Beard Grooming

[KiltedSergeant]

There are different types of hair that grow from different people's faces, in fact the hair in my beard and mustache is remarkably different from the (remaining) hair on my head; the former being thicker and wiry, and wanting to stick out in multiple directions, while the latter is very straight and very fine. Different types of hairs require somewhat different approaches.

Here's how I handle my unruly beard/mustache hairs.

Basically, I let my beard dry really well after washing it before I attempt anything because wet hairs (mine at least) behave differently than when dry. First- when dry- I apply a conditioner to my beard. You will have to experiment to see what type works for you. I don't like oily ones, so I use Scott's Beard Conditioner (sold at some west coast USA games, and website here: https://www.scotsmangrooming.com/) which is similar to mustache wax, but more creamy- smells mildly like white chocolate. Then I comb it and any stray hairs that won't fall into formation get snipped.

My mustache needs a little (lot of) control on the ends, so I use a product called Got2b Glued which is designed for those spiky punk hairdos, but actually works great. I tried all the waxes available, but none had the staying power I needed. G2bG comes out of a tube like a smooth toothpaste, goes on easily, I work it into the ends of the stasche then I comb it gently. Dries clear, water soluble to come right off my hands, but when dry holds well. Again, any stray hairs get snipped; I won't tolerate those little rebellious bastards not doing what I order them to!

(G2BG is found easily at Walmart, Target, drugstores, etc.) I hope my product suggestions aren't considered advertising. There are many other products out there, and you need to experiment. I'm just letting you know what I do.

Hope this gives you some ideas.

[Father Bill]

Right.

I washed my face last night and I can't do a thing with it.

[Crawdaddyjc]

For trimming i just brush out my beard and use scissors to get the long strays and try to get them same length as the others. (Only when dry). I always wash and condition with a beard shampoo and conditioner. After drying i use either oil or beard balm. I like the balm because it is like a leave in conditioner and it feels good on the skin under my face curtain.
Always use a good boar brush. Cant beat them.
My wife says i have more products for my beard than she does for her hair!

[imbrius]

I trimmed somewhat more aggressively than usual and I really like the results. I lost about 1.5" of length but it got rid of most of what I would call the "mess". I used a balsam/camphor beard balm that works very well and feels great!

But I'm going to have to find a new balm as it seems my mother has a rather strong reaction to the balsa-wood smell. Since she drives me to work each morning (to save me $25/day on parking in downtown Milwaukee), I'll have to change. :P But I'll still keep this stuff around for date nights as the wife loves it.

[Tobus]

I haven't been beardless since 1998, and plan on going to my grave with one. I've gone through periods of trimming it really short (easily maintained with electric clippers using an adjustable guard) and really long (down to my nipples). These days I keep it a few inches long, where it's enough beard to be a proper beard and not just overgrown stubble, but not long enough to look too raggedy or like I'm making some sort of social statement.



Beards are a very personal thing. Everyone's beard grows in differently, not only in terms of fullness and shape, but the type of hair and colours of hair. The hair on top of my head is very fine and soft and straight, but my beard is curly and coarse. It also has many different colours in it, from brown to black to red to blonde ... and now is quickly turning grey. Anyway, because of its extreme curliness, it will frizz outward from my face if I don't tame it somehow. I typically shampoo it with my regular hair shampoo, then after towel-drying it I apply Tea Tree Hair and Body Moisturizer and work it into my beard, all the way down to the skin underneath. After it dries a bit, I brush it with a boar bristle beard brush. I carry my beard brush with me and use it a couple of times throughout the day. If it's a particularly humid day or if I want additional frizz control, I use Gibs Voodoo Prince Beard, Hair, and Tattoo Oil. This really keeps it under control.

As for trimming, I just use electric clippers to keep the bottom shaped where I want it, as well as trimming my upper cheeks and neck. Once a week I use a blade razor on my cheeks and neck for a nice close shave around my beard, but the rest of the week I just maintain cheeks and neck with an electric razor.

Shaping a beard and mustache can be a lot of work, involving a lot of trial and error over time to get just the look you want. And your personalised look may change over time. Every man should (in my opinion) experiment with it from one extreme to the other. Consider it part of discovering who you are, or choosing the face you want to present to the world. There are not many things we can change about how we look that make as big a difference as reshaping our faces. With the right approach, a beard can drastically accentuate your best (or worst, if you're not careful) features. It can give you the appearance of a prominent jawline if you don't have one, it can give you the appearance of a strong chin if you don't have one, etc. Even subtle changes like letting the mustache grow longer than the rest of the beard can fundamentally change the proportions of your face. There are many, many combinations of shapes and sizes that you can play with over time.

We are fortunate to live in a time where it's acceptable for men to have plenty of freedom in whether to grow a beard, or how to wear it. Society has been very fickle about beards over the years. There was a time when having a beard automatically branded one as poor or slovenly. Then it was fashionable for a while to have great full beards. Then fashion turned around and men were expected to be clean-shaven. But these days, beards are in their proper place as a simple personal choice. And I think men should be doing more talking about their beards, in terms of care and feeding.

[kingandrew]

Edinsteve,

Your point is well taken about the "bald guy with a beard" look, which can so often seem like a form of compensation (there could be a whole other discussion about "older bald guys with sports cars"). This was something I worried about when I first grew my beard, since I had definitely developed a bald spot after going through chemotherapy for cancer many years ago.

However, everyone seems to like the beard so much, I learned to "stop worrying and love the beard" (apologies to Dr. Strangelove), despite my growing bare patch on top. Today I often get compared to Santa Claus, which can't be too bad. I mean, Santa's not Brad Pitt, but everyone seems to like him pretty well

My beard (like the hair that once graced my scalp) is super-curly. So my grooming routine is pretty simple: wash, rinse, condition, towel. Trying to run a comb through it would be a painful and rather pointless effort, since the end result would be hairs torn out and a "just put my finger in the socket" effect. An Afro-pick might work OK, however.

The conditioner is key, since it makes the fuzz soft rather than Brillo Pad abrasive.

I try to keep the whole thing trimmed to a few inches--long enough to look like an intentional beard, but short enough to avoid looking like a mountain man or would-be sage.

Andrew

[Queenslander]

I find the wooden comb helpful. The teeth are further apart and there's no issues with static electricity.