Men with full beards have a certain sexiness about them! Perhaps it’s because of the symbolism of power, masculinity, and virility of full beards. Perhaps it’s because of the mystique of the full beard or of the mystery hidden beneath all that hair.
Whatever it is that made you want to have a full beard, you should be well aware of the demands that it places on its wearer. You can, of course, just let it grow willy-nilly but that’s unappealing in terms of hygiene and appearance. You must then ask yourself, “Am I up to the demands of a full beard?”
Here are things that you must know before plunging into the world of full beards.
Growing a Full Beard Has Demands of Its Own
Beards aren’t like hair on the head in many ways! For one thing, getting beard extensions at a Great Clips salon isn’t possible because there’s no service for it! Yes, there are hair extensions but not beard extensions.
For another thing, wigs can be easily mistaken for real hair and, in some cases, even use real human hair. But this isn’t so with wig beards – there’s likely something that will give them away as being fake beards.
With that being said, growing a full beard isn’t as hard as it seems although there will always be challenges. You have to be patient and let time do its job, so to speak, by laying off the trimming scissors and razors.
You may be tempted to shave just a teeny-weeny part or shave everything after a couple of weeks. Your decision will be influenced by your comfort level with your now-bushier facial hair and the opinion of the people around you. You may, for example, be asked by your supervisor to shave all of it because it goes against company policy.
There’s also the fact that after a couple of weeks, your skin will be itchier than before and your partner may also complain about the rash. You can use a beard balm and a moisturizer to soothe the itch if you’re still full speed ahead. Your patience will be rewarded as the itch subsides with a full beard.
After four weeks or so, your full beard starts to take shape. You may think that it looks unkempt because of the stray hairs jutting here and there from the main body. You can satisfy your neat freak inner self by trimming the stray hairs from your neckline and cheek line.
At this point, you should consider choosing a professional beard trimmer at Great Clips salon. Great Clips prices are pretty affordable and a beard trim is only about $6 according to pricing website Pricelisto. You can trim your full beard at home in-between salon appointments. But professional trims are still essential in keeping your full beard looking mighty fine.
Tips on Trimming Your Full Beard at Home
With the Covid-19 pandemic, most Great Clips salons are still closed or open with limited capacity and services. Since beard trimming requires close physical contact, it may be unavailable at this time. Your best course of action then is to trim it at home, a fairly easy task when you have the right tools and knowledge.
For the tools, you should invest in quality trimmers, scissors, beard balm and beard brush, and safety razor. You shouldn’t use rusty tools either because these will have a negative effect on the results. You may just end up with an uneven full beard!
Trimming a full beard can be a time-consuming process taking anywhere between 30 minutes to an hour. It depends on the length, texture and bushiness of your beard but it’s time well spent.
- Trim your beard after washing your face or taking a shower. This way, your beard is clean with little to no buildup of dust, dirt and dead skin cells that cause tangles.
- Make sure that your beard is as dry as possible before trimming it. Wet hair tends to lie flat so trimming it can mean beard disaster afterwards. You can use a small blow dryer set to its cool setting to completely dry your beard. Use a beard brush to comb your beard downwards.
- Use a mirror with good lighting to ensure that you’re trimming stray hairs and achieving the desired results.
- Use the right tools for the job. A razor is best when cleaning up cheek lines and the neckline. A pair of clippers is the must-have tool for removing more hair than usual. A pair of scissors is for removing stray hairs.
- Brush your beard frequently during the trimming process since there may be stray hairs hiding beneath, so to speak.
In general, concentrate your efforts on making your beard appealing on the front and sides. This is especially true if you want a longer beard, such as beyond the chin line. You can brush the bottom part to keep the hairs in line.
What if you’re not happy with the results or you don’t have the patience for its maintenance? Well, you can always shave it all off, perhaps start again! Therein lies the beauty of hair.
Pinstripe Magazine Staff
Online Men’s Lifestyle Magazine on Gear, Grooming, Girls, Gadgets
