Every new beard enthusiast has asked this all-important question - Should I trim my beard while growing it? Because it takes such a long time for facial hair to grow, you might be reluctant to start trimming. And we get it. You want visible results as soon as possible.
But trimming your beard while growing it out is super important and it might make the difference between achieving your goals and giving up halfway. Contrary to popular belief, trimming your beard will not help it grow faster, but it will make your facial hair look good during the growing-out stages. Read on to find out why you need to keep your trimmer close.
Why Trimming Your Beard is So Important?
1. Helps remove split ends
The tips of your hair fibres are the oldest part of your beard. Due to temperature and humidity changes, pollutants and other factors, beards can develop split ends. This will lead to an unkempt appearance. You can help prevent split ends from developing by keeping your beard moisturized and protected. But once those split ends are noticeable, the only realistic way to get rid of them is with a good trim.
2. Makes brushing and detangling easier
Brushing your beard can be a soothing daily ritual with actual benefits for the general health of your beard and the skin underneath it. Regular trimming can help remove unruly hair fibres that are at the heart of your beard tangles and knots. Trimming your beard can turn your brushing experience from painful to enjoyable.
3. Keeps your beard looking polished
One of the most common reasons why people tap out before reaching the full beard stage is that they don’t like the way their beard hair looks. You should be aware that you’ll need to commit to a beard care routine if you want your whiskers to look and feel healthy. And this routine will definitely include a regular touch-up trim that differs for every man.
4. Helps you create your own style
Trimming away the odd hair growth can be a huge help in learning what does and doesn’t work for your face shape and features. It will take you around two to four months to achieve a full beard, but you can have fun and explore a few different looks along the way.
5. Helps keep everything symmetrical
Men's bodies are not always perfectly symmetrical. It’s usually small things like one eyebrow being positioned slightly lower than the other, and one corner of the mouth being more expressive. Some of us even refer to one side of our face as being our `good side`.
Because your hair fibres don’t grow at the same speed, one side of your beard might be longer and bushier, while the other side is still playing catch up. That’s perfectly normal, and it can easily be fixed with a quick trim.
Products to Use When Trimming Your Beard
Beard Brush
A good beard brush is an essential tool in your beard care tool arsenal. It helps you detangle your beard, train your hair fibres to grow in a specific direction and spread your skin’s natural oils along the length of your hair.
Beard Comb
Your beard comb is your best ally against tangles and knots. This tool will help your beard stay clean by removing dust, and debris like loose hairs and food particles. You can also use your comb to ensure an even distribution of your beard-care products along the whole length of your hair fibres.
Facial Hair Scissors
Using a pair of facial hair scissors for the first time can be a bit scary. But besides the advantage of looking like you’re a professional barber, a pair of good-quality scissors can help you safely trim those odd flyways, sideburns, and the mustache area.
Safety Razor
Some areas like your neckline and the upper portion of your cheeks will need regular grooming. This might extend to other parts of your face as well, depending on the beard style you’re aiming for. Your shaving kit can include a pre-shave oil, safety razor or straight razor.
Beard Trimmer
Your beard trimmer is a great tool to help you even out the length of your hair or create a cool fade. Trimmers come in many shapes and sizes and they are equipped with trimming guards that you can change out and adapt for the length of your beard.
Step-by-Step Guide on How to Trim Your Beard While Growing It Out
Step 1: Start with a clean beard
Start by using your favourite beard shampoo to clean your facial hair. This will help remove debris, pollutants and residual beard care and styling products.
A really important tip is never trimming while your beard is still wet. Your hair will have more volume and be a bit curlier when it dries out, which will also make it look shorter than it really is. Another helpful tip is to use a soft towel to pat your beard dry to avoid creating tangles and frizz.
Step 2: Even out the length
You can use your beard trimmer or your trusty pair of beard scissors. The goal is to create an even hair length through your beard. This will help you visualize the general shape of your beard. It’s also an easy way to make sure that everything is perfectly symmetrical.
Step 3: Shape up your beard
Use your shaving kit to clear away the excess hair on your neck and upper cheeks. This will help you define the beard area and create a more polished look. Once your beard is long enough, you can also use your beard trimmer to create a cool fade.
Step 4: Focus on the edges
Use a beard shaper to achieve symmetrical edges on your cheek area. Remember that you can opt between sharply-defined lines or a more laid-back fade. A shaving kit will help you achieve those perfect edges and a trimmer will help you create a fade.
Step 5: Work on the details
Use your beard brush or beard comb to straighten everything out. Then take your beard scissors and remove unruly beard hairs or even out any of the imperfections you might have missed during the previous steps. Take your time and enjoy the process of building your new look.
Trim Your Way Towards The Beard Of Your Dreams
Check out The Beard Struggle’s collection of products & guides to help you get an amazing Viking beard.
