead of before. It’s now time for us to delve into the nitty-gritty details.
Initial Steps for Styling the Beard
It’s now time for us to get a bit serious. Whether you started with a clean-shaven face or opted to build on what is already present, the time has come for you to transform into a peach fuzz, Picasso.
At this moment, I recommend you start by making use of the humble comb. Use it to gently comb through the beard to loosen it. When done, you should have a clearer view of its fullness and overall length.
Once done with the comb through, now start contemplating on the beard styles you are likely to find interesting. You will have countless styles for you to choose from. When choosing, you might find it difficult to envision how certain styles will look like on your face.
Men’s magazines and online image searches may be ideal sources of inspiration. From them, you will get to see different styles and also get an idea of what is likely to work for your face.
Having settled on a style, the trimmers and scissors will now become some of your most important components. These are tools you need to treat with the utmost respect. While their role is to help you create a masterpiece, the reverse can also happen if you aren’t careful.
The trick here is to take things slow and steady. Proceed with caution even as you begin the process of developing your preferred look. Keep in mind this isn’t a race. As such, there is no medal to be won for completing the process in record time.
Slow and steady ensures you will not find yourself making a whisker mishap. Use the mirror to maintain a steady eye on your movements and on your beard. Use well-defined hand movements to tackle your beard trim.
Different Categories of Beard Styles
Hang on just for a few seconds. Let’s rewind a little bit. Are you still not sure of which style will work for your facial hair? Let me provide a breakdown of 4 unique beard styles as well as offer a few basics of each. From this base, you can then consider branching out further.
1. Full beards
2. Goatees
3. Shaped & Cut Beards
Any beard style which needs to maintain a given style will require lots of upkeep. If you are willing to put in the time and effort, then you can expect some truly exceptional results.
4. Mustache Combos
The combos work perfectly for the hipper beard aficionados. It’s possible for you to incorporate a unique mustache into different types of facial hair. You may, however, need to use an extra product to attain the desired effect.
Styling Shaped Beards and a Full Beard
If you want to end up with a full or shaped beard, be prepared to deal with lots of facial hair. The beast you want to unleash on your chin will require lots of taming. I would suggest you start applying copious amounts of beard oil at least once each day.
Many shaped beards are created around the principle of having to shape the bottom length. This may include braiding its length, rounding the end of the beard, or training it to grow towards a specific direction.
Whichever approach you go with; the tips I have compiled below can help you get the look you have always wanted.
- Use a comb to train your beard to begin growing in a certain direction. For this process, you may need to use a beard balm to prevent stray hairs from flying all over your face.
- It’s probably going to take a few months for you to fully train your beard. Other factors that may come into play will include the frequency of your grooming and your hair type.
- Wiry hairs should be trimmed. While at it, also make sure to get rid of any split ends which may have started developing. As time passes, this will assist the beard to start growing longer.
Shaping Different Goatee Styles
The goatee style belongs to the circle beard family. What this means is that you will seldom have any facial hair below the neck or chin and absolutely no hair on the cheeks. The former guideline may vary a bit depending on the goatee variation chosen.
Either way, the main purpose of a goatee is to ensure it remains firmly inside the circle style. Some men will choose to maintain a thin mustache connecting to their beards. Others may choose to start growing a bushier goatee to achieve a more exaggerated look.
The tips below will help you style your goatee regardless of the style you want to achieve.
- Use beard scissors or an electric trimmer to gently shear off any facial hair lying outside the mustache or chin areas. At this point, I would like to point that it’s extremely important for you to maintain a clean look that’s within the circle beard style. It’s the only way to ensure the goatee will appear right.
- A key tip to evening out the goatee is to make sure it’s well-lined around the lower lips. Try to keep things looking symmetrical for you to find the best representation for the chosen style.
Summary
Having imparted on you all the tips and tricks you need to grow and sustain your preferred beard style, the world of facial hairs is yours to explore! With all the tips I have included above, you should have a good idea of what will work for you and your preferred beard style. I would, however, like to stress that you should never shy away from experimenting with new styles.
Just because something has worked for you for long doesn’t mean you are programmed to always stick to it. You never know what will look good with your facial hair and shape of your face until you have gone ahead and given it a try. There’s no better way to express yourself than through the use of facial hair.
By messing around with different types of beard styles, it means you will never run out of ideas. You can even choose to use different styles for different occasions. A business-casual style, for instance, will work for any occasion you need to attend.
